Search St. Louis Public Records
St. Louis public records span a range of city departments and court offices. As an independent city with roughly 301,000 residents, St. Louis does not sit inside any county. It operates its own court system through the 22nd Judicial Circuit and keeps its own land, marriage, and vital records through the Recorder of Deeds. Police records go through the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. You can search St. Louis public records online through CaseNet for court filings and through the Recorder's office for property and marriage documents. Most requests start at City Hall or through the city's Sunshine Law process.
St. Louis Quick Facts
St. Louis Recorder of Deeds
The St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds is a key office for public records in St. Louis. It sits in City Hall, Room 128, at 1200 Market St., St. Louis, MO 63103. You can call (314) 622-4610 or email recorder@stlouis-mo.gov. This office handles land records, marriage licenses, and related documents for the city.
The city government portal for St. Louis provides access to departments, public records contact information, and Sunshine Law request details.
Land records in St. Louis go back nearly 250 years. The Recorder's office offers a free land history search online, which makes it simple to check property chains. You do not need to visit in person for basic land record lookups. For certified copies of deeds, trust documents, or liens, contact the office by phone or stop by during business hours.
Marriage license records are on file from 1931 to the present. The application fee is $48.00 and is non-refundable. The office accepts Visa, MasterCard, or cash. Certified copies of marriage records cost $12.00 each. Both applicants must show up together with valid photo ID. For marriage records from 1881 to 1931, contact the Archives Department at (314) 622-4546. Those older St. Louis records are kept in a separate section.
St. Louis Police Public Records
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department keeps police records for the city. The Records Service Center is at 1915 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63103. You can get incident reports, arrest reports, and accident reports from this office. St. Louis police records fall under the Missouri Sunshine Law, so closed investigation files become public once the case is done.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department records page explains how to request incident reports, accident reports, and other police records.
Under Section 610.100 RSMo, all arrest, incident, and investigation reports from law enforcement are public records once they are closed. If a person is arrested but not charged within 30 days, the arrest records close to the general public per Section 610.105. This applies to all St. Louis police records.
St. Louis Court Records Search
St. Louis court records are managed by the 22nd Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Clerk's office is at the Civil Courts Building, 10 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63101. This office handles civil cases, criminal cases, family law filings, and probate matters for St. Louis.
You can search St. Louis court records for free on CaseNet. The system has over 45 million case records from across Missouri. Search by party name or case number to find St. Louis filings. CaseNet shows docket entries, hearing dates, and case status but does not display the actual filed documents. For document copies, contact the Circuit Clerk directly.
The Sunshine Law request process for St. Louis city records is handled through the city's Sunshine Law page. Each department has a designated custodian. Responses come within three business days as required by state law. Standard copy costs run $0.10 per page.
Note: St. Louis is the only independent city in Missouri, so it has its own circuit court separate from St. Louis County.
Vital Records in St. Louis
Birth and death certificates for St. Louis can come from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records. The state office has birth and death records from 1910 to the present. Certified copies cost $15.00 each. You can order online, by mail, or in person at the state office in Jefferson City.
For older records, the Missouri State Archives keeps historical documents including birth and death records from the 1870s and 1880s for some St. Louis city records. The Archives also holds Supreme Court case files, land grants, and naturalization records. These are free to search online through the Missouri Digital Heritage portal. If you need physical copies, visit the Archives research room at 600 West Main Street in Jefferson City.
Nearby Cities
Florissant is the nearest qualifying city to St. Louis. It sits in St. Louis County and keeps its own city records through the Florissant City Clerk and police department. For county-level records that overlap with the St. Louis metro area, check the St. Louis County page.
St. Louis County Records
While St. Louis city is independent, St. Louis County surrounds it and handles records for suburbs and unincorporated areas. The county Recorder of Deeds, Circuit Clerk, and Assessor serve a population of about one million people. For records outside the city limits, visit the county page.
St. Louis Sunshine Law Records
The St. Louis Sunshine Law request page explains how to file for city records. Each department has a designated custodian who handles requests. The custodian must respond within three business days as required by Chapter 610 RSMo. Standard copies cost $0.10 per page.
Because St. Louis is an independent city, it runs its own Recorder of Deeds, its own circuit court, and its own police department. There is no county layer between you and the city offices. That can make things simpler in some ways since you only deal with one set of offices. But it also means the city handles a huge volume of records for its 301,000 residents.
The Recorder of Deeds has marriage records from 1931 to now and land records that go back nearly 250 years. For marriage records from 1881 to 1931, you need the Archives Department at (314) 622-4546. The free online land history search tool lets you trace property chains without visiting City Hall. For certified copies, you still need to go in person or call (314) 622-4610.