How to search Idaho court records
Idaho runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.
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Open the official Idaho portal →
What's actually there
iCourt Portal offers free statewide Smart Search (name or case number) and hearing search across district and magistrate cases. mycourts.idaho.gov now redirects here.
Other official lookups for Idaho
How Idaho's courts are organized
Idaho has a unified state court system run by the Idaho Supreme Court. All 44 counties are grouped into seven judicial districts, each with four to ten counties. For example, the Fourth District is Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, and the Seventh District runs from Bingham and Bonneville up through Lemhi and Teton.
Each county courthouse holds the district court and its magistrate division. Magistrates handle the high-volume work, such as misdemeanors, traffic, family and juvenile cases, small claims and the first stages of felony cases. District judges handle felony trials, larger civil cases and appeals from magistrate decisions. Above them are the Idaho Court of Appeals and the Idaho Supreme Court.
The iCourt Portal, Idaho's online search, covers district and magistrate cases in the state trial courts. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions are posted separately on the Judicial Branch website.
Using the iCourt Portal
The portal (run on Tyler Technologies' Odyssey software) has three main tools: Smart Search for court records, Search Hearings for hearings within a date range, and Make Payments for criminal and traffic fines. Searching is free and does not require an account, although Register and Sign In links appear at the top.
Smart Search accepts a case number or a name typed as Last, First Middle Suffix, and an advanced filter narrows results or searches business names. Wildcards need at least four characters of a case number or three letters of a last name plus an asterisk. Sessions time out after short inactivity, and the portal itself warns that a recent update makes a CAPTCHA check appear about every five minutes.
Sealed cases and information exempt under a court order or Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32 do not appear. Starting September 24, sealed case events also stopped showing in search results, though the order to seal stays public. Attorneys in the Idaho State Bar use a separate Attorney Portal, and government agencies and their contractors can apply for Extended Access; neither is open to the general public.
- Every county courthouse has at least one public kiosk. A new kiosk interface launched August 4, 2026 lets you search case information and hearings without a party name or case number.
- For anything not shown online, ask the clerk's office in the county where the case was filed.
Getting copies or certified copies
Copies come from the clerk of the district court in the county where the case was filed; the Judicial Branch keeps a county courthouse directory. Under Idaho Code 31-3201 the clerk charges $1.00 per page to copy a file or record, $0.50 per page to compare and conform a copy you bring, and an extra $1.00 for the certificate and seal on a certified copy. The Judicial Branch announced that its charges for mailing paper copies will rise October 23 to match U.S. Postal Service rates.
Under Rule 32, the records custodian generally has three working days to provide records, deny the request or refer it to a custodian judge, and must tell you within 10 working days if more time is needed. Requests that require pulling data across many cases go through the Supreme Court's Compiled Data Request Form, and Rule 32 does not require those to be granted. Appellate documents other than opinions come from the Supreme Court Clerk's Office.
Records that are not public
Idaho Code 67-3004(10) lets a person who was arrested or summonsed but not charged within a year, or whose charges were all dismissed or ended in acquittal, ask in writing for the fingerprint and criminal history record to be expunged and the court file sealed. It does not apply to dismissals after a withheld judgment under section 19-2604(1).
Idaho's Clean Slate Act, Idaho Code 67-3004(11), lets a person petition the court to shield records of a misdemeanor that is not on the statute's list of assaultive or violent misdemeanors, or of felony drug possession under 37-2732(a), (c) or (e). The petition can be filed no sooner than five years after finishing the sentence, including probation, parole, fines and restitution, with no new convictions, pending cases or active restraining orders. A judge decides after a hearing, only one petition can be granted in a lifetime, and shielding hides records from the public rather than destroying them. The court publishes a petition form and instructions. This is not legal advice; talk to a lawyer or the Idaho Court Assistance Office, which offers forms and legal information (not advice).
Tip: Idaho case numbers and counties
Idaho case numbers start with a case-type prefix and a two-digit county number, then the year and a sequence number. The Judicial Branch's own example, CR01-24-31665, is an Ada County criminal case filed in 2024. If you know the county but not the number, the Seventh District alone has ten counties, so check the courthouse directory to make sure you are asking the right clerk. Eviction (unlawful detainer) cases filed on or after January 1, 2025 can be automatically shielded after three years under Idaho Code 6-303A when the case meets that law's conditions, so older eviction filings may stop showing up.
Sources
- Idaho Supreme Court & Judicial Branch
- iCourt Portal (Idaho trial court records)
- Idaho Judicial Branch - Idaho District Courts
- Idaho Judicial Branch - Camera and Records Request
- Idaho Judicial Branch - New tool for searching court records (Aug 2026)
- Idaho Code 31-3201 (clerk fees)
- Idaho Code 67-3004
- Idaho Code 6-303A
- Idaho Judicial Branch - Clean Slate Act
- Idaho Court Assistance Office & Self-Help Center
- Idaho Judicial Branch - County Courthouse Directory
Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.
Federal cases filed in Idaho
State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.
Search tips
- Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
- Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
- A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
- An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to search Idaho court records online?
Yes. Idaho's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.
Does this include criminal records?
Yes. Idaho's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.
Does one search cover the whole state?
Idaho runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.
Links move. If the Idaho portal link above is dead, tell us on the corrections page.