Search Multnomah County Court Dockets

What a Multnomah County Court Docket Shows

A docket is the running list of everything that happens in a case. In Oregon courts it is called the Register of Actions. Each line marks a filing, a hearing, an order, or a judgment, with the date it occurred. Read top to bottom, the docket tells the full story of a case from the first filing to the final disposition.

A docket is not the same as the documents themselves. The docket entry might read "Motion to Dismiss filed," but the motion is a separate paper you may need to order. Think of the docket as the index and the documents as the chapters. For most case-tracking needs, the docket is enough.

Dockets cover every case type the Circuit Court hears. Criminal, civil, family, probate, small claims, and traffic cases all build a docket as they move.

Reporters, landlords, employers, and family members all use dockets, but for different reasons. A reporter may track a hearing date. A landlord may follow an eviction case. A defendant may check the next court date so they do not miss it. Whatever the reason, the docket is the fastest public window into a Multnomah County case, and it updates as the court enters new events.

How to Find Multnomah County Court Dockets Online

The Oregon Judicial Department web portal is the main free tool. Its Smart Search box takes a case number or a party name and returns matching cases. From a result, you open the case to read its Register of Actions. The portal also offers a court calendar view for hearing dates by date or courtroom. For common names, add a date or court filter so the list stays short and easy to read.

Start at the Oregon Judicial Department's main court page to confirm the right court and the right portal view.

The Find a Court page lists circuit courts, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Tax Court, so you land in the correct system.

1. Open the Oregon Judicial Department web portal and choose Smart Search.
2. Enter a case number, or a party last name and first name.
3. Open the matching case to view its Register of Actions.
4. Switch to the calendar view to find a hearing date or courtroom.
5. Order a copy of any listed document from court records if needed.

Fields in a Multnomah County Docket Entry

Each docket entry packs several fields. Knowing them helps you read a case fast. The table below lists the fields a Register of Actions entry usually shows.

Note: documents may be unavailable online, redacted, fee-based, or held only at the courthouse counter.

Docket vs Full Case File

People often ask whether the docket is the whole case. It is not. The docket lists events; the case file holds the actual papers. For a hearing date or a quick status check, the docket answers the question. For a copy you can file or hand to an agency, you need the document itself, and often a certified version.

If your search shows a docket entry but no document link, that does not mean the paper is missing. It usually means the court did not post it online, so you order it from records.

Reading a Criminal Docket

Criminal dockets use terms that confuse first-time readers. An arraignment is the first appearance, where the defendant hears the charges and the court sets release conditions. A continuance is a delay of a hearing. A bench warrant can appear if a defendant fails to appear at a set hearing.

Watch the disposition closely. "Dismissed with prejudice" means the case is over and cannot be refiled. "Dismissed without prejudice" leaves the door open. A charge is not a conviction, and a docket can list several charges that resolve in different ways. The Multnomah County Legal Resource Center helps self-represented people understand these terms.

The Legal Resource Center hands out forms and procedural help, though staff cannot give legal advice.

A few common docket terms come up again and again. These short definitions make a criminal or civil docket easier to follow.

Register of Actions

The official, dated docket history of a case.

Arraignment

The first criminal appearance for advice of rights, plea, and release.

Continuance

A postponement of a hearing or trial to a later date.

Disposition

The outcome of a charge, claim, or full case.

Bench Warrant

A warrant a judge issues, often for a missed court date.

Where Multnomah County Dockets Are Heard

Hearings happen at several Circuit Court locations. The Central Courthouse downtown handles most civil, family, and probate matters. The Justice Center ties to the jail and first criminal appearances. The county also runs an East County Courthouse and a Juvenile Justice Center, where juvenile dockets stay restricted under Oregon law.

The Oregon Judicial Department posts the official addresses and contact details for each location.

Check the court locations page for the current address and hours before you travel for a hearing.

Probate and Specialty Dockets

Probate dockets sit in their own department. Estate, guardianship, conservatorship, and trust cases run through the Probate Department of the Circuit Court. These dockets track inventories, accountings, visitor reports, and orders that protect heirs and protected persons.

The Probate Department posts forms and guidance for these cases.

See the Probate Department page for details, or read the probate records page for search steps and fees.

Free Portal vs OJCIN Subscription

There are two ways to reach Oregon docket data. The free web portal is enough for most people who want to track a case or find a hearing date. OJCIN Online is a paid subscription that holds the official Register of Actions and judgment dockets, used mostly by attorneys, title companies, and agencies. Free public access terminals at each circuit court also show eCourt records at no charge.

Which one you need depends on the job. A family member following a case can stick with the free portal. A title company verifying a judgment lien, or a lawyer who needs the certified Register of Actions, will lean on OJCIN. The data behind both comes from the same Oregon eCourt system, so the case facts match. The difference is depth of access, official certification, and the tools each service gives you.

Are all dockets online? No. Some case types are kept off the public portal by statute, court rule, or policy. Juvenile, adoption, and mental-health dockets are restricted. A sealed or set-aside case will not appear in a normal public search. When the portal shows nothing, the docket may still exist at the courthouse, so a records request or a visit to a public terminal is the next step.

Ordering Docket Copies in Multnomah County

When you need a paper or certified version of a docket or a listed document, order it from court records. The downtown Central Courthouse is the place to visit, mail, or call. The map below points to the courthouse.

The records counter sits on the third floor in Room 3315, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can also email or mail a request form.

To order a copy, give the case number, the approximate filing year, the party names, and the document title. Staff can still try to find a case with partial details. Certified dockets carry the court seal and a clerk signature, which you will need for many official uses.

For full case files rather than just the docket, see the Multnomah County court records page. To reach the office that handles copy requests, visit the Clerk of Court page. For arrest and booking events that feed into a criminal docket, check the arrest records page.