About the Office

Mission Statement


In conformity with Mahoning County's Mission Statement, the Clerk of Courts will:

“Fulfill the mandates of the Ohio Revised Code by filing and preserving all papers relating to common pleas court including criminal, civil, divorce, judgment liens, state tax and court of appeals cases, and by specifically keeping an appearance docket, trial docket, execution docket, a journal of all court entries, and an index for all court cases; by collecting all revenues relating to court cases, bonds, fines, and forfeitures and then disbursing them to various accounts in the county and state; and by performing other duties including but not limited to the recording of notaries, keeping naturalization records, processing passports and providing voter registration.”

Responsibilities


Legal Department/area Courts


The principal duty of the Clerk of Courts is to maintain and preserve all court documents, journals, records, books, and papers pertaining to the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Court, Court of Appeals and Area Courts. Additional responsibilities involve not only the filing, docketing, indexing, and preserving of all pleadings, but also arriving at decisions regarding the procedures required by law and the issuance of writs including summons and subpoenas.

Title Department


The principal duty of the Clerk of Courts is to issue titles for motor vehicles and watercraft. Additional responsibilities include issuing copies of titles, duplicates, notations of liens on vehicles/watercraft, collecting the associated sales tax on transactions and remitting the monies to the State of Ohio. As an added service, Limited Authority Deputy Registrar (LADR) services associated with title transactions are provided including the transfer of vehicle registrations, vehicle inspections, and issuance of new license plates/temporary tags. The processing of passport applications and the availability of required passport photos are services provided by the Title Department. 

Revenue Source


The Clerk of Courts Department is partially funded by the General fund and partially by fees attained for services rendered.