St. Louis County Circuit Court Overview
St. Louis County is the 21st Judicial Circuit of Missouri. The main court address is 105 South Central Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105, with public hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and general phone 314-615-8029. Missouri does not use a St. Louis County district court as the main trial court. The proper local trial-court name is Circuit Court. The court handles circuit civil and criminal matters, associate civil matters, associate criminal and traffic matters, domestic relations, custody and divorce, probate, juvenile work, small claims, Department of Revenue work, and treatment court programs.
The county court system has many divisions, so the best search path is to identify the type of case first. A felony case, dissolution action, probate estate, civil lawsuit, small claim, or associate criminal matter may all appear under the same 21st Judicial Circuit umbrella, but the division, room, judge, commissioner, and docket path can differ. Public case lookup generally begins with Case.net, while certified copies and counter help go through the St. Louis County Circuit Clerk.
St. Louis County Circuit Court Divisions
The research provides division groups rather than a separate standalone courthouse for each division. Most Circuit Civil and Criminal divisions are in the main courthouse, while Associate Criminal/Traffic Divisions 32 and 33 are in the Justice Center rooms 3A and 3B. The municipal central room is at the main courthouse in Room S27. The table keeps the court number, type, address or room note, and phone data from the research.
| Court or Division | Type | Address or Room | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21st Judicial Circuit Court | Main trial court | 105 South Central Ave, Clayton, MO 63105 | 314-615-8029 |
| Divisions 1,2,3,6,7,9,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,20,21,22 | Circuit Civil / Criminal | Mostly floors 3-4 | 314-615-1501 through 1522 by division |
| Divisions 35,37,41,43,44 | Associate Civil | 2N rooms 281, 282, 287, 285, 284 | 314-615-1535 and related division phones |
| Divisions 32,33,39 | Associate Criminal / Traffic | Justice Center rooms 3A/3B and 2N room 286 | 314-615-1532, 314-615-1533, 314-615-1539 |
| Divisions 5,66,67 | Probate | 5th floor rooms 501, 502, 536 | 314-615-1505, 314-615-7565, 314-615-2624 |
| Divisions 8,10,61,62,63 | Juvenile | 1S/2N rooms | 314-615-1508, 1510, 1561, 1562, 1563 |
| Custody and Divorce divisions | Domestic relations | Multiple rooms on floors 1S, 2S, 2N, 3N, and 4 | Division phones |
| St. Louis County Municipal Court Central | Municipal and ordinance | 105 South Central Ave, Room S27 | 314-615-8760 |
Circuit Court vs Lower Courts
St. Louis County users often need to distinguish circuit, associate circuit, municipal, and small claims records. The wrong court can make a valid search look empty. Felony charges, larger civil matters, divorce, custody, probate, and many formal trial-court records sit in the Circuit Court. Associate divisions handle lower-level civil, criminal, and traffic work. Municipal courts handle local ordinance and many traffic matters. Small claims is for claims of $5,000 or less according to the county court department page.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit Court | Municipal / Small Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Main trial court for county cases | Associate civil, criminal, and traffic matters | Local ordinance, traffic, and small claims matters |
| Examples | Felony, divorce, probate, civil, custody | Associate civil, associate criminal, traffic | Municipal tickets, ordinance violations, claims of $5,000 or less |
| Search path | Case.net and Circuit Clerk | Case.net and Circuit Clerk | Case.net, county municipal portal, or city municipal court |
| Local caveat | 21st Judicial Circuit in Clayton | Some rooms are in the Justice Center | Dozens of city municipal courts may be involved |
St. Louis County Court Case Flow
A case moves through the St. Louis County system based on case type. Criminal and traffic matters may start with arrest, citation, complaint, information, indictment, or municipal charge. Civil cases usually start with a petition and service. Probate cases start with an estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship, or related filing. Domestic cases start with dissolution, custody, support, or modification pleadings. Appeals from circuit cases move into Missouri's appellate courts.
Criminal flow: Arrest or charge › first appearance or arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Petition filed › service › answer › motions or discovery › mediation or trial › judgment › appeal.
Probate flow: Initiating filing › court review › hearing if needed › appointment or certificate › notices, claims, inventory, or accounting › distribution or closing.
St. Louis County Civil Criminal Family
Circuit Civil and Criminal divisions handle the core trial-court docket. Criminal records may show charges, bond, arraignment, plea, docket events, trial settings, verdict, sentence, probation, and warrant events. Civil records may show petitions, answers, motions, service returns, orders, judgments, garnishments, executions, and appeal notices. Family and domestic records include dissolution, custody, child support, paternity, modifications, and related orders. Juvenile records are more restricted under Missouri law.
Probate remains inside the Circuit Court structure. The Probate Division covers estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and mental-health or civil commitment proceedings. Treatment Court programs are also part of the local court landscape, with Co-Occurring Disorders, Adult Drug Court, DWI, Family Treatment, Mental Health, and Veteran programs identified in the research. Those programs are not just docket labels; they can involve treatment, supervision, frequent review hearings, and team reporting.
St. Louis County Municipal Fragmentation
Municipal fragmentation is one of the most important details for St. Louis County Circuit Court searches. The 21st Circuit Municipal Division page lists many municipal courts, including Ballwin, Florissant, Kirkwood, Manchester, University City, Webster Groves, Wildwood, and many others. A ticket, ordinance violation, or bench warrant may sit with the county municipal court, a city municipal court, Case.net, or a Tyler payment portal, depending on the issuing court.
The County Municipal Court central division is listed at 105 South Central Avenue, Room S27, Clayton, MO 63105, with phone 314-615-8760 and fax 314-615-8763. Associate criminal and traffic divisions may be in the Justice Center rather than on the main courtroom floors. That physical split matters when a person is going to court rather than only searching online.
The Eastern District of Missouri federal court is relevant because federal records are separate from the St. Louis County Circuit Court.
Use federal court sources for federal civil or criminal cases, and use Case.net or the Circuit Clerk for county circuit cases.
St. Louis County Appeals and Federal Courts
Appeals from St. Louis County circuit cases go into Missouri's appellate system. The research identifies the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, as the intermediate appellate court for the county, with the Supreme Court of Missouri at the top of the state system. Federal cases are different. St. Louis County federal matters fall in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and bankruptcy is handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
PACER is the federal search system for U.S. district and bankruptcy courts. It is not the St. Louis County Circuit Court's record system. PACER's Eastern District CM/ECF lookup and the Eastern District PACER page explain federal account and fee rules. Local circuit searches should still start with Case.net or the Circuit Clerk, while federal docket sheets and federal filings use PACER.
The Eastern District PACER page helps St. Louis County Circuit Court readers avoid mixing local and federal records.
PACER helps with federal docket access but does not replace Missouri Case.net for 21st Judicial Circuit cases.
The Eastern District bankruptcy court is also outside the county Circuit Court.
Bankruptcy records should be searched through federal bankruptcy court channels, not through the St. Louis County Circuit Clerk.