Clerk of Courts
Welcome to the Lake County Clerk’s Office
Carl DiFranco
Lake County Clerk of Common Pleas Court
The Clerk of Courts office, plays a vital role as keeper of court records. This includes filing, docketing, indexing and preserving all court pleadings for civil, felony criminal and domestic relations cases.
Phone Scam Alert: Jury Duty Payment Calls
The Lake County Clerk of Courts has been made aware of a phone scam in which callers falsely claim to be from the Clerk’s Office and demand payment related to jury duty. These calls may even use the names of Clerk staff or officials.
Please be advised:
• Our office will never call you to request payment for jury duty obligations.
• We will never demand money, gift cards, or personal financial information over the phone.
• If you receive such a call, do not provide any information and hang up immediately.
• You may report the incident to local law enforcement.
Your safety and privacy are important to us, and we want to ensure residents are aware of this scam.
11th District Court of Appeals Rules
Upcoming changes to the 11th District Court of Appeals Rules. This court will receive public comments regarding the proposed rule through Monday, September 21, 2026. Public comments should be emailed directly to me at [email protected].
Current Office Hours
| Legal Division | Monday – Friday 8AM to 4:30PM |
| Title Division | Title Services: Monday – Friday 8AM to 4:30PM, Saturday 8AM to 12PM Passport Services: Monday – Friday 8AM to 4PM. Appointments strongly recommended |
| Legal Division: Main Office: 25 N Park Place, Painesville (440-350-2657) | Title Division: Title Central: 8804 Mentor Ave., Mentor (440-350-2800) |
| Title West: 30188 Euclid Ave., Wickliffe (440-918-3425) |
Title Office
Title services can be procured via mail and our secure drop boxes at both locations. Please review our TITLE BY MAIL CHECKLIST for more information.
| Title Central – Mentor 8804 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH 44060 | Title West – Wickliffe 30188 Euclid Ave. Wickliffe, OH 44092 |
LEGAL OFFICE
FILINGS:
Please consult the table below as to what filing formats are acceptable for each case type.
Protection orders must be filed in person.
| CASE TYPE | eFILE | IN-PERSON | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Qualification (CQ) |  X |  | | |
| Civil (CV) | X | | | |
| Civil Cognovit (CV) | | | X | |
| Civil Foreclosure (CF) | X | | | |
| Civil Stalking (CS) | | | X | |
| Miscellaneous (MS) | | | X | |
| Dissolution (DI) | X | | | |
| Divorce (DR) | X | | | |
| Domestic Jurisdiction (DC) | X | | | |
| Domestic Violence (DV) | | | X | |
| Incoming UIFSA (IU) | X | | | |
| Juvenile Related Case (DJ) | X | | | |
| Outgoing UIFSA (OU) | X | | | |
| Registration UIFSA (RU) | X | | | |
| Foreign Judgement (FJ) | | X | X | |
| Judgement Lien (JL) | | X | X | |
| State-Judgement Lien (ST) | | X | X | |
| Court of Appeals (CA) | X | | | |
| Criminal (CR) | X | | | |
| Foreign Subpoenas (FS) | | X | | |
| Garnishments | | X | X | |
| Process Server (AA) | X | | |
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS:
The public records portal should only be used to request certified and non-certified copies of documents that this office may have in its possession. All other requests should be directed to the appropriate office.
If you have an emergency situation, please dial 911 as this portal is not the appropriate avenue to remedy the situation.
Public records requests can be emailed to [email protected]. In your request, please provide the following if you are able: case number, party names, and year.
| The office is an agent of County, State and Federal government. COUNTY – The Legal division of the office supports the General and Domestic Relations Courts. In the capacity of Clerk for the 11th District Court of Appeals, the Clerk supports any individual appealing cases from the above mentioned courts, Juvenile, Probate or any of our three Municipal Courts. The Clerk performs all statutory duties related to the filing, preservation and dissemination of public records. The Clerk collects, holds in trust and disburses monies in a secure, timely and cost effective manner. STATE – Both Title offices, Mentor and Wickliffe, issue titles for motor vehicles, watercraft and manufactured homes . FEDERAL – Title offices have been designated to serve as Passport Acceptance Agencies. |
Latest News
Clerk of Courts Resources
- You have moved to Ohio from another State. You won the vehicle fee and clear of any liens and it is Titled in your name only. You will need the following:
Original Out of State Title State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Out of State Vehicle Inspection Cash, personal check, cashier’s check or money order for the Title Fees
- You have moved from another State. The Title is in more than one name and you are making payments to a lender. You will need the following:
Original Out of State Title Notarized Power of Attorney from Lease Company allowing you to sign for them Out of State Vehicle Inspection State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Cash, personal check, cashier’s check or money order for the Title Fees
- You have purchased a vehicle from an individual who lives in Ohio. You will need the following:
The Original Ohio title with the top half of the reverse side completed by the seller and notarized. If the Title is a Gold Title and the vehicle has no place for mileage, you will need a Federal Odometer Statement with the seller’s portion completed. State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Cash, personal check, cashier’s check or money order for the sales tax and Title Fees
- You have purchased a used vehicle from an individual in another state. You will need the following:
The Original Title from the state in which the seller resides. The assignment must be complete and if the Title document has a space for a Notary Public, it must be notarized. Out of State Vehicle Inspection Bill of Sale if purchased from a dealer State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Loan papers if applicable Cash, personal check, cashier’s check, or money order for taxes and title Fees
- You have purchased a new vehicle from an out of state dealer. You will need the following:
Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) from the Dealer Bill of Sale Federal Odometer Statement State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Cash, personal check, cashier’s check, or money order for taxes and title Fees
- You have purchased a used vehicle from a dealer in another state. You will need the following:
The Out of State Title signed over to you by the Dealer An original or certified copy of the Bill of Sale Federal Odometer Statement Out of State Vehicle Inspection State I.D. or Ohio driver’s license Cash, personal check, cashier’s check, or money order for taxes and Title Fees
| Location Name | Address | City | Zipcode | Website | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts Legal Offices | 25 North Park Place, | Painesville | 44077 | 440-350-2657 | |
| Painesville Municipal Court | 7 Richmond Street | Painesville | 44077 | http://www.pmcourt.com/ | 440-392-5900 |
| Title Central – Mentor | 8804 Mentor Ave | Mentor | 44060 | 440-350-2800 | |
| Title West – Wickliffe | 30188 Euclid Ave | Wickliffe | 44092 | ||
| Willoughby Municipal Court | 4000 Erie Street | Willoughby | 44094 | http://www.willoughbycourt.com/ | 440-953-4150 |
| Title | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Relations Court Forms | https://lcdrct.org/forms-filings/ | |
| Legal Topics and Forms – FindLaw | https://www.findlaw.com/ | |
| NEOCAP | https://www.neocap.org/ | |
| Statistics | http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/publications/ |