Search Tips

Public Access Searching Tips

 

Wildcard Searches

You may perform wildcard searches by using a wildcard asterisk (*) in the Last or First Name fields in both defendant/party name, attorney name, and business name searches. The NDCRI search engine looks for records that exactly match the information that you enter into the fields. If you are unsure of punctuation (e.g., apostrophe or hyphenated names) or spelling of full names, using a wildcard asterisk will return more variations of the search criteria entered.

Note: You must enter at least the first 3 characters of the last name followed by an asterisk and at least the first character of the first name followed by an asterisk.

Examples:

  • You have the entire last name, but only the first letter of the first name. Enter the last name and type an asterisk after the first letter of the first name to search all records with a last name of “Smith” that have a first name starting with the letter “J.”

 

  • You are unsure of the spelling of the last name. Enter the first name and at least the first three characters of the last name. Place an asterisk after the first three characters of the last name to represent the portion you are unsure of. This will search all records with a last name starting with “Smi” and a first name of “Jason.” 

Soundex Searches

Soundex is a feature that identifies names that, although spelled differently, sound similar when spoken. For example, if when using soundex you entered the last name of "Smith", NDCRI would also return "Smyth" because the two names sound alike when spoken. Use soundex when you are unsure of the spelling, but know the names start with the same letter. To use this feature, select the “Use Soundex” search option.

When using soundex, keep the following in mind:

  • In order for the "Use Soundex" feature to work, the names must start with the same letter. For example, this feature will not work with names like "Carl" and "Karl", or "Jean" and "Gene".

  • The "Use Soundex" feature requires the entry of a minimum of three letters. It will not return accurate results when only the first letter of the name is known.

 

Note:

Current soundex technology works well with the English pronunciation of names, but not with foreign pronunciation or cultural differences between names (such as silent letters). Use care when using soundex to search for non-English names.

Example:

Names Are Not Case Sensitive

You may enter first, middle, and last names in uppercase, lowercase, or a combination of both (upper-lower).  The search will return the same results, regardless of case.

Examples:

  • All Uppercase

 

  • Upper-Lowe

Permitted Characters in Search Fields

Special characters, such as a slash (“/”) and ampersand (“&”), are not allowed in NDCRI search fields. Only the following characters are accepted:

In Number Fields:

  • 0-9

  • a-z

  • A-Z

  • Minus sign (-)

  • Asterisk (*)

In Name Fields:

  • 0-9

  • a-z

  • A-Z

  • Apostrophe (’)

  • Comma (,)

  • Period (.)

  • Minus sign (-)

  • Asterisk (*)

 

If you have a question relating to a case please contact the clerk of court for the county the case is from. The list of searchable counties is located here. The information provided on and obtained from this site does not constitute the official record of the Court. This information is provided as a service to the general public. Any user of this information is hereby advised that it is being provided "as is". The information provided may be subject to errors or omissions. Visitors to this site agree that the Court is not liable for errors or omissions of any of the information provided.