Jefferson County Clerk Profile
Jefferson County has a unified Clerk for the Circuit and Superior Courts. The official Jefferson County Clerk page names Tabatha Eblen as Clerk and describes the office as a county-elected office established by the Indiana Constitution. This is not a split clerk structure. The same Clerk office administers official court records for local trial-court cases and supports the permanent historical record of the courts.
The Clerk's Office is the practical records counter for current and older court-filed documents. Its duties include administering trial-court records, collecting filing fees, court costs, civil and infraction judgments, fines for courts, and child support money. The office also serves election functions, including work on the Board of Election and County Election Board and certification of election results.
Jefferson County Clerk
Clerk: Tabatha Eblen
300 E Main Street, Room 203
Madison, IN 47250
812-265-8922
Direct listing: Ext. 1558
Fax: 812-273-5428
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The manifest image from the official civil paper search module route is relevant to Clerk-related civil record work because civil papers, court judgments, and related enforcement records can connect back to Clerk-maintained case files.
Use official case and Clerk channels for court files because civil paper portals do not replace the Clerk's permanent record.
What Jefferson County Clerk Does
The Clerk is not only a file room. The office manages court records and also handles money that flows through court cases. The official Clerk page states that child support transactions total approximately $11 million annually, which shows why payment verification, cause-number accuracy, and office contact matter.
- Administers official records for Jefferson County trial-court cases.
- Collects filing fees, court costs, judgments in civil and infraction cases, and court fines.
- Collects and processes child support money tied to court cases.
- Prepares the permanent historical record of the courts.
- Performs county election duties through the Board of Election and County Election Board.
The Clerk page includes a payment warning: contact the Clerk's Office to verify the cause number and payment amount before processing payment. That warning applies when a user is paying fines, fees, judgments, or other case-based amounts online or through a payment link.
Request Jefferson County Certified Copies
Certified copies are used when a record must be accepted as an official court or Clerk document. MyCase may show public case information, but the Indiana Judicial Branch says the official court record must be obtained from the court maintaining the record. For Jefferson County trial-court records, that means the Clerk and the Circuit or Superior Court structure at the courthouse.
- Search Indiana MyCase first when the case is public and non-confidential.
- Write down the cause number, party names, case type, filing year, and document needed.
- Contact the Jefferson County Clerk by phone, in person, mail, or fax to ask whether the document is current, certified, archived, or restricted.
- Verify the fee, cause number, and payment amount with the Clerk before paying.
- Request pickup, mail, email for eligible digital archive copies, or paper archive copies as the Clerk allows.
Certified marriage certificates and certified divorce decrees are not available online through the state public-record guide. Marriage certificates and divorce decrees should be requested from the Clerk in the county where the marriage occurred or the divorce was entered. Wills and older courthouse filings may require the archive path rather than a modern MyCase search.
Jefferson County Request Fields
No separate Jefferson County clerk-built search form field list was safely captured from the static research. The useful request inventory comes from MyCase, Clerk archive language, and county contact channels. Include enough information for staff to locate the correct record without guessing.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cause or case number | If known | Use the MyCase number, citation, summons, or court notice number when available. |
| Party names | Yes | Give full names and any prior names for marriage, divorce, probate, or civil files. |
| Record type | Yes | State whether the request is for a decree, order, will, license, judgment, filing, or case summary. |
| Filing or event date | If known | Use the filing year, marriage date, divorce date, death date, or approximate range. |
| Copy format | Yes | Ask for certified, plain, digital archive, or paper archive copies. |
| Return method | Yes | Ask whether pickup, mail, fax, or email is available for the record type. |
Jefferson County Clerk Fees
The Jefferson County Civil Filing Fees page lists the main filing and service amounts tied to Clerk work. The Form Center archive language adds the copy rule for older archived courthouse documents.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small claims | $97 |
| Standard civil case | $157 |
| Adoptions and civil plenary cases | $157 |
| Domestic relations cases | $157 |
| Probate estate, guardianship, or trust cases | $177 |
| Juvenile paternity filing fee | $177 |
| Marriage license | $29 |
| Out-of-state marriage license | $69 |
| Archive digital copies | May be emailed free |
| Archive paper copies | $1 per page |
Fee totals can change with case type, service, and copy format. Verify the amount with the Clerk before payment, especially when the request includes court costs, fines, judgments, support, or certified documents.
Jefferson County Clerk Archives
The Jefferson County Form Center states that Clerk archives include documents filed through the Clerk's office or Court starting in 1811. The archive includes will records, marriage licenses, and most other courthouse-filed documents. That makes the Clerk archive path useful for old probate, marriage, and historical court records that may not appear as modern electronic case images.
- Will records and older probate filings from the Clerk archive.
- Marriage licenses and related courthouse-filed marriage records.
- Most other documents filed through the courthouse from 1811 forward.
- Digital archive copies that may be emailed free of charge.
- Paper archive copies charged at $1 per page.
Archive requests should give a name, approximate year, record type, and whether a digital or paper copy is needed. For a current certified court record, ask the Clerk whether a certified copy can be issued from the active case file instead of the archive.
Online, Mail, and Payment Channels
Jefferson County does not publish a separate county case-search database. Use MyCase for public, non-confidential case information and the Indiana Trial Court Calendar for hearing schedules. If a document is not online, if a certified copy is needed, or if an older archive record is involved, contact the Clerk directly. Mail may use the Clerk's courthouse address unless a specific form gives another address; fax is available at 812-273-5428.
Civil judgments and sheriff sale material can also intersect with court files. The manifest image from the official sheriff sale module route is included because sheriff sale records relate to civil judgments and writs, but those public portal fields are separate from the Clerk's official case file.
Use the sale or civil-paper portal for the public module it provides, then use the Clerk when the court judgment, cause number, filing, or certified record is needed.
Note: The Clerk's payment warning says to verify cause number and payment amount before processing payment.