Most court schedules are public records, searchable online by name and date of birth. Here is exactly where to look, by case type and jurisdiction, plus what to do if the online tools come up empty.
Search "[your state] court case lookup" and use your state's official case search. Most states (California, Washington, New York, Oregon, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and many others) publish hearing schedules on the state judicial branch website. Type in your full name and date of birth. The system returns active cases with the hearing date, time, courtroom, and case number.
If that does not work, call the clerk of court for the county where you got the ticket, summons, or charge. They can find your case in under a minute. Their phone number is on the county or state court website under "Contact" or "Clerk of Court."
Different case types live in different systems. Use the right tool the first time and you'll have your date in a few minutes.
Search your state's traffic court portal first. In Florida, the county clerk of court site lets you search by driver\'s license number. In California, each Superior Court has its own ticket lookup. In Texas, use the city or county municipal court site where you got the citation. If you only have the ticket number, that is enough.
Use your state judicial branch's public case search. Washington has the "Odyssey Portal," New York has "eCourts," California has the Superior Court name search, Texas has individual county clerk sites. Search by name and date of birth, or by case number from the bond paperwork.
Use PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. Free account, name search across all federal districts. For free indexing without an account, CourtListener (courtlistener.com) is a nonprofit alternative that covers most federal cases.
Family cases are public in most states but indexed separately. Search "[state] family court case lookup" or call the family court clerk directly. Some states protect family case details — you may need to appear in person with ID to view your own case.
Search the county where the case was filed. Most counties have a public case index — search "[county] [state] civil case search." Small claims hearings are often scheduled at filing, so the date should be in the case record from day one.
Work through these in order. Most people get the date by step 2.
Type "[state] court case lookup" into Google and pick the result from a .gov or .us domain. Search by name and date of birth. If your name is common, add a year of birth or initial to narrow.
If the state site doesn\'t cover your case, search "[county] [state] clerk of court." Most counties have their own portal. Pull up your case, note the hearing date and courtroom.
If online doesn\'t work, call the clerk\'s office during business hours. Give your full name and date of birth. They will look up the case and read you the date, time, courtroom, and judge.
If your hearing is in the next day or two and you cannot reach anyone, walk into the courthouse clerk\'s office during business hours. Bring photo ID. They will print your case schedule on the spot.
The reason you are reading this page is that the date got lost. Do not let that happen twice. The moment the clerk tells you the date — or the second the website returns a result — set a reminder. Not later. Not after work. Now, while the number is still on your screen.
A good reminder includes the case number, the courtroom, the courthouse address, and whether you need to appear with an attorney. Put it all in the subject line so you do not have to look it up again the morning of. See the full court date reminder guide for what to include.
Set the reminder before you close this tab.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
If you are searching for the date because you suspect you already missed it, the next step is different — and faster matters. Skip the lookup tools and call the clerk directly. They can tell you in 30 seconds whether the hearing happened, whether a bench warrant was issued, and what the procedure is to schedule a new appearance.
See the full guide on what happens if you miss your court date for the recovery steps.
Use your state's court website to search by name. Most state judicial branches (California, New York, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Florida) have a free case lookup that takes your full name, date of birth, and sometimes your driver's license number. If the state site does not return a result, call the clerk of court for the county where you received the ticket — they can look it up by name in seconds.
Yes, in most states. Federal cases go through PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov) which requires a free account. State cases vary by state — Washington uses an "Odyssey Portal" name search, California has a public case lookup, New York uses eCourts, and most other states have similar tools. Search "[state] court case lookup" or "[state] judicial branch case search."
Yes. Court schedules are public records. Anyone — a friend, family member, or attorney — can look up your case using your name and the court name. Pacer.uscourts.gov and most state portals do not restrict access. If your name is common, you may need to add a date of birth or case number to narrow results.
Three common reasons. First, the case may be too new — it can take 1 to 2 business days for new filings to appear in the public system. Second, the case may be in a court that doesn't publish online (some rural courts, federal sealed cases, juvenile cases). Third, you may be searching the wrong court — try a neighboring county or state. Call the clerk if you cannot find it after 48 hours.
Use PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. Sign up for a free account, search by name, and you can pull case schedules, hearing dates, and filing history for any federal court. There is a small charge per page for documents, but case schedule lookups are free or near-free. CourtListener (a nonprofit) also indexes federal cases at no cost.
The clerk of court for the county or jurisdiction where you were charged or summoned. Search "[county] [state] clerk of court phone." Have your name, date of birth, and any case number you can find ready. The clerk will look up the case in seconds and tell you the date, time, courtroom, and courthouse address.
At minimum: your full name and the court or county. Helpful additions: date of birth, driver's license number (for traffic cases), and the citation or case number if you have it. Federal cases on PACER often need a case number or party name plus the district. The more identifying info you have, the faster the search.
Set a free email reminder while the date is in front of you. Takes 30 seconds, no account needed, and we follow up until you confirm you appeared.
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