Johnson County Circuit Court
Missouri's primary trial court is the Circuit Court. Johnson County is part of the 17th Judicial Circuit with Cass County, and the Johnson County courts landing page treats the Justice Center as the local court hub. The Circuit Court has general jurisdiction over civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and other trial-level matters. Associate Circuit Divisions and Municipal Divisions operate within the Missouri circuit court framework, so the local structure is broader than one courtroom or one judge.
The Circuit Clerk maintains official records and proceedings for the Johnson County Circuit Court and Associate Circuit courts. The same office maintains records for several municipal courts: Centerview, Chilhowee, Holden, Kingsville, Knob Noster, and Leeton. Warrensburg is different because Warrensburg processes its own municipal tickets. That local split should be checked before assuming every city citation is in the same file path.
The Eastern District of Missouri court site is a federal court resource, but Johnson County state Circuit Court cases do not appear there.
This distinction matters because state trial court records and federal district court records use separate courts, clerks, and search systems.
Missouri Court Hierarchy
Johnson County Circuit Court records sit within a statewide court structure. The Supreme Court of Missouri is the court of last resort. It handles direct appeals in limited categories, such as certain constitutional, revenue, and death-penalty matters, and it may accept transfers. The Missouri Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate level for most appeals from circuit court decisions unless a matter is transferred or falls within direct Supreme Court jurisdiction.
At the trial level, the Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. Associate Circuit Divisions handle many lower-level civil, criminal, small claims, traffic, municipal, and preliminary matters. Municipal Divisions handle city ordinance and municipal traffic cases. The Probate Division handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, refusal of letters, and small estates. Juvenile court functions and the 17th Circuit Juvenile Office serve child protection, delinquency, and status-offense matters, but juvenile records are restricted.
Record path: Supreme Court of Missouri › Missouri Court of Appeals › Circuit Court › Associate Circuit Division › Municipal Divisions › Probate Division › Juvenile Office functions.
Johnson County Court Offices
The main Johnson County Circuit Court offices and judges are tied to the Justice Center. The local table below uses the official court and office names from the county research, with the municipal and juvenile exceptions noted because they affect searches and access.
| Court or office | Address | Phone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County Circuit Court / Circuit Clerk | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Official records and proceedings for Circuit and Associate Circuit Courts. |
| Presiding Judge R. Michael Wagner | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Listed by Johnson County as Presiding Judge. |
| Circuit Judge Stacey Lett | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Listed by Johnson County as Circuit Judge. |
| Associate Circuit Judge Brent F. Teichman | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Associate Circuit Division judicial officer. |
| Associate Circuit Judge Kaitlyn A. Roach | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Associate Circuit Division judicial officer. |
| Probate Division / Wills and Probate | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship, and small-estate matters. |
| Municipal records maintained by Circuit Clerk | 101 W Market Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-422-7413 | Centerview, Chilhowee, Holden, Kingsville, Knob Noster, and Leeton. |
| Warrensburg Municipal Court | 200 S Holden Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093 | 660-747-9131 traffic bureau | Warrensburg processes its own municipal tickets. |
| 17th Circuit Juvenile Office | Johnson County contact via Johnson.JO@courts.mo.gov | 660-422-7418 | Child protection, delinquency, status offense, prevention, and intervention services. |
Circuit Court Comparison
The terms Circuit Court, Associate Circuit Division, and Municipal Division point to different roles in the same Missouri trial court system. Johnson County users should match the record type to the right path before searching, paying, or calling about a hearing.
| Point | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit Division | Municipal Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core role | General trial court for major civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and other matters. | Division handling many lower-level civil, criminal, small claims, traffic, municipal, and preliminary matters. | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters. |
| Johnson County record holder | Circuit Clerk maintains official records and proceedings. | Circuit Clerk maintains official records and proceedings. | Circuit Clerk maintains several municipal records, but Warrensburg processes its own tickets. |
| Common records | Felony cases, divorce, civil judgments, probate, juvenile, child support, and major civil filings. | Small claims, misdemeanors, traffic, preliminary criminal matters, and lower-level civil matters. | City ordinance tickets, municipal traffic citations, and local court dockets. |
| Search start | Case.net, then Circuit Clerk for copies and restrictions. | Case.net, then Circuit Clerk for copies and restrictions. | Case.net for participating/local clerk-maintained cases; Warrensburg Municipal Court for Warrensburg tickets. |
Note: The correct Johnson County trial court term is Circuit Court.
Johnson County Case Flow
A Johnson County Circuit Court case begins when a petition, complaint, information, ticket, probate filing, or other initiating document is filed. The case then receives a case number and public docket entries if it is not confidential. Criminal cases can involve charges filed by the prosecutor, hearings, pleas, trial settings, sentencing, probation entries, warrants, or failures to appear. Civil cases can involve petition filing, service, answer, motions, hearings, judgment, garnishment, lien activity, or appeal. Probate cases have their own estate and fiduciary path.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › charging document › first appearance or arraignment › pretrial settings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing or probation › appeal if filed.
Civil flow: Petition filed › service › answer or default › motions and hearings › judgment › collection, satisfaction, or appeal.
Probate flow: Petition filed › court review › letters or orders › notices and reports › accounting or settlement › case closing.
Search Circuit Court Records
Johnson County directs court users to Missouri Case.net for case information. The county describes available searches by case number, party name, filing date, and hearing date. A known case number is best. If only a name is known, verify the filing date, case type, court, and hearing date before relying on the result. For court-date reminders, the Missouri State Public Defender notes that Case.net includes a Track This Case option, but those reminders are not official court notices.
Public case documents may be available remotely when the date, court activation, document security level, and redaction rules allow it. The Missouri Bar explains that expanded remote public access began July 1, 2023, while older public documents may still require courthouse terminal access or a clerk copy request. Sealed, juvenile, adoption, mental health, and other confidential matters are not ordinary public files. Johnson County sealed-file copies are limited to parties or attorneys who appear in person with proof of identity.
Federal and Appellate Records
Federal court records are separate from Johnson County Circuit Court records. Johnson County, Missouri is in the federal Western District of Missouri. Federal criminal cases, federal-question civil cases, bankruptcy matters, Social Security appeals, prisoner petitions, and federal appeals do not become Johnson County state court files just because a party lives in the county. Those records use federal courts, federal clerks, and federal search systems.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri is the relevant federal district for Johnson County.
State criminal, traffic, probate, divorce, and local civil cases stay in Missouri Circuit Court and Case.net, not the federal district court.
PACER is the federal case access and registration portal for federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate records.
PACER may charge fees under federal judiciary rules, so it should be used only when the case is actually federal.
The Western District of Missouri bankruptcy resources are separate from probate and estate cases in Johnson County Circuit Court.
Bankruptcy can affect debts and property, but it is a federal court case type, while probate remains a state Circuit Court matter.
Federal appeals from Missouri federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Missouri state appeals from Johnson County Circuit Court instead route through the Missouri appellate court system unless the Supreme Court of Missouri has direct or discretionary jurisdiction.
Justice Center Rules
The Justice Center at 101 W Market Street is the practical court-record location for the Circuit Clerk, Circuit Judges, Associate Circuit Judges, Prosecutor, and Juvenile Office. The current county website also marks the courthouse as closed for remodel, with temporary county offices at 301 W Market Street. Record seekers should distinguish the Justice Center from temporary county offices and from the Recorder of Deeds location because those offices do different work.
Johnson County says cell phones are prohibited inside the Justice Center. Courtroom dress must respect the dignity of proceedings. Shorts and tank tops are not permitted, and visitors may want a sweater or jacket because courtrooms may be cool. These rules matter for in-person record review, hearings, filings, copy pickup, and sealed-file copy requests that require identity proof.