Legal Department

The Allen County Clerk of Courts serves the Common Pleas Court and the Third District Court of Appeals when Allen County cases are involved. The Clerk is elected on a party ballot for a four-year term at the same time the county treasurer, sheriff and prosecuting attorney are selected. The Clerk administers the oath to juries, endorses the time of filing on all pleading papers, enters all orders, decrees, judgments and proceedings of the courts.

The Clerk of Courts plays a vital role in serving the interests of justice. This includes filing, docketing, indexing and preserving all court pleadings for civil, felony criminal and domestic relations cases. The Clerk of Courts must also follow procedure required by law and issue writs to carry out Court orders. Some of these writs include summons, subpoenas, warrants to arrest and to convey to penal institutions, and signing the death warrant in capital cases.

In addition to processing all Court paperwork, the Clerk of Courts must preserve all of these records for use by future generations.

Title Department

The Automobile and Watercraft Title Division of the Clerk of Courts of Common Pleas is linked throughout the State of Ohio by a sophisticated computer network. This Automated Title Processing System (ATPS) provides fast, efficient issuance of approximately 4.5 million Ohio Titles annually. A certificate of title is documented proof of ownership.

In addition to collecting the sales and use taxes for the purchase of automobiles, the Clerk of Courts is responsible for collecting all revenue relating to court costs, bonds, fines and forfeitures. The Clerk of Courts of Common Pleas is responsible for receiving and disbursing thousands of other dollars which are directed to various accounts of the county and state.