Searching Dade County Civil Dockets
Missouri Case.net is the online starting point for a Dade County civil docket. Pick the 28th Judicial Circuit first. That narrows the docket search. From there, run a party name, a full case number, or a filing date. Case.net returns public case information plus the Docket Entries register for each matter. Some things you cannot get remotely. For certified copies or paper material, the Dade County Circuit Clerk holds the county-level trial-court record.
Before trusting a result, check its case category and the parties listed. Civil labels include circuit civil, associate civil, small claims, and domestic relations. Probate, protection-order, mechanic's-lien, and related types appear too. The County Clerk does not keep these court dockets. County meeting records and city records are not case registers. Rely on Case.net and the Circuit Clerk instead.
- Open Case.net and choose the 28th Judicial Circuit for Dade County.
- Search by Dade party name, or use a complete Dade case number when the number is known.
- Use Filing Date Search for a narrow Dade date range when a party name is uncertain.
- Open the Dade case number and confirm the case type, case style, status, and current setting.
- Read Dade Docket Entries for the filing and court-action history, then request a specific public document from the Dade Circuit Clerk if needed.
Note: a Dade case-header result can still identify a civil case. The filing image itself may not be available online.
Dade Civil Docket Search Fields
Case.net gives you several ways into the Dade County civil docket. A name search works when you know a party. Have the complete case number, category code included? Case Number Search is the better tool. Filing Date Search finds recent civil filings without any name at all. For an upcoming setting, try Scheduled Hearings & Trials Search, a calendar view of court dates. Exact labels and filters come from the live public interface. Let it guide the docket search.
| Field | Use | Dade search note |
|---|---|---|
| Search For Cases In | Limits the court location | Select the 28th Judicial Circuit for the Dade County record. |
| Dade last name or party name | Finds indexed civil parties | Add a first name when available to narrow a common Dade name. |
| Dade case number | Finds a single case | Keep the complete Dade format and the CV, CC, AC, SC, or DR category where shown. |
| Dade filing date | Finds a date range of cases | Use a narrow Dade range first for new or recently filed matters. |
| Dade Scheduled Hearings & Trials | Finds a hearing search mode | Use the Dade case location, date, and any available division or category filters. |
These search fields locate a case, not a full evidence file. Once a result opens, compare the Dade case style, category, current status, and Docket Entries. A similar party name can still mean a different division or a different case entirely.
Inside a Dade County Civil Docket
The local terms are Circuit Court Docket Sheet and Case.net Docket Entries. A Dade County civil docket shows the 28th Circuit location and case number. It also lists the filing date. Case style, security level, judge or division, parties, attorneys, status, and disposition follow. Then the register logs events. You might see a document filed or a summons requested and issued. Return of service, a scheduled hearing, an order, and a dismissal fit there too. Each docket line names the event. It is not always the text of the document itself.
| Dade case number | A civil identifier, such as 26-XX-CV-00001-01, with a category that can distinguish Dade circuit, associate, small claims, or domestic matters. |
|---|---|
| Dade case style and parties | The plaintiff and defendant blocks, plus attorneys of record where the Dade public record permits. |
| Dade case status | Filing date, security level, pending or disposed status, and a disposition date when present. |
| Dade register entries | Petition, summons, service, answer, motion, setting, order, dismissal, judgment, and later enforcement or appeal activity. |
| Dade settings and outcome | The latest hearing date and time, any continued or reset language, and the signed judgment or final order when public. |
A Dade docket can list a document or judgment event. The image may stay unlinked or restricted. Keep that in mind. You may need a certified judgment or the exact filed item. Give the Dade clerk the case number, document description, and event date. Those details are what the clerk needs to pull the record you want.
Dade Civil Docket Service Entries
Service entries tell you whether a case moved past its opening filing. A Dade County civil docket may begin with a petition or complaint. Next comes a summons requested, then issued. The return of service records whether and how the other party was served. An answer or counterclaim may follow. Read that sequence first. It gives context for any later motion, setting, or judgment entry in the court record.
- Summons issued
- The court has issued process for delivery to the responding party.
- Return of service
- An entry showing the service result or method, not necessarily a decision on the case.
- Answer
- A responding pleading. It is distinct from the original petition or complaint.
- Notice of setting
- Notice that a hearing, conference, or trial event has been scheduled.
Read Dade service language with its event date and the docket activity that follows. A return entry can explain why a case continued or why another setting was made. It may show why a court later addressed default or dismissal. It does not settle the final result alone. The full Dade County civil docket tells that story.
Civil Case Types on the Docket
Dade County civil dockets sit in the Circuit Court of Missouri, 28th Judicial Circuit. The record type still matters. Circuit civil cases run on the circuit civil track. Associate civil cases go to the associate division. Small claims are civil tort or contract matters within the local statutory limit, while domestic relations and probate carry their own category and access rules. The same Dade County Circuit Clerk keeps the state-court record for all these divisions.
- Circuit civil matters in the general civil jurisdiction of the circuit court.
- Associate civil matters assigned to the associate division.
- Small claims cases, subject to Missouri's jurisdictional rules.
- Domestic relations matters, where some documents may require photo identification or have restricted public display.
- Probate matters handled in the Probate division through the same Circuit Clerk.
Each Dade type has its own filing route and case-number category. So read the public search for its category, not just the party name. A city administrative record or local code page is no substitute for the Case.net entry or the Circuit Clerk's civil record.
Dade Civil Docket Division Routes
The practical split between circuit civil, associate civil, and small claims shows up in Dade County's local fee schedule. It also shows in the category on the docket. Effective January 1, 2026, the schedule lists circuit civil filing at $100.50. Associate civil filing runs $48.50. Small claims carry a $20.50 filing fee, with service costs extra. Those figures are for filing. Searching a public Dade County civil docket through Case.net costs nothing.
| Dade civil track | Local record route | Key docket distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit civil | Dade County Circuit Clerk and Case.net | General circuit civil case category and related circuit settings. |
| Associate civil | Dade County Circuit Clerk and Case.net | Associate division assignment and associate civil category where displayed. |
| Small claims | Associate circuit structure, Dade County Circuit Clerk, and Case.net | Missouri law caps the amount in controversy at $5,000, excluding interest and costs. |
RSMo 482.305 sets the small-claims amount in controversy. Dade's local rules add another limit: no more than 12 small claims per calendar year. Keep an eye on case numbers. A small-claims review or a municipal trial de novo can spin off a new file. The Dade County civil docket will carry the transfer or certified-record entries that tie the cases together.
Civil Docket Settings and Hearings
A civil setting is a scheduled court event. It is not automatically a trial date. Dade County posts recurring Civil Court dates with Judge Troxell. The setting for your case is what counts. Check Case.net or a later filed notice. A Dade County civil docket entry might be a notice of setting, mediation, status event, pretrial, or motion hearing. It could also be a trial date. A later entry can say the matter was held, continued, passed, or reset.
Always weigh the newest Dade setting against what came before. One continuance may move a single hearing, not the whole case. When a printed notice, the annual calendar list, and Case.net disagree, rely on the latest Dade docket event. Call the clerk to confirm the operative setting. The clerk's public records line is 417-238-2400; the traffic, payment, and date line is 417-637-2741.
Planning around recurring court dates? Use Scheduled Hearings & Trials Search in Case.net and pick the 28th Judicial Circuit. The annual civil list helps with scheduling. It cannot stand in for the specific case record.
Dade Civil Docket Motions and Orders
A filed motion is a request, not a ruling. A Dade County civil docket may show a motion to dismiss, compel, continue, or seek summary judgment, and only later a hearing, order, denial, or grant. Sometimes no public document image appears at all. Chronology is what matters. Check the event type, the entry date, and any later court action before assuming the judge granted anything.
The same caution applies when a case ends. A Dade docket might read “Dismissed by Parties,” “Dismissed without prejudice,” default judgment, agreed judgment, nonsuit, satisfaction, or an appeal entry. Read the exact Dade labels from the live case. A signed judgment or order controls the real outcome; a docket notation may only summarize it. When public access permits, the Dade County Circuit Clerk can issue a certified Dade judgment through the local copy process.
Dade Civil Docket Documents at Court
Sometimes Case.net shows a Dade County civil docket entry with no linked document. Start by identifying the event, then ask the clerk for the exact filed item. An unlinked entry can mean several things. No image may exist. The item may be confidential. Or the document is not available remotely, and the older record lives only on paper or a courthouse terminal. Seeing a “judgment” event is not the same as holding the judgment text.
The Circuit Clerk at 300 W. Water Street is the in-person and public-terminal fallback. For a written request, use the Dade County record/copy form or a clear letter with the case number, case type, document title, date, desired format, and delivery address. Records and copy questions go to 417-238-2400. The Dade County directory identifies the courthouse service location. Paper copies are mailed about five business days after receipt. Payment instructions come from the clerk. Note that email attachments are not valid filings.
Dade's copy fees run $0.25 per page plus $3 for each non-certified document or $5 for each certified one, along with a $5 closed-file research fee and postage where applicable. Those charges are what separate a clerk copy request from a free Dade public docket search.
Civil Docket Access Rules
A Dade County civil docket search starts with Case.net. It can continue at the courthouse public terminal or through the Circuit Clerk. Court records are generally open. Statutes, rules, or court orders can change that. A public header and Docket Entries may sit alongside confidential attachments, private identifiers, family or adoption restrictions, or other protected material. The clerk can point you to the available public record channel, but cannot give legal advice or reveal a protected filing.
Key rules:
Court Operating Rule 4 identifies the docket or backer sheet and filed documents as components of the official court record while establishing security and access controls.
RSMo 610.023 provides a public-record request framework, including timely action and a written basis for a denial when applicable.
Missouri's certified civil legal-file form identifies the docket sheet or case record among the items used for an official civil record.
Describe the Dade record accurately when you make a Dade County civil docket request. Say whether you need a plain or certified copy. A public search result is not a certified record. A sensitive Dade document need not be publicly viewable either. If access is denied, ask the Dade Circuit Clerk for the reason. Request the statute, court rule, confidentiality provision, or order behind the restriction.
Note: A public court docket can identify a case event. Access to the document behind that event stays limited.