This privacy policy explains how our court docket search service collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data. We run an online court docket platform that lets you perform court docket lookup, daily court docket checks, docket search by name, and docket number search across federal court docket and state court docket systems.
This policy applies to all visitors who use our court docket system, electronic court docket tools, digital court docket access features, and public docket search functions on this website.
1. What This Privacy Policy Covers
This document covers every piece of data our service collects when you search a civil court docket, criminal court docket, traffic court docket, family court docket, circuit court docket, county court docket, or probate court docket. It also covers data you enter when using our docket calendar, court hearing docket tools, or official court docket list. We want you to know exactly what happens to your data before, during, and after you use our court docket database.
2. The Data You Give Us Directly
When you run a court docket search on our platform, you type in personal details to get results. This can include a first name, last name, city, state, date of birth, or a specific docket number search term. You may also enter a case number when running a docket by case number query. If you create an account, we collect your email address and a password you pick. If you contact our support team, we keep a copy of your message and any files you send us.
You can choose to use our service without creating an account. In that case, we still process the search terms you enter to pull court docket information from our partners.
3. Data We Get From Your Device
Every time you load a page on our court docket system, our servers record some basic details about your visit. This automatic data collection includes the following items:
- Your IP address, which shows your general location
- The type of browser you use, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
- Your device type, like a phone, tablet, or desktop computer
- Your operating system, such as Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS
- The exact pages you visit and the time you spend on each page
- The website that sent you to our platform, called a referrer
- The exact date and time of your visit
- Your screen resolution and language settings
4. Cookies and Similar Tracking Tools
We use small text files called cookies on your device. Cookies help our court docket search service remember your settings. They also help us count how many people visit each page. We use two main types of cookies on our platform:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | How Long It Stays |
|---|---|---|
| Session cookies | Keep you logged in during a court docket lookup session | Ends when you close your browser |
| Persistent cookies | Remember your preferences for future docket search by name | Up to 12 months |
| Analytics cookies | Track which daily court docket pages get the most visits | Up to 24 months |
| Advertising cookies | Show relevant ads on other websites you visit | Up to 24 months |
You can turn off cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of our digital court docket access system may not work as well if you block cookies.
5. Why We Collect Court Docket Search Data
We collect data for clear and specific reasons tied to running a reliable court docket database. Our main purposes are listed below:
- To deliver search results from federal court docket and state court docket sources
- To process your docket calendar requests and show hearing docket dates
- To fix bugs and improve the speed of our electronic court docket tools
- To count how many people use our public docket search features
- To block fake traffic, bots, and harmful users from our platform
- To send you service updates if you created an account
- To meet legal duties under United States law
6. How We Share Your Data With Others
We do not sell your personal data. We do share your data with a small set of trusted partners who help us run our court docket system. The parties who may receive your data include:
- Court data vendors who supply our civil court docket and criminal court docket records
- Cloud hosting services that store our daily court docket database
- Analytics providers who count how visitors use our docket lookup tools
- Ad networks that show ads based on your interest in court docket information
- Payment processors who handle subscription fees for premium docket search by name features
- Law enforcement agencies, only when we get a valid legal order
Each partner signs a contract that requires them to protect your data the same way we do.
7. Court Docket Database Security
We use industry-standard tools to protect your data on our court docket search service. These tools include SSL encryption, firewalls, and access controls. We store passwords in a hashed format, which means we cannot read them in plain text. Our staff can only access data through secure logins. We run regular security scans to find weak spots in our electronic court docket platform.
No system is perfect. We cannot promise that your data will never face a breach. If a breach happens, we will tell affected users within 72 hours, as required by United States data breach laws.
8. How Long We Keep Your Data
We keep your data only as long as we need it. Our retention rules for the court docket service are listed below:
| Data Type | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Search query logs | 90 days | Troubleshooting and fraud detection |
| Account email and password | Until you delete your account | Account access |
| Support messages | 3 years | Customer service history |
| Payment records | 7 years | Tax and audit laws |
| Analytics data | 24 months | Site performance reports |
| Legal hold data | Until the legal case ends | Court orders and investigations |
9. Your Rights and Choices About Your Data
You have clear rights over the personal data our court docket system holds about you. You can act on these rights at any time by contacting us:
- The right to see a copy of the data we have about you
- The right to fix wrong or incomplete data in your account
- The right to ask us to delete your data from our court docket database
- The right to limit how we use your data for marketing
- The right to get a portable copy of your data in a common file format
- The right to object to automated decision-making in our docket search tools
California residents have extra rights under the CCPA. Virginia, Colorado, and other states have their own privacy laws. We honor all valid requests under these laws.
10. Federal and State Court Docket Data Sources
Our court docket search service pulls records from official court docket sources. This includes PACER for federal court docket records and state-level systems for state court docket records. We do not own these records. We license them from public sources. We link to the original court websites so you can verify each result yourself.
Some records may be sealed or restricted by a judge. Our system removes sealed records from our court docket database as soon as we learn about the seal. We do not display juvenile court records, adoption records, or records protected by a court order.
11. Data Transfers Across Borders
Our court docket system runs on servers based in the United States. If you visit our service from another country, your data will move to the United States. By using our docket lookup service, you agree to this transfer. We use standard contract clauses approved by the European Commission for transfers from the EU to the US.
12. Children Under 18
Our court docket search service is not meant for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If a parent or guardian believes a child gave us data, please contact us. We will remove the data within 7 business days.
13. Do Not Track Signals
Some browsers send a Do Not Track signal. Our court docket system respects these signals. When we receive a Do Not Track header, we disable advertising cookies and analytics cookies for that session.
14. Third-Party Links in Court Docket Results
Our search results link to external websites, including official court sites. Once you click a link, you leave our platform. The privacy policy of that external site now applies to your data. We suggest you read the privacy policy of every site you visit through our docket search by name results.
15. Email Communications From Us
If you create an account, we may send you emails about your account, service updates, and policy changes. You cannot opt out of account-related emails, as they are needed for the service to work. You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each message.
16. Payment Data and Premium Features
Our court docket service offers free docket lookup features and paid premium features. Paid features give you unlimited daily court docket searches, bulk docket by case number queries, and full access to our court docket database. When you pay, our payment processor collects your card data. We never store your full card number on our servers. We only keep the last 4 digits and the card brand for receipts.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy as our court docket system grows and as laws change. When we make a change, we post the new version on this page and update the date at the top. Major changes will trigger an email to all account holders. Minor changes will appear on this page without an email alert.
18. Contact Our Privacy Team
If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to act on your data rights, reach out to our privacy team.
Email: privacy@courtdocketsearch.example
Phone: 1-800-555-0199
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Mailing Address: 1200 Court Records Plaza, Suite 400, Wilmington, DE 19801
We respond to all privacy requests within 30 days.
19. Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to common questions users ask about our privacy policy and court docket service. Each answer gives you clear facts about how we handle your data.
What is a court docket?
A court docket is a public record that lists every case filed in a court. It shows the names of the people in the case, the lawyers, the charges or claims, and the dates of each hearing. Our court docket search service pulls these records from official federal and state databases so you can review them in one place. Daily court docket updates keep the information fresh.
How does docket lookup work on this site?
You type a name, location, or docket number into our search bar. Our system queries multiple court docket database sources at once. Results appear in a list with key details, the court name, and a link to the original court file. You can click the link to see the full court docket list and hearing docket schedule for each case.
Is my search history stored on your servers?
We keep search query logs for 90 days for troubleshooting and fraud detection. We do not link these logs to your personal account unless you are logged in. You can clear your search history at any time by clearing your browser cookies or by contacting our privacy team.
Can I search court docket records by case number?
Yes. Our docket by case number tool lets you enter a full or partial case number. The system returns all matching entries from the civil court docket, criminal court docket, and family court docket systems we license. This is the fastest way to pull a specific record from our court docket database.
Do you cover federal and state court dockets?
Yes. Our service covers both federal court docket records through PACER and state court docket records from all 50 states. We also cover local traffic court docket, probate court docket, and county court docket systems where digital access exists.
Are sealed records shown in your search results?
No. We remove sealed and expunged records from our public docket search results. We honor all court orders that restrict access to a case. If you see a sealed record in our results, please report it to our privacy team and we will remove it within 24 hours.
How do I delete my account and data?
Log in to your account, go to settings, and click the delete account button. We will remove your account data within 7 days. Some records, like payment receipts, will stay in our archives for tax and audit reasons. We will tell you exactly what data will remain and why before you confirm the deletion.
20. Official Court Resources and Government Links
For more details about court records, you can visit the official court websites listed below. These sites show the original court docket schedule, hearing docket dates, and full case files.
United States Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov
PACER System: https://pacer.uscourts.gov
State Court Directory: https://www.ncsc.org
National Center for State Courts: https://www.ncsc.org/information-and-resources
Hours for these public resources vary by court. Most federal offices operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM local time.