Harrison County DUI and OWI Records

Harrison County DUI records are kept by the Harrison County Circuit Court Clerk in Corydon and are available to the public through Indiana's online case search system. Located in southern Indiana along the Ohio River, Harrison County handles OWI cases from Corydon and surrounding communities under Indiana's operating while intoxicated statute. This guide explains how to search those records, what the Corydon courthouse can provide, and what Indiana law says about OWI charges and penalties that apply to cases in this county.

Harrison County Circuit Court Clerk

The Harrison County Circuit Court Clerk maintains all official court records for the county. The office is at the Harrison County Courthouse, 300 N Capitol Ave, Corydon, IN 47112. You can call 812-738-4283 to reach the clerk. Hours are generally Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Call before visiting to confirm current hours.

When someone is charged with OWI under IC 9-30-5, the clerk assigns a cause number and enters the case into the record system. Those records are public once filed. The clerk can search by name, cause number, or filing date. Certified copies cost more than plain copies; both are available at the courthouse. For mail requests, write to the clerk with the person's name, approximate offense date, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Corydon served as Indiana's first state capital, and the Harrison County Courthouse is one of the state's historic courthouses. The Circuit Court handles all OWI cases from across the county, including both misdemeanor and felony charges.

How to Search Harrison County OWI Records

Indiana's free public court search tool is MyCase. No account is needed. You can search Harrison County OWI cases by name or cause number. Results show the case type, charges, filing date, court dates, and the assigned judge. Most cases from 2005 onward are in the system. Older cases may only exist on paper at the Corydon courthouse.

The Indiana Courts public records portal explains how the state court system handles record access and how to submit formal requests. It also links to county court resources. For Harrison County, the Circuit Court in Corydon is the court of record for all OWI matters.

Arrest records from the Harrison County Sheriff or local police departments are separate from court records. Those require direct requests to the agency that made the arrest. If a state trooper was involved, contact the Indiana State Police for their records.

The Indiana BMV maintains driver records separately. If you need the official license history for someone arrested for OWI in Harrison County, the BMV driver record page provides an official abstract for $4.

The Indiana courts' MyCase system provides free public access to OWI case filings statewide, including cases from Harrison County courts in Corydon.

The MyCase system is updated regularly, and most recent Harrison County OWI filings appear within a day or two of being entered into the court's system.

OWI Laws That Apply in Harrison County

Indiana law calls drunk driving OWI, Operating While Intoxicated. The statute is IC 9-30-5. A first OWI with a BAC of .08% or above is a Class C misdemeanor with up to 60 days in jail. A BAC of .15% or higher, or endangering another person, raises the charge to a Class A misdemeanor with up to one year in jail.

A second OWI within seven years of the first is a Level 6 felony in Indiana. That means the case is treated as a prison-level offense. Harrison County prosecutors handle these cases under the same state standards applied across Indiana. Additional factors that affect charge severity include having a child passenger, causing an accident with injuries, or a very elevated BAC. When the offense causes serious bodily harm or death, felony levels can go much higher than Level 6.

After an OWI arrest, the Indiana BMV may suspend the driver's license under IC 9-30-6. This administrative action begins independently of any court case and can happen before trial. A driver can petition the Harrison County Circuit Court for specialized driving privileges under IC 9-30-10, which allows limited driving for work, school, or medical needs during suspension.

Driver Records and License Actions

Driver records from the Indiana BMV show license suspensions, reinstatements, and all OWI-related actions on file. You can get an official driver abstract for $4 through the BMV driver record page. This is the document courts, insurance companies, and attorneys use to review a person's driving history.

Under IC 9-30-6, an administrative suspension begins at the time of arrest if a driver refuses a chemical test or registers above the legal limit. This runs separately from any criminal penalty and does not pause during court proceedings. It is possible to end up with two separate suspension periods: one from the BMV and one from a court sentence. The Indiana Self-Service Legal Center has forms for petitioning Harrison County courts for specialized driving privileges. Those allow limited driving during the suspension period, which can be critical for people who need to get to work or medical appointments.

Expunging OWI Records in Harrison County

Indiana's Second Chance Law at IC 35-38-9 allows people to petition for sealing certain criminal records, including some OWI convictions. The waiting period for a misdemeanor OWI is five years from the conviction date. For a Level 6 felony OWI, the wait is eight years.

A sealed record is not erased. Courts and government agencies can still see it, but the general public cannot find it through standard searches. The petition must be filed with the Harrison County Circuit Court. A filing fee applies, and the prosecutor gets notice and can object. The judge then decides. Cases involving OWI with serious injury or death are generally not eligible for expungement. Prior expungements can also affect eligibility, so it is worth checking those rules before filing.

Legal Resources in Harrison County

People in Harrison County dealing with OWI charges or trying to access records have several resources available. The Indiana Self-Service Legal Center offers free court forms and step-by-step guides for expungement petitions, driving privilege requests, and other common legal tasks. It is entirely online and free to use.

Indiana Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible residents. They handle some license-related and post-conviction matters. Harrison County is a smaller, more rural county, so ILS coverage may be limited. Contact them by phone or online to ask what services are available for your situation.

The Indiana State Bar Association has a lawyer referral service that can connect you with a licensed criminal defense attorney. Attorneys based in New Albany or Louisville, Kentucky sometimes handle cases in Harrison County given its location near the Kentucky border. The Bar referral service can help identify attorneys who practice in southern Indiana courts.

OWI Cases in Harrison County Cities

Harrison County has no cities with a population above 100,000. Corydon is the county seat and largest town. All OWI cases from communities throughout Harrison County are handled by the Harrison County Circuit Court in Corydon. Nearby Floyd County, which includes New Albany, has a separate court and record system.

Nearby Counties

OWI records in counties bordering Harrison are handled by separate courts and record systems. The links below go to those county pages.