How to Search Rockingham County Court Records
The main system for Rockingham County court records is the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Case Access Portal. The portal is an Odyssey/eCourt search interface at odypa.nhecourt.us/portal. It covers Rockingham Superior Court and the 10th Circuit's District, Family, and Probate Divisions. Anyone can browse case summaries without an account. A free login is needed for elevated party or attorney access tied to a specific case.
Before you search, gather a case number, a party name, or an attorney name. Case numbers do not need dashes or leading zeros. Court codes help narrow the location: Rockingham Superior is 218, Rockingham Probate is 318, and Circuit Court District locations include Brentwood 435, Candia 422, Derry 431, Hampton 441, Portsmouth 470, and Salem 473.
- Open the NH Case Access Portal.
- Click "Register/Sign In" at the top right if you want elevated access. Activate by email and log in.
- Choose "Smart Search" at the bottom of the home page.
- Type a case number, party name, or attorney name. Drop the dashes and leading zeros if needed.
- Open "Advanced Filtering Options" and set "Filter by Location" to Superior Courts for Superior Court searches, or to the right Circuit Court location.
- Click a case number in the result list to view the summary, parties, and docket entries.
- Submit a record search request to the clerk for sealed, older, or paper-only files.
Rockingham County Court Records Search Fields
The portal's Smart Search box accepts several inputs. Many users only fill one or two fields. The Advanced Filtering Options let you narrow the result list by court and location, which matters in Rockingham because the 10th Circuit covers many towns. The fields below are documented in the Judicial Branch Self-Represented Litigant guide and the broader Case Access Portal user guide.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Search | Text | Yes | Accepts case number, party name, or attorney; runs the main lookup. |
| Filter by Location | Dropdown | Recommended | Superior Courts; or 10th Circuit District/Family/Probate locations like Brentwood, Derry, Hampton, Portsmouth, Salem, Candia. |
| Case Number | Text | Optional | Dashes and leading zeros not required. Examples: 218-2021-CR-01330, 318-2021-ET-00820. |
| Party Name | Text | Optional | Full or partial person or business name; use full name when possible. |
| Attorney / Bar Number | Text | Optional | Useful for attorney case lists or to find a known counsel of record. |
| Date Range | Date filter | Optional | Narrows broad party-name searches. |
| Register / Sign In | Button/menu | Optional | Free account needed for elevated access; E-Filing Center may take up to one business day. |
| Search | Button | Yes | Runs the lookup. |
| Clear / Reset | Button | Optional | Clears the search fields. |
Types of Rockingham County Court Records
Rockingham Superior Court files cover felonies, jury cases, equity, and larger civil disputes. The 10th Circuit District Division files cover misdemeanors, violations, small claims, landlord-tenant, and many traffic matters. The Family Division covers divorce, parenting, child support, and protective orders. The Probate Division handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, name changes, and adoption-related matters.
Public access varies by record type. Most adult criminal, civil, and probate records are open. Juvenile delinquency records are confidential under RSA 169-B:35. Divorce financial affidavits are confidential under RSA 458. Adoption, mental health, grand jury, and sealed files are not searchable through the portal.
- Civil cases. Complaints, motions, exhibits, orders, judgments, writs of execution, and appeal papers.
- Criminal cases. Indictments or informations, arrest warrants, bail orders, plea papers, sentencing orders, and probation conditions.
- Family cases. Petitions, financial affidavits (sealed), parenting plans, child support orders, and final decrees.
- Probate cases. Wills, petitions for estate administration, bonds, inventories, accountings, and creditor notices.
- Traffic cases. Citations and dispositions only after a not-guilty plea or court-referred matter.
- Small claims and landlord-tenant. Writs, returns of service, mediation outcomes, judgments, writs of possession.
What Rockingham County Court Records Show
A typical Rockingham case file shows several distinct fields. Each one tells you something different about the case. Sensitive items like Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, juvenile names, and divorce financial affidavits are redacted or sealed.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Format is court code, year, category, sequence. Rockingham Superior criminal: 218-2021-CR-01330. Rockingham Probate estate: 318-2021-ET-00820. |
| Court / Division | Rockingham Superior Court or 10th Circuit District, Family, or Probate Division. |
| Case Caption | State v. Defendant; Plaintiff v. Defendant; In re Estate of Decedent; Petition of [name]. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, decedent, executor, guardian, ward, fiduciary, resident agent. |
| Filing Date | The date the case was opened or the document was filed. |
| Hearings | Date, time, courtroom, hearing type, judge, jury selection date. |
| Docket Entries | Complaint, appearance, motion, objection, order, judgment, certificate of appointment, inventory, accounting, notice of appeal. |
| Disposition | Open, closed, dismissed, defaulted, judgment, sentenced, annulled, transferred, stayed. |
| Financial Fields | Filing fees, search fees, copy fees, fines, restitution, bonds, publication fees. |
| Redactions | SSNs, account numbers, juvenile identifiers, sealed addresses, financial affidavits, grand jury records. |
Public Access Framework for Rockingham County Court Records
New Hampshire splits public access into two tracks. County and local government records run through RSA Chapter 91-A, the Right-to-Know Law. Court case files run through Judicial Branch rules and case-specific statutes. The same record may sit on different sides depending on who made it. A sheriff's incident report is a county record. A court arrest warrant return becomes part of the court file.
Anyone can search the Case Access Portal without showing standing or paying a fee. Certified copies, paper search, and elevated case access require fees or a registered account. Clerks may charge per-name search fees and per-page copy fees. The RSA 91-A:5 exemptions apply to government records, and similar privacy and confidentiality protections apply to court files for juveniles, financial affidavits, sealed material, and mental-health filings.
Note: A portal printout is not a certified copy. For court use, a job, or an out-of-state filing, ask the clerk for a certified copy with the court seal.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Rockingham County
Several record types stay off the portal no matter who searches. Juvenile delinquency records are confidential under RSA 169-B:35, with access limited to specific people and agencies. Abuse, neglect, CHINS, and termination of parental rights records sit in the same confidential bucket. Adoption files are confidential, with vital-record steps handled by the NH Division of Vital Records under separate rules.
To view a sealed record, a person usually needs party status or a court order. A petition to view sealed material is filed with the court that holds the file. New Hampshire uses "annulment" rather than "expungement" for criminal-record clearing under RSA 651:5. Annulled records are removed from ordinary public disclosure after the statutory waiting period, with limited law-enforcement access still allowed.
In-Person Court Record Requests
Some files only come through the clerk. Older paper records, certified copies, and sealed material need a written or in-person request. The Judicial Branch publishes a record search request form (NHJB-2798-Dfs) for clerks to run searches across criminal, civil, or both. The Judicial Branch Service Center materials cite a $20 per-name search fee. Confirm the current amount before mailing.
Rockingham Superior Court Clerk
10 Route 125
Brentwood, NH 03833
Mail: P.O. Box 1258, Kingston, NH 03848-1258
1-855-212-1234
Clerk: Patrice D. Touma, Esq.
10th Circuit Court Information Center
Statewide routing for District, Family, and Probate Divisions
Brentwood, Candia, Derry, Hampton, Portsmouth, Salem
1-855-212-1234
Federal Court Records From Rockingham County
Federal cases from Rockingham County file in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Federal records are not on the NH Case Access Portal. They live in PACER. The District of New Hampshire public information page explains the open-courts framework and the PACER pathway.
The official PACER homepage and account/search controls appear on the PACER site:
PACER charges $0.10 per page. A single document or case-specific report is capped at $3 in many situations. Fees are waived if a user accrues $30 or less in a quarter. Federal bankruptcy cases sit with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire, and federal appeals go to the First Circuit.