Polk County Circuit Clerk Office
The Polk County Circuit Clerk page identifies Tiffany Phillips as Circuit Clerk and lists the office as the court filing and records hub for the 30th Judicial Circuit in Polk County. The office receives new civil lawsuits, criminal cases, domestic relations matters, protection-order filings, probate filings, and other court papers. It also coordinates with judges and attorneys during trial, records hearings, swears witnesses, calls jurors, collects court fees, and pays those fees to the proper entity.
The county source image for the Circuit Clerk page shows the official local office reference used for Polk County court records. That matters because the same courthouse also houses offices that are not court-file custodians, such as the Recorder of Deeds and County Clerk.
Use the Circuit Clerk for court-file copies, certified judgments, divorce decree copies, probate file access, and questions about court dates. Use the Recorder of Deeds for marriage certified copies and land records.
Polk County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Tiffany Phillips
102 E Broadway #14
Bolivar, MO 65613
417-326-4912
Fax: 417-326-4194
tiffany.phillips@courts.mo.gov
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Polk County Clerk Court Duties
The Circuit Clerk is the primary court-record custodian for Polk County trial court files. The office is not the same as the County Clerk, whose duties include elections, payroll and HR, accounts payable, county commission records, financial statements, and licenses. It is also not the same as the Recorder of Deeds, which handles marriage licenses, recorded real estate documents, passports, and property-fraud notification.
The Polk County Clerk page is still useful for county administrative records, but it should not be treated as the court case file office. Court case access should flow through Case.net and the Circuit Clerk.
Separating these offices prevents record requests from being sent to the wrong custodian, especially for divorce decrees, probate orders, marriage records, and county commission materials.
- Receive civil, criminal, domestic, probate, and protection-order filings.
- Preserve case files, docket activity, hearing records, and court judgments.
- Assist judges with courtroom administration, juries, witnesses, and trial records.
- Collect court fees and report or distribute funds to the proper entity.
- Help self-represented litigants and protection-order applicants within legal limits.
Request Polk County Certified Copies
Certified copies are used when a court record must prove an official court action, such as a divorce decree, judgment, probate order, or disposition. Start with Case.net if the case number is unknown, then contact the Circuit Clerk with the party names, case number if available, document type, and copy format needed. The local court forms page lists a copy request form, but the field text was not captured in the research, so requesters should use the official form rather than rely on a reconstructed version.
- Identify the case number in Case.net or from a court notice, ticket, order, or prior filing.
- Confirm that the record is a court file held by the Circuit Clerk, not a marriage or land record held by the Recorder.
- Use the copy request form from the Polk County MO Courts forms page or contact the clerk before sending payment.
- Ask whether the copy can be mailed, picked up, or must be requested in person because of access limits.
- Pay the current fee listed by the clerk or the current court fee schedule.
Polk County Record Request Details
A court copy request should give the clerk enough information to find the file and identify the exact document. The research located the official copy request form listing but did not capture its fields. Use the official form when possible and do not send pleadings for filing by email attachment because the Circuit Clerk page says documents received as email attachments are not valid filings.
| Detail | Needed? | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Best when known | Gives the clerk the fastest match for a specific file. |
| Party names | Yes | Helps when the case number is unknown or uncertain. |
| Document type | Yes | Separates docket sheet, judgment, decree, sentence, order, or probate filing. |
| Certified or plain copy | Yes | Certification changes the copy format and fee. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Some records may require pickup, mail, or in-person review. |
Note: Court filings and court-record requests are not the same task, so check the clerk's current instructions before mailing or emailing papers.
Polk County Clerk Fees
The local court forms page posts a 2025 fee schedule and links to court forms, civil process fees, guilty plea forms, and public defender application materials. The research did not capture a verified current per-page court copy fee from the fee schedule, so exact court copy charges should be checked against the official PDF or confirmed by phone before payment.
| Item or source | Amount or handling note |
|---|---|
| Current court filing and copy fees | Use the 2025 Polk County Filing Fees source on the court forms page. |
| Older example civil filing fee | Research snippets showed Circuit Civil $100.50, not a universal current charge. |
| Local petition deposit example | Research snippets referenced a $435 deposit in some petitions, not all cases. |
| Civil process service | Sheriff fees may apply for subpoenas, summons, garnishments, writs, and mileage. |
| Marriage certified copy | $9 through the Recorder of Deeds, not the Circuit Clerk. |
Polk County Court Forms
Polk County provides two useful form paths. The local court website has filing fees, guilty plea forms, civil process fee links, a copy request form, probate settlement requirements, and public defender application material. The county-hosted Circuit Clerk forms index lists local rules, probate forms, domestic service instructions, landlord forms, criminal forms, family forms, small claims, child support, and garnishment materials.
The county form index is especially useful for people trying to identify which process created a docket entry. A landlord complaint, small claims petition, writ of execution, garnishment application, or subpoena can all appear as part of the case event history.
- Case Filing Information Sheet.
- Service Instructions for Domestic Cases.
- Landlord Complaint and Motion for Order to Post.
- Small Claims Petition, Counterclaim, and Dismissal.
- Garnishment Application and Order.
- Probate PR 23 and PR 33 refusal of letters forms.
Bolivar Court Record Links
Bolivar municipal code gives local context for city ordinance and traffic records. The code establishes a municipal court framework, docket records, and traffic violations bureau provisions, and it includes language connecting municipal court cases to Polk County Circuit Court. That means a city citation may involve the municipal division framework while still pointing a searcher back to Case.net, the ticket's assigned court, or the Circuit Clerk.
The official Bolivar municipal code image comes from Chapter 125. It is useful for court-record searches because it documents the city court and traffic violations bureau structure in the county seat.
For a traffic ticket, use the court printed on the citation. If Case.net does not show the ticket right away, allow processing time and call the assigned court.