Howell County Circuit Clerk Office
The Missouri trial court clerk for Howell County is the Circuit Clerk, not a district clerk. The office is led by Cynthia Lee for the 37th Judicial Circuit and serves as the record office for the Howell County Circuit Court. The Circuit Clerk's public page says the office maintains official court records dating back to 1866, which matters for older cases that may not be fully searchable through modern online systems.
The Circuit Clerk supports court divisions for residents of Brandsville, Caulfield, Hutton Valley, Lanton, Moody, Mountain View, Peace Valley, Pomona, Pottersville, South Fork, West Plains, and Willow Springs. The office cannot give legal advice. It can route records requests, filings, fee questions, copies, and scheduling questions to the proper civil, criminal, traffic, family, juvenile, small claims, or probate staff.
Howell County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Cynthia Lee
106 Courthouse
West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 256-3741
Records request email: hwl.recordsrequest@courts.mo.gov
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., excluding state holidays
Howell County Circuit Clerk Duties
The Circuit Clerk's office is the administrative record office for all local Circuit Court divisions. That includes case creation, docket maintenance, court cost collection, record requests, and support for judges and divisions. The public-facing office is not one generic counter. Research identifies three physical Circuit Clerk offices: Civil, Criminal, and Probate.
Civil Supervisor Crystal Howell covers Division I Circuit Civil, Family Court, and Juvenile Court, plus Division II Associate Civil and Small Claims. Criminal and Traffic Supervisor Allyson Bice covers Division I Circuit Criminal and Division III Associate Criminal and Traffic. Probate is listed under Division III and covers guardianship, conservatorship, decedent estates, and small estate affidavits.
- Maintains Howell County court records, including older records back to 1866.
- Supports civil, family, juvenile, associate civil, and small claims case processing.
- Supports criminal, traffic, associate criminal, bond, payment, and docket record work.
- Handles probate office functions for estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and small estate filings.
- Provides records request, transcript request, and CD/audio recording request forms.
Note: The jury reporting information line is (417) 256-7505, which is separate from the general Circuit Clerk phone line.
Request Howell County Certified Copies
A certified copy is a clerk-authenticated court document. It may be needed when a person must prove a judgment, divorce decree, disposition, name change, letters in a probate matter, or another court action to an agency or private party. Case.net can show public docket information, but it does not replace a certified copy from the Circuit Clerk.
Howell County division pages repeat the same practical route for records requests: download and complete the request form, then submit it by mail or by email to hwl.recordsrequest@courts.mo.gov. Processing times and applicable fees may apply. The office also has separate forms for transcripts and CD/audio recordings, which serve hearing-record needs rather than ordinary docket printouts.
- Identify the exact case number in Missouri Case.net if it is public, or gather party names and the approximate filing date.
- Choose the correct request type: case record copy, certified copy, transcript request, or CD/audio recording request.
- Submit the completed records request by mail or to hwl.recordsrequest@courts.mo.gov, using the Circuit Clerk address for mailed requests.
- Ask the clerk to confirm the fee, delivery method, and whether the requested document is public, sealed, confidential, or available only by court order.
- Use the certified copy issued by the Circuit Clerk rather than a screen print when an official seal or certification is required.
Howell County Records Request Fields
The researched pages confirm that records request forms exist, but the complete field set was not visible in the captured text. A useful Howell County Circuit Clerk request should still give staff enough information to find the file, identify the document, calculate any fee, and decide whether the record can be released. Use the table as a request checklist, not as a claim that every item appears on the official form.
| Information | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Recommended | The strongest identifier for Case.net and clerk file searches. |
| Party names | Yes when case number is unknown | Use full names and roles such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, estate, or protected person. |
| Case type or division | Recommended | Civil, family, criminal, traffic, associate civil, small claims, probate, or juvenile if known. |
| Document requested | Yes | Name the judgment, docket sheet, disposition, decree, letters, order, transcript, or audio recording. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether a plain copy, certified copy, transcript, or CD/audio recording is needed. |
| Requester contact details | Recommended | Needed so staff can quote fees, ask clarifying questions, or explain restrictions. |
Howell County Circuit Clerk Fees
Research did not locate exact Howell County Circuit Clerk copy prices in page text. The local pages state that processing times and applicable fees may apply, and the civil page directs users to the Howell County fee schedule or clerk contact for filing-fee questions. That means a person should not mail a payment amount based on another Missouri county's fee list.
Fee rules also differ by office. The Circuit Clerk handles court records. The Recorder of Deeds handles marriage licenses and recorded instruments. The County Clerk is a separate election-focused county office. Mixing those offices can delay a request even when the building locations are close to each other in West Plains.
| Office / Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Circuit Clerk records request | Fee may apply; exact amount was not located in official page text. |
| Civil filing fees | Varies by case type; the Circuit Clerk civil page points users to the fee schedule or clerk contact. |
| Fax filing | Fax filing fees must be handled before the fax number is provided. |
| Marriage license through Recorder of Deeds | $46 exact change or check; no cards. |
| Recorder first page recording fee | $24 first page and $3 for each additional page. |
| Recorder iCounty registered user | $0.00 subscription with $1.00 per printed page service fee. |
Howell County Clerk Forms
The Circuit Clerk site links to Missouri court forms and to local record-request materials. These are different from pleadings filed in a case. A records request seeks an existing record, while a pleading asks the court to take action in a case. Howell County specifically states that case filings cannot be accepted by email under local and Supreme Court rules.
- Records request - used for court file copies and related clerk record requests.
- Transcript request - used when a written record of proceedings is needed.
- CD/audio recording request - used for hearing audio requests where available.
- Missouri Courts forms - statewide approved forms for court users.
- Civil and small claims information - local civil thresholds, forms, fees, and filing notes.
Mail Email and Filing Limits
Howell County draws a clear line between records requests and filings. Records request forms may be submitted by mail or by email to hwl.recordsrequest@courts.mo.gov after completion. Case filings, however, cannot be accepted by email. The Circuit Clerk says filings may be submitted in person, by mail, or by fax after fax filing fees are addressed.
For online case lookup, use Case.net first. For certified copies, transcripts, audio, older file copies, or documents that do not appear online, use the Circuit Clerk's request process. For a broader explanation of the trial court divisions served by the clerk, the Howell County Circuit Court page separates circuit, associate, municipal, small claims, and probate roles.
Note: The Howell County Clerk, Kelly Waggoner, and Recorder of Deeds, Jeff Brasier, are separate county offices and should not be treated as the Circuit Clerk for court case files.