Richland County Court of Common Pleas, General Division Sealing & Redaction Procedures

Checked against the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Omitted personal identifiers must be submitted on the court’s Personal Identifiers form in a sealed envelope labeled for court-only opening, with the case number and related document identified, and provided upon a party’s motion if requested.

When personal identifiers are omitted from a case document submitted to a Court or filed with a Clerk of Courts pursuant to division (A) of this rule, the party shall submit or file that information on the Personal Identifiers form used by this Court in a sealed envelope. That party shall label the outside of the envelope indicating: it contains the Personal Identifiers and that it may only be opened by the Court or on the Court’s order; identify the case number; and the document to which the envelope is attached. Redacted or omitted personal identifiers shall be provided to the Court or Clerk upon request of a party to the judicial action or proceeding upon motion.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

A document may be filed under seal or in camera only after the court enters a prior order authorizing the filing.

2. **Sealed documents.** Documents to be filed under seal or *in camera* shall be filed only with prior Court order.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

The Court must prepare the sealing or expungement order and provide it with the BCI form to the Clerk.

1. The Court will prepare the order for sealing or expungement and provide the order and BCI Sealing or Expungement form to the Clerk of Courts.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Sealed cases must be placed in a sealable envelope and maintained by the Clerk of Courts.

3. Cases being sealed will be placed in a sealable envelope and maintained by the Clerk of Courts.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Expunged cases must be removed from the case management system and their files destroyed.

4. Cases being expunged will be removed from the case management system and the file destroyed.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

A party or other person subject to information in a case document may request by written motion that the court restrict public access to the information or entire document; the court may also restrict access on its own order and may hold a hearing.

Any party or other person who is the subject of information in a case document, may by written motion, request that the Court restrict public access to the information, or the entire document. Additionally, the Court may restrict public access to the information in a case document, or the entire document upon its own order. The Court may schedule a hearing on the motion.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

Information omitted from a filing because it contains personal identifiers must be submitted to the Court or Clerk on the Court's Personal Identifiers form in a sealed envelope.

When personal identifiers are omitted from a case document submitted to a Court or filed with a Clerk of Courts pursuant to this rule, the party shall submit or file that information on the Personal Identifiers form used by this Court in a sealed envelope.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

Documents may be filed under seal only after a prior court order authorizes sealing.

Documents to be filed under seal shall be filed only with prior Court order.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 5, 2026CRITICAL

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

A CQE petitioner must remove personal identifiers from filings and submit that information on a non-public Disclosure of Personal Identifier form stored separately and appropriately marked.

The individual filing the petition for a CQE is responsible for removing personal and private information, such as the individual's social security number and date of birth, from the petition, any exhibits or addenda attached to the petition, or from documents later filed in the proceeding. Personal and private information must be submitted on a Disclosure of Personal Identifier form, which is a non-public record. The information will be kept in a separate envelope within the case file and appropriately marked as containing personal and private information.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 5, 2026WARNING

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

Cases must be sealed or expunged in accordance with the specified Ohio Revised Code sections.

Cases will be sealed or expunged in accordance with ORC Sections 2953, 2151, 2930.171 and 3113.31.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

No pleading or other document or attachment may be filed with the Court if it contains personal identifiers. “Personal identifiers” means social security numbers (except for the last four digits); financial account number, including, but not limited to, debit card, charge card, and credit card numbers; and employer and employee identification numbers.

Summary: Documents containing personal identifiers generally may not be filed, subject to the stated limited exceptions in the rule.

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All documents that require to be filed under seal shall be submitted to the Clerk for filing in a securely sealed envelope marked “DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL” or the equivalent. It shall also contain the complete case caption, the case number, the assigned Judge, a descriptive title of the document and the date of any order permitting the item to be sealed, and the party designation of the filer.

Summary: Documents requiring sealing must be submitted to the Clerk in a securely sealed envelope bearing the prescribed seal marking, case information, document title, sealing-order date, and filer's party designation.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

(D) **Personal Identifiers.** The individual filing the petition for a CQE is responsible for removing personal and private information, such as the individual's social security number and date of birth, from the petition, any exhibits or addenda attached to the petition, or from documents later filed in the proceeding. Personal and private information must be submitted on a Disclosure of Personal Identifier form, which is a non-public record. The information will be kept in a separate envelope within the case file and appropriately marked as containing personal and private information.

Summary: The CQE petitioner must remove personal and private information from public filings and submit it instead on a non-public Disclosure of Personal Identifier form kept in a separately marked envelope within the case file.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

The resulting report is not a public record and shall be treated with the same level of confidentiality as a pre-sentence report.

Summary: The probation department's CQE criminal-history report is nonpublic and must receive the same confidentiality as a presentence report.

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The packet is not a public record and shall not be made a part of the Clerk's file.

Summary: The nonpublic CQE investigation packet must not be added to the clerk's file.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Cases will be sealed or expunged in accordance with ORC Sections 2953, 2151, 2930.171 and 3113.31.

Summary: Cases must be sealed or expunged in accordance with the cited Ohio Revised Code sections.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

In accordance with Sup.R. 11.14, a party may file a motion for leave to redact a previously filed document if personal identifying information was not omitted or redacted when the document was initially filed.

Summary: A party may file a motion seeking leave to redact personal identifying information that was omitted or not redacted when a document was originally filed.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Court noticeNotice of rule changes; check the effective date before relying on it

Obtaining access to a case document that has been restricted from public access may be requested by motion.

Summary: A request for access to a court document previously restricted from public access may be made by motion.