Court Records Digitization & Document Management Solutions
Turn paper case files, dockets, citations, and microfilm into secure, searchable digital records — without slowing down your day-to-day.
Courts run on records. Civil and criminal case files, dockets, citations, moving violations, exhibits — and a lot of it still lives on paper or microfilm that’s slow to pull and easy to misplace. We help courts and clerk’s offices convert all of it to digital, so your team can find any file in seconds instead of walking to a shelf.
We’re a CJIS-listed vendor, so your sensitive records are handled, processed, and stored the right way from pickup to delivery. Whether you’ve got 500 boxes of case files or 10,000 rolls of microfilm, we’ll scope it, scan it, index it, and hand you back a finished digital product that loads into your existing system or our secure Digital ReeL hosting.
Digital Solutions for Courts
Most court projects are some mix of the five below. Not sure where yours fits? That’s what we’re here for.
Case File Document Scanning & Scan-on-Demand
This is the core of most court projects — converting your back-file of paper case records into digital images you can pull up instantly. We handle everything from handwritten documents to oversized exhibits. And for active files, scan-on-demand means we digitize a file the moment someone needs it, so nothing stalls while a project is underway.
- Paper of every kind: handwritten, office, legal, large and oversize formats, notebooks, and books
- Court back-files like civil and criminal docket files and moving violation records
- High-volume back-file conversion plus scan-on-demand, multi-location solutions using bar codes
- Document capture and data acquisition for integration with systems like Laserfiche, Microsoft SharePoint, Hyland OnBase, Documentum, and ApplicationEnhancer
- Output formats including PDF, PDF/A, JPG, TIF, and GIF
- A full suite of imaging, indexing, and data-entry capabilities
→ Learn more about our document scanning services.
Microfilm & Microfiche Conversion of Legacy Case Files
A lot of older court records were preserved on microfilm and microfiche decades ago. That media degrades over time, and the readers are getting harder to find and fix. We convert nearly any microform into clean, searchable digital images — and Digital ReeL gives you an affordable, practical way to access them.
- Support for nearly any microform: 16/35mm roll film, 3M cartridge film, and microfiche (jacketed, COM, aperture cards)
- Export formats including PDF, PDF/A, JPG, TIFF, and GIF
- Redaction, full-text and index search, and image enhancement to extract images and data
- Microfilming and archive writing (preserving records back to microfilm) to meet compliance requirements
→ Learn more about our microfilm scanning services.
Application Management with Document Hosting
Don’t want to manage another system in-house? We’ll host your court records in our secure data center, so there’s no on-site IT maintenance on your end. Your staff and the public retrieve files over the web with permission-based access.
- No on-site IT maintenance required
- Court documents and case files stored and accessed from our secure data center
- Employees and citizens retrieve court-related files remotely from the web (permission-based access)
→ Explore Digital ReeL hosting.
On-Site Record Management & Workflow Systems
Some courts need records to stay on-site and plug into the case management system they already run. We set up redaction, keyword retrieval, and public research-room access so the right people get the right files and sensitive information stays protected.
- Redact sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and addresses
- Retrieve case files, moving violations, and citations from your existing case management applications using keywords
- Equip citizens with record viewing and research-room capabilities for full-text search and case file retrieval (permission-based access)
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Hard copies burn, get destroyed by floods, and walks out the door in the wrong hands. Digital copies don’t. We give you a second, secure copy of your records so a fire, a leak, or a system outage doesn’t take your court offline.
- Avoid the risk of fire, water damage, break-ins, and other disasters with digital copies of your records
- Host secondary data copies in case your primary system goes down
→ Explore Digital ReeL hosting.
Not sure which of these fits your records? That’s the easy part and we’ll help you figure it out.
How a Court Scanning Project Works
We’ve been converting records for a long time, so we’ve made the process simple. Four steps:
- We learn what you have: media types, volume, how the files get used, and what you want at the end.
- Scope & quote. We build a clear plan with fixed pricing. No surprises, no jargon.
- Scan & index. We pick up, digitize, and organize your records securely, every step of the way.
- Your finished files load into your existing system or our Digital ReeL hosting.
Want the detail? Here’s our full project review process.
What Court Leaders Say
San Francisco County Superior Court, CA
“If you ever saw the pile of paperwork just one court case can produce … I live in a record-keeping nightmare. We have been working with BMI for over 25 years. The company has consistently delivered on time with the kind of efficiency, quality and accuracy I couldn’t live without.”
— Ron Ho, Computer Systems Director
Read the San Francisco County Superior Court case study →
Skamania County Clerk, WA
“Digital ReeL’s price was affordable, the turnaround time was within weeks, and our records are now much higher in quality. With Digital ReeL’s Cloud Option, we store our digitally converted microfilm at BMI’s data center, accessing our records over the Internet.”
— Sharon Vance, County Clerk
Read the Skamania County Clerk case study →
Oregon Judicial Department, OR
“Working with BMI Imaging has been a very pleasant experience. They were incredibly patient as we worked through the contracting process and were always very prompt in communication. The microfiche digitization that was done for the court was clean, clear, and well-organized. I would highly recommend BMI for all your digitization needs.”
— Rian Beach
Court Records Scanning FAQ
How do courts digitize their paper case files?
It’s a straightforward process. We pick up your records or you send them to us, scan them into digital images (PDF, PDF/A, TIFF, and more), index them so they’re searchable, and deliver them back to load into your case management system or our Digital ReeL hosting. For active files you still need every day, scan-on-demand through our BMI Request System (BRS) lets us digitize a file the moment it’s requested, so daily operations never slow down.
How much does it cost to scan court records?
It depends on what you have: the type of media (paper vs. microfilm), the volume, the condition of the records, and how much indexing and redaction you need. That’s why we start with a free assessment and give you clear pricing before anything begins.
Is court record scanning CJIS compliant?
Yes. We’re a CJIS-listed vendor, which means we handle, process, and store criminal justice records to the required standards, from chain of custody on pickup through secure storage and delivery. Check out our Security page to learn more.
Can digitized records work with our existing case management system?
Yes. We capture documents and data for integration with systems like Laserfiche, Microsoft SharePoint, Hyland OnBase, Documentum, and ApplicationEnhancer, and we output standard formats (PDF, PDF/A, TIFF, JPG). Tell us what you run and we’ll confirm the fit.
What can we do with old microfilm and microfiche?
We convert nearly any microform, including 16/35mm roll film, 3M cartridge, jacketed fiche, COM, and aperture cards, into clean digital images. From there you can search, redact, and enhance them, and store them in Digital ReeL for affordable web access.
Can citizens and staff access court records online after scanning?
Yes. With permission-based access, your staff can retrieve files remotely, and you can equip citizens with research-room viewing and full-text search without anyone digging through physical files.
Do you redact sensitive information like Social Security numbers?
We do. We redact sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and addresses so records can be shared and accessed safely.
What happens to our paper records after scanning?
That’s your call. We can return them to you, or we can talk through storage and secure destruction options once your digital files are complete and you’ve signed off on them.
Helpful Resources
Just getting started on your digital conversion? These are good places to learn more about scanning projects:
- BMI blogs — plain-language articles about paper scanning, microfilm conversion, secure processes, and more.
- The Digital Imaging Channel — our YouTube channel that gives you long-form videos and shorts all about digitization projects.
- Project Estimator — before talking to anyone, you can see what your project may cost with our estimator tool. Great as a starting point.
Ready to get your court records out of boxes and onto screens?
Tell us what you’ve got and we’ll put together a clear plan and a quote. No pressure, no jargon, just a straight answer on what it takes.
Clients:
Courts, counties, and agencies across the country trust BMI with their records.
