Dubois County Courthouse in Jasper: where to go and what it does

The Dubois County Courthouse is where county government becomes tangible. Court records are filed there, marriage licenses are issued there, and the offices that handle taxes, elections, and county spending all sit around One Courthouse Square in Jasper. Security starts at the door, but the real point of the building is simpler: it is where residents and business owners go when a local decision affects money, property, or time.

Getting in and what the hours mean

The courthouse is at One Courthouse Square in Jasper, Indiana 47546. Normal public hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and some offices stay open until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. That matters for anyone trying to fit a deed, a filing, or a court errand into a workday, because the courthouse is not a 24-hour building and not every office keeps the same window.

Everyone entering the courthouse goes through security scanning before entering the building, and the sheriff’s office says all persons and bags are subject to search under the authority of the Dubois County Sheriff. In practical terms, that means a courthouse visit starts like a public safety checkpoint, not a hallway stroll. If you are heading in for a court date, a record, or an office visit, the easiest move is to arrive with time to clear security and get where you need to go.

The clerk's office: where most everyday business starts

The clerk’s office is the most useful stop for people who need the courthouse to solve a specific problem. The Dubois County clerk is an elected office serving a four-year term, and the clerk also serves as a member and secretary of the County Election Board. Amy L. Kippenbrock is the listed contact for the clerk’s office at One Courthouse Square.

The clerk’s work touches the courthouse, the ballot, and basic life events all at once. Among the office’s duties are:

• filing, recording, and entering orders from civil, juvenile, and criminal courts
• probating wills and testaments
• issuing marriage licenses
• handling support-payment money
• collecting fines, fees, and court costs
• administering official trial-court records
• administering oaths to appointed officers
• controlling voter registration

That long list explains why the clerk’s office is one of the courthouse’s most important public counters. Dubois County has mandatory e-filing as of August 25, 2017, so much of the court filing process now runs through an electronic system rather than a paper-only walk-up.

The clerk’s posted fee schedule also gives the courthouse a very specific day-to-day utility. As of August 31, 2022, copies cost $1.00 per page, certifications cost $3.00 per pleading, exemplifications cost $6.00 per pleading, and a marriage-license copy costs $4.00. Those are the kinds of small but necessary charges that affect how quickly someone can gather records for a case, a property matter, or a personal file.

Who decides taxes, spending, and county property

If the clerk is the courthouse’s paperwork engine, the auditor, council, and commissioners are the county’s financial and property control room. The auditor is the county’s chief financial officer and fiscal officer under Indiana law. The auditor also serves as secretary to the Board of Commissioners, the County Council, and several tax boards, which gives the office a central role in how local government tracks money and records its decisions.

The County Council controls the funds needed by county departments and can adopt local income tax, innkeeper’s tax, wheel tax, and surtaxes. That puts the council at the center of the county’s spending choices and tax structure, with direct consequences for residents, travelers, and businesses that pay those taxes. If county government is deciding what it can afford, the council is where those numbers get set.

The Board of Commissioners maintains and supervises county properties, including the courthouse, and also establishes voting precincts. That means the courthouse is not just a place the county uses; it is a property the county must maintain, secure, and manage. The official phone directory places the circuit court, superior court, clerk, recorder, surveyor, assessor, treasurer, sheriff, and other offices in the county government complex, which is why so many different errands can start or end at the same address.

A building shaped by fire, memory, and restoration

The courthouse is also one of Dubois County’s most important landmarks because the county’s own history is tied to loss and rebuilding. The county seat moved to Jasper in 1830, and the courthouse built there was destroyed by fire in 1839, with almost all county records lost. That fire is more than an old anecdote. It explains why the courthouse matters as a place of record, continuity, and public memory.

Dubois County’s deeper past is marked by Toussaint Dubois, who made the first land entry in the county area in 1807. The first permanent white settlers arrived around 1801, and Fort McDonald was established near the Buffalo Trace south of what is now Portersville. The Indiana Historical Bureau plaque at the east entrance of the courthouse honors Toussaint Dubois and describes the project as preserving his contribution to Indiana’s pioneer history.

The current courthouse itself carries that history in its architecture. It is described as a Renaissance Revival-style building designed in 1910, built in 1911, renovated in 1996, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Another courthouse-history source credits the design to Milburn, Hester, and Co. Taken together, those details place the building in both civic and architectural history: it is a working seat of government and a preserved public landmark.

Voting, meetings, and public access

The courthouse is still an active civic venue, not just a historic one. Dubois County says registered voters can vote at any location in the county in the 2026 general election, and the clerk’s office handles voter registration. That makes the courthouse part of the election system even when the ballot itself is cast elsewhere.

County government also posts meeting calendars and minutes online, which extends the courthouse beyond its walls. The public does not have to wait for a hearing or an appointment to see how county business is moving. The records are part of the public framework around the building, and the building remains the place where those records begin.

For Dubois County, One Courthouse Square is more than an address. It is the place where taxes are decided, records are kept, elections are managed, and county property is supervised, all inside a building that survived fire, rebuilding, and renovation while staying at the center of Jasper’s civic life.