Andrew County Circuit Court
Andrew County is part of Missouri's Fifth Judicial Circuit with Buchanan County. The official circuit site identifies the court as the 5th Judicial Circuit Court of Andrew and Buchanan County, Missouri. Andrew County court business is centered at the courthouse in Savannah, and the local court page identifies the Circuit Clerk as the court records custodian. Missouri's court structure places the Supreme Court of Missouri at the top, the Missouri Court of Appeals in the middle, and circuit courts as the general trial courts.
The Andrew County Circuit Court page lists Associate Circuit Judge Emily Bauman and Circuit Judges Kate Schaefer, David Bolander, Terry White, and Daniel F. Kellogg. The same source lists staff assignments for criminal, civil, domestic, associate criminal, probate, juvenile, municipal, protection order, records, jury, and bailiff functions. Those staff assignments make the Andrew County Circuit Court more than one courtroom. It is a set of divisions sharing one local court system.
The manifest source for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri is useful for contrast because federal court is separate from Andrew County Circuit Court.
State circuit cases use Missouri court channels, while federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy records use federal systems such as PACER.
Andrew County Court Divisions
The local court table in the research file gives the practical court map. Andrew County does not have multiple numbered district courts at separate addresses. The required trial-court table is best read as a division table because Missouri's Circuit Court is the primary trial court and local work is divided by case type.
| Court or division | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew County Circuit Court | General trial court for civil, criminal, domestic, probate, juvenile, traffic, and municipal divisions | 411 Court Street, Savannah, MO 64485 | 816-324-3921 |
| Circuit Division | Felony, higher civil, domestic, and probate scheduling as assigned | 411 Court Street, Savannah, MO 64485 | 816-324-3921 |
| Associate Circuit Division | Associate criminal, traffic, associate civil, small claims, landlord and tenant | 411 Court Street, Savannah, MO 64485 | 816-324-3921 |
| Probate Division | Estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and small estates | 411 Court Street, Savannah, MO 64485 | 816-324-3921 |
| Municipal Division: Savannah and Country Club Village | Municipal ordinance, local traffic, and related municipal matters | 411 Court Street, Savannah, MO 64485 | 816-324-3921 |
This division structure also explains why a single search can produce different case types. A small claims case, a traffic citation, a probate estate, and a felony may all connect to the Andrew County Circuit Court system, but each is routed differently once it reaches the courthouse.
Circuit Court vs Lower Courts
Missouri's local court map is not the same as states that have county courts, justice courts, or district courts. In Andrew County, the main comparison is Circuit Court, Associate Circuit Division, and Municipal Division. The Associate Circuit Division handles many lower-level or high-volume matters within the same circuit court system, while the Municipal Division handles local ordinance and municipal traffic matters for Savannah and Country Club Village.
| Point | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit Division | Municipal Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General trial court and broader circuit-level matters | Associate criminal, traffic, associate civil, small claims, landlord and tenant | Local ordinance and municipal traffic matters |
| Examples | Felony, civil, domestic, probate scheduling as assigned | Small claims of $5,000 or less, associate civil, traffic | Savannah and Country Club Village municipal cases |
| Local docket pattern | Criminal Tuesday, civil Monday and Friday mornings, domestic Monday | Criminal and traffic Tuesday, civil Monday and Friday | First Tuesday of each month |
| Record custodian | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk municipal routing |
The manifest source for the Western District of Missouri boundary FAQ helps separate Andrew County's state trial court from federal district-court geography.
A federal district boundary may include Andrew County, but it does not change which local court keeps Missouri state case records.
Andrew County Court Dockets
The docket-call schedule is one of the best local clues for finding the right Andrew County Circuit Court record. The Fifth Judicial Circuit page says Andrew County's Circuit Division calls its criminal docket every Tuesday. Civil docket calls are Monday and Friday mornings each month. Domestic Division is every Monday. Probate Division is every Monday and Friday. The Associate Division calls criminal and traffic every Tuesday and civil every Monday and Friday.
Municipal cases for Savannah and Country Club Village are held every first Tuesday of the month. That matters for traffic and ordinance cases because a case may be local municipal work even though it is heard at the same Andrew County courthouse. For court date tracking, the Missouri State Public Defender guide tells users to use Case.net, search by case number or litigant name, and use Track This Case for reminders when available.
Note: A docket call is a scheduling pattern, not a full case record or a promise that every hearing is visible online.
Andrew County Case Process
Case flow depends on the record type, but the Andrew County Circuit Court structure creates a common pattern. A filing or charge starts in the right division, the clerk opens or updates a case file, docket events track hearings and orders, and public entries become searchable when the record is not confidential. Certified copies and older files still require clerk handling.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › charge or complaint › first appearance or arraignment › pretrial settings › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal when allowed.
Civil flow: Petition filed › service › answer or default › hearings and motions › judgment › collection or appeal when allowed.
Probate flow: estate or guardianship filing › clerk review and fee deposit › notice or publication if required › hearing or order › letters, settlement, accounting, or closing action.
Andrew County Small Claims
The Fifth Judicial Circuit small claims guide says small claims court is for claims of $5,000 or less, with or without an attorney. It tells plaintiffs to try settlement first, know whether collection is realistic, identify the defendant correctly, state the claim simply, pay filing and service fees, and have the sheriff serve summons. If the sheriff cannot serve at the address provided, the court notifies the plaintiff and another service attempt may require another fee.
Defendants are warned not to ignore notice because a judgment may be taken if they do not appear. Counterclaims may have a 10-day filing issue depending on whether they arise from the same transaction. Appeals must be filed within 10 days. Judgments are good for ten years for collection. These facts place Andrew County small claims in the Associate Circuit Division rather than a separate small-claims courthouse.
Andrew County Appeals Path
Appeals from Andrew County Circuit Court usually move to the Missouri Court of Appeals unless a case falls within the Supreme Court of Missouri's direct jurisdiction. Federal court is a separate track. Andrew County is within the Western District of Missouri for federal district and bankruptcy matters, and those records are searched through federal systems rather than Missouri Case.net.
The manifest source for the Western District jurisdiction list identifies Andrew County in the federal district's geography.
That federal jurisdiction fact is helpful for federal lawsuits or bankruptcy, but state circuit, associate, probate, traffic, and municipal records remain with Andrew County's Missouri court system.