California Court Records – A Brief Look at Court Statutes

Sometimes, searching for California court records can be a daunting task. RecordsSiteReviews takes the headache out of searching for such records by providing you with valuable information and important California court records links below.

Court records in California provide many individuals with indispensable information about the state’s history. Whereas most people believe that only legal professionals use court records, reporters, investigators, and academics regularly ask for copies for a variety of research activities. Criminal records are often the most requested files. It is relatively fast to obtain court records at the county or state level. Many states, California included, have court records available online.

CA Court Records – 'Open to the Public'

The California rules of court explicitly define the procedure on how the state government should assist the general public whenever it makes a request for a public or court record. Public officials shall help locate and identify the records that an individual requests for. The official should also advice the person making the request on how to overcome possible bottlenecks in accessing certain records.

Public and court records that are open to the public can be freely inspected during office hours. The charge for the copies will only be based on the cost of duplicating the records. Public officials will notify the individual making the request within ten days on whether the records are accessible to the public or not.

The California rules of court practically make most records open to the general public, including civil and criminal proceedings. However, the court reserves the right to prevent the disclosure of records if doing so can jeopardize the privacy of individuals, especially those involved in an ongoing court proceeding.

In the event that the court withholds a document from public viewing, it is obligated to explain why it has chosen to do so. A person with a legitimate reason for wanting to examine such records can challenge the court for access to these records. In this case, a hearing may be set by a judge.

Online Searching for California Court Records

Digitizing court record information, dockets, and documentation is the latest step in making the state court proceedings transparent. There have been issues of too much access to private documents, but many states have figured out a way to overcome these by limiting the amount of personal data available online.

California Court Records Websites

California Judicial Branch

Superior Court of California - Orange County

Superior Court of California - San Francisco County

Superior Court of California - Los Angeles County

Superior Court of California - Santa Clara County

A Selection of California County Courthouses You Can Visit


Alameda County
1225 Fallon St., Room 100
Oakland, CA 94612-4218
Telephone: (510) 272-6789

Alpine County
P.O. Box 158
Markleeville, CA 96120-0158
Telephone: (530) 694-2281

Amador County
Recorder's Office
500 Argonaut Lane
Jackson, CA 95642-2308
Telephone: (209) 223-6468

Butte County
1931 Arlin Rhine Dr.
Oroville, CA 95965-3316
Telephone: (530) 538-7747

Calaveras County
Recorder's Office
891 Mountain Ranch Rd.
San Andreas, CA 95249-9713
Telephone: (209) 754-6372

Colusa County
546 Jay St.
Colusa, CA 95932-2443
Telephone: (530) 458-5146

Contra Costa County
730 Las Juntus
P.O. Box 350
Martinez, CA 94553-0350
Telephone: (925) 646-2360

Del Norte County
450 H St.
Crescent City, CA 95531-4021
Telephone: (707) 464-7205

El Dorado County
360 Fair Lane, Building B
Placerville, CA 95667
Telephone: (530) 621-5490

Fresno County
Hall of Records
2281 Tulare St., Room 301
Fresno, CA 93721-2105
Telephone: (209) 488-3529

Glenn County
526 W. Sycamore
Willows, CA 95988-0391
Telephone: (530) 934-6446

Humboldt County
825 5th St., Room 110
Eureka, CA 95501-1153
Telephone: (707) 445-7236

Imperial County
939 West Main St.
El Centro, CA 92243
Telephone: (619) 339-4217

Inyo County
P.O. Box U
Independence, CA 93526
Telephone: (760) 878-0218

Kern County
1415 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301-5222

Kings County
Clerk Recorder
1400 W. Lacey Blvd.
Hanford, CA 93230
Telephone: (209) 582-3211

Lake County Superior Clerk
255 N. Forbes St.
Lakeport, CA 95453-4731
Telephone: (707) 263-2374

Lassen County Recorder
220 S. Lassen St. Suite 5
Susanville, CA 96130-4324
Telephone: (530) 251-8234

Los Angeles County
P.O. Box 120
Los Angeles, CA 90053-0120

Madera County Recorder
209 W. Yosemite Ave.
Madera, CA 93637-3534
Telephone: (209) 675-7724

Marin County Recorder
P.O. Box C
San Rafael, CA 94913
Telephone: (415) 499-6092

Mariposa County
P.O. Box 247
Mariposa, CA 95338-0247
Telephone: (209) 966-2007

Mendocino County
501 Low Gap Rd., Rm 1020
Ukiah, CA 95482
Telephone: (707) 463-4376

Merced County
2222 M St., Room 14
Merced, CA 95340-3729
Telephone: (209) 385-7501

Modoc County
204 S. Court St.
Alturas, CA 96101-0131
Telephone: (530) 233-6205

Mono County
P.O. Box 237
Bridgeport, CA 93517-0537
Telephone: (760) 932-5241

Monterey County
P.O. Box 29
Salinas, CA 93902-0029
Telephone: (408) 755-5041

Napa County Superior Court
825 Brown St.
Napa, CA 94559-0880
Telephone: (707) 253-4481

Nevada County
P.O. Box 6126
Nevada City, CA 95959-6126

Orange County
P.O. Box 238
Santa Ana, CA 92702-0238
Telephone: (714) 834-3006

 Placer County
2954 Richardson Dr.
Auburn, CA 95603
Telephone: (530) 886-5600

Plumas County Recorder
P.O. Box 10706
Quincy, CA 95971

Riverside County
P.O. Box 751
Riverside, CA 92502-0751

Sacramento County
600 8th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: (916) 440-6334 or (800) 313-7133 outside of the 916 area code

San Benito County
440 5th St., Room 206
Hollister, CA 95023
Telephone: (408) 636-4029

San Bernardino County
222 W. Hospitality Ln.
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0022
Telephone: (909) 387-8314

San Diego County
San Diego Recorder City Clerk
P.O. Box 121750
San Diego, CA 92112-4147
Telephone: (619) 237-0502

San Francisco County Superior Court
633 Folsom St., Room 210
San Francisco, CA 94107

San Joaquin County
P.O. Box 1968
Stockton, CA 95201-1968
Telephone: (209) 468-8075

San Luis Obispo County
1144 Monterey St., Suite C
San Luis Obispo, CA 93408-0001
Telephone: (805) 781-5080

San Mateo County
401 Marshall St., 6th Fl.
Redwood City, CA 94063-1636

Santa Barbara County
Hall of Records, P.O. Box 159
Santa Barbara, CA 93102

Santa Clara County
170 Park Center Plaza
San Jose, CA 95110-1774
Telephone: (408) 299-2281

Santa Cruz County
701 Ocean St., Room 230
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4027
Telephone: (408) 454-2800

Shasta County
1500 Court St.
Redding, CA 96001-1694
Telephone: (530) 225-5631

Sierra County
P.O. Drawer D
Downieville, CA 95936-9999
Telephone: (530) 289-3295

Siskiyou County Recorder
P.O. Box 8
Yreka, CA 96097-0008
Telephone: (530) 842-8065

Solano County
600 Texas St.
Fairfield, CA 94533-6321
Telephone: (707) 421-6319

Sonoma County
P.O. Box 6124
Santa Rosa, CA 95406-6124
Telephone: (707) 527-2651

Stanislaus County
P.O. Box 1008
Attn: Vital Records
Modesto, CA 95353-1008
Telephone: (209) 525-5265

Sutter County Clerk Recorder
P.O. Box 1555
Yuba City, CA 95992-1555
Telephone: (530) 822-7120

Tehama County
P.O. Box 250
Red Bluff, CA 96080-0250
Telephone: (530) 527-3287

Trinity County
P.O. Box 1258
Weaverville, CA 96093-1258
Telephone: (530) 623-1222

Tulare County
221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105
Visalia, CA 93291-4593
Telephone: (209) 733-6418

Tuolumne County
2 S. Green St.
Sonora, CA 95370-4679
Telephone: (209) 533-5531

Ventura County Recorder
800 S. Victoria Ave.
Ventura, CA 93009-0001
Telephone: (805) 654-5000

Yolo County Recorder
P.O. Box 1130
Woodland, CA 95776-1130
Telephone: (530) 666-8130

Yuba County
935 14th St.
Marysville, CA 95901
Telephone: (530) 741-6341
 

Visiting California County Courthouses are great options to have to find the court record(s) you want. However, going this route may take quite a while. For time-efficient, hassle-free searching, give online court record search service providers a try!
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