Divorce records are public in California. Anyone can go to the superior court clerk’s office in the county where the case was filed, ask for the file by party name or case number, and read it. A handful of personal identifiers are stripped out automatically, and a judge can seal specific documents on request, but open access is the default.1Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2.550 – Sealed Records
What Shows Up in a Public Divorce File
The Petition for Dissolution (Form FL-100) opens the case and becomes public the moment it is filed. It lists both spouses’ names, the date of marriage, the legal grounds for divorce, and information about any minor children.2Judicial Council of California. Form FL-100 – Petition Marriage/Domestic Partnership (Family Law)
The Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) is also filed with the court and is public. It shows each spouse’s earnings and monthly costs. The more detailed Schedule of Assets and Debts is different: spouses exchange it privately and only file a form confirming the exchange. Specific bank balances, investment accounts, and individual debts stay out of the public file.3California Courts. Share Your Financial Information
The marital settlement agreement and the final Judgment of Dissolution are public too. That means the terms of property division, custody, and support end up readable by anyone who pulls the file.
What California Redacts Automatically
California Rules of Court require parties and their lawyers to strip certain identifiers before filing. Under Rule 1.201, only the last four digits of a Social Security number may appear in a public filing, and the same four-digit limit applies to financial account numbers, including bank, credit card, and brokerage accounts.4Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court – Rule 1.201 Protection of Privacy
Those are the only two categories Rule 1.201 covers in the physical file. A wider set of redactions applies when records are made available online. Under Rule 8.83, remote-access records must also strip out driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and medical or financial information beyond what is already redacted on paper.5Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 8.83 – Public Access Someone reading the file at the courthouse may see more than someone pulling it online.
Children’s names and basic details generally remain visible on the petition and other filings. A child’s address can be kept confidential on the Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (Form FL-105) by marking the address field “Confidential,” which parents often use when there is a safety concern.
Two Things People Assume Are Private But Aren’t
A confidential marriage license does not produce a confidential divorce. California allows couples already living together to marry under a sealed license, but the divorce case is filed in superior court like any other dissolution and follows the same public-access rules. Anyone who wants the divorce itself kept out of view has to go through the sealing process.
Address protection for survivors is a separate matter. People who have experienced domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking can enroll in California’s Safe at Home program through the Secretary of State’s office. The program supplies a substitute mailing address that state, county, and city agencies accept, and it can be used on court filings so the real residence stays out of the file.6California Secretary of State. Safe at Home Safe at Home protects the address. It does not seal the rest of the case.
How to Look Up a California Divorce Record
At the Courthouse
Go to the superior court clerk’s office in the county where the case was filed. Records can be inspected in person during business hours.7Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.400 – Court Records Bring either the parties’ names or the case number, and a photo ID. Viewing is typically free. Copies are $0.50 per page under the statewide fee schedule.8Judicial Branch of California. Superior Court of California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule
Online
Many superior courts run online case-access portals with searches by party name or case number. Orange County, for example, lets users view actual dissolution documents for cases opened from 1997 onward.9Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Family Law Records Other counties show only a case summary and hearing dates online, with full document viewing available only at the courthouse. Because Rule 8.83 forces extra redactions on anything posted remotely, online copies often show less than the paper file.
Getting a Divorce Record Sealed
Sealing is possible, but the bar is deliberately high. The person asking for the seal files a motion with a supporting memorandum and declaration, and the judge has to make findings on five points before granting it:10Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2.551 – Procedures for Filing Records Under Seal
- There is an overriding interest that overcomes the public’s right of access.
- That interest actually supports keeping the record sealed.
- Public access creates a substantial probability the interest will be harmed.
- The proposed seal is narrowly tailored, covering only what is necessary.
- No less restrictive alternative would adequately protect the interest.
General embarrassment or a vague wish for privacy will not meet the standard. Arguments that tend to succeed involve protecting children from specific harm, preventing a credible identity-theft risk, shielding trade secrets or proprietary business information, or hiding financial details whose exposure would create a genuine safety risk. A granted order can cover the whole file or only the sensitive documents inside it.
The Simpler Way to Keep Details Out of the File
Resolving the divorce through mediation avoids most of the exposure problem before it happens. Under California Evidence Code Section 1119, everything said, written, or exchanged during mediation is confidential; those communications cannot be introduced as evidence, obtained through discovery, or compelled as testimony.11California Legislative Information. California Evidence Code 1119 When mediation produces a settlement, only the final agreement is filed. The negotiations, the personal disclosures, and the financial back-and-forth stay between the parties and the mediator. For anyone worried about what a stranger could later read at the courthouse, that is cheaper and far more effective than trying to seal records after the case is over.