A California court case lookup starts with the county Superior Court that handled the case, because there is no single statewide database for trial court records. California has 58 Superior Courts, one per county, and each runs its own online search portal. Appeals and federal cases use separate, centralized systems. Public access is the default, but sealing orders, confidentiality statutes, and remote-access rules will keep some files out of view.
Identify the Court That Has the Case
Trial-level cases are filed in a specific county. Criminal cases go to the county where the alleged crime occurred. Civil lawsuits are filed where the defendant lives or where the dispute arose. Family law cases go through the county where either spouse lives. If you’re not sure which county to check, the California Courts directory at courts.ca.gov/find-my-court lists all 58 Superior Courts with links to their websites.
Appeals don’t live in the Superior Courts. They go to one of six District Courts of Appeal, and a small number reach the California Supreme Court. Federal cases filed in California, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and disputes over federal law, are handled in one of the state’s four federal judicial districts: Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 84 – California Each of those tracks uses its own search system.
Searching a County Superior Court Online
Each county’s portal looks different. Some are polished; some are minimal. You’ll work with what the county provides.
To run a search, you need at least one of three things: the case number, a party’s full name, or the approximate filing year. Name searches are the usual starting point, but common names return long result lists. Narrow the results by case type (civil, criminal, family, probate) and the filing year. In large counties, you can often filter by courthouse location too.
What appears on screen depends on the case type. For most civil and probate cases, you can view the register of actions (the chronological log of every filing, hearing, and order), the calendar, and the case index listing the parties.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.503 – Application and Scope For criminal cases, family law cases, and civil harassment matters, remote access is limited to the register of actions, calendar, and index. The actual filed documents can only be viewed electronically at the courthouse.3Judicial Branch of California. Who Where How Viewing a Courts Electronic Case Records
Even where full documents are available online, courts often charge to view or download them. Fees run from about $0.50 to $1.00 per page depending on the county.4California Courts. How to Get a Copy of a Court Record Cases filed before the early 2000s may not be fully digitized. The portal will usually confirm the case exists and show its procedural history, even when the underlying documents aren’t scanned in.
Write Down the Case Number
The moment you find the case, save the full case number. It’s the single most reliable way to pull the file up again in any of the court’s systems, and it’s what the clerk will ask for if you request documents later. Case number formats vary by county, but each one encodes the case type and filing information used by that court’s system.
Court of Appeal and Supreme Court Cases
Appellate records use one centralized system, not 58. The Appellate Courts Case Information portal lets you search Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cases by case number, case name, or party name.5Judicial Branch of California. Public Records Published opinions are free to read and search at courts.ca.gov/opinions.
The California Supreme Court also runs its own case information page with docket searches, oral argument webcasts, weekly conference results, and summaries of pending cases, updated throughout each business day.6Judicial Branch of California. Case Information For briefs, exhibits, or other documents beyond what appears online, contact the specific appellate court directly.
Federal Cases: PACER
Federal court records are accessed through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) at pacer.uscourts.gov. Registration is free. Searches cost $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document, and fees are waived entirely if your quarterly charges stay at $30 or less. About 75 percent of PACER users pay nothing in a given quarter.7U.S. Courts. Public Access to Court Electronic Records Coverage is broader than most state portals; nearly every document filed in a federal case since the mid-2000s is available electronically.
Getting Records That Aren’t Online
When the document you need isn’t in the online portal, request it from the Clerk’s Office of the Superior Court that has the file. Requests can be made in person, by mail, and in some counties by fax. Give the clerk the case number and identify the specific documents you want. Without a case number, provide the parties’ names, the case type, and the approximate filing year. If the clerk spends more than ten minutes locating the file, the court can add a $15.00 search fee.4California Courts. How to Get a Copy of a Court Record
Viewing a file in person at the courthouse is generally free. You only pay when you want copies: $0.50 per page for standard uncertified copies, and $40.00 per document for certified copies.4California Courts. How to Get a Copy of a Court Record If you just need to read something and take notes, a courthouse visit costs nothing.
For mail requests, include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order payable to the court for the estimated cost. Don’t send cash.8Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Mail Requests for Copies and Case Numbers
Older Files May Be in Archives
Case files from before the 1980s are often held in off-site archive facilities rather than at the courthouse. In Los Angeles County, the Archives and Records Center holds cases filed from 1911 to 2004.9Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Archives and Records Center Retrieval usually takes one to several weeks. Standard copy fees still apply once the file arrives.
Fee Waivers
If you can’t afford copy fees, California courts offer waivers. You qualify if you receive certain public benefits (Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, SSI, or unemployment), if your household income falls below the threshold on form FW-001, or if you can show the court that paying court fees would prevent you from covering basic living expenses.10California Courts. Ask for a Fee Waiver Meeting any one criterion is enough. Parties in some case types, like restraining order matters, can get copies of their own orders at no charge.
Records You Won’t Find
Some cases don’t appear in a public search no matter which portal you use, and some appear only in stripped-down form.
Sealed Records
A judge can order a record sealed, but the standard is high. Under the California Rules of Court, the court must find that an overriding interest outweighs the public’s right of access, that this interest would be substantially harmed without sealing, that the sealing is narrowly tailored, and that no less restrictive option exists.11Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.550 – Sealed Records Sealed records don’t show up in public searches.
Juvenile Records
Juvenile court files are confidential by statute. Under the Welfare and Institutions Code, access is limited to a narrow list of individuals, including the child who is the subject of the case and their parent or guardian. The general public cannot inspect juvenile case files.12California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 827
Remote-Access Limits on Sensitive Cases
Criminal, family law (divorce, custody, support, domestic violence), and civil harassment cases are public but restricted to courthouse-only electronic viewing for anything past the register of actions and calendar.2Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.503 – Application and Scope If your online result shows only a bare docket, that’s the rule at work. You’ll need to visit the courthouse to read the actual filings.
Automatically Sealed Criminal Records
A dismissed criminal case under Penal Code 1203.4 isn’t erased. A new entry reflects the dismissal, but the underlying case file still exists in court records.
Automatic sealing is different. Under California’s Clean Slate laws, the Department of Justice reviews criminal records monthly and automatically seals eligible arrest and conviction records without any petition from the person.13California Legislative Information. AB 1076 Criminal Records Automatic Relief SB 731 expanded that process to most felony convictions, excluding serious, violent, and sex offenses, for people who completed their sentence and stayed conviction-free for four years.14California Board of Psychology. SB 731 Criminal Records Relief If a criminal case you expected to find doesn’t turn up in a search, automatic sealing may be why. Sealed records are not available to the general public.