San Diego County Court Records

According to California Rules of Court Rule 2.502(3), San Diego County court records are papers, documents, or exhibits filed in a case proceeding. They also include orders, judgments of the court, and items kept by the court in the ordinary course of the judicial process. These records are created when a plaintiff/petitioner or prosecutor files a complaint against a defendant in court. San Diego County Court records exclude the judicial personnel’s personal notes or preliminary memoranda, statutorily mandated reporting between or within government entities, judicial administrative records, court case information, or compilations of data drawn from court records where the compilations are not themselves contained in a court record.

The San Diego County Superior Court is the custodian of all court records in the county. These records are maintained in electronic and physical copies. They are released to the public upon request under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) and Rules of Court, rule 2.400(a). San Diego County court records are linked to other public records, such as vital records, arrest information, and federal case files, because the legal system operates through interconnected databases that share information across different government agencies.

Are San Diego County Court Records Public?

Yes. The California Public Records Act (CPRA) supports public inspection of court case files. Additionally, the California Rules of Court, rule 2.400(a) states that the public may inspect all court records in the clerk’s office. Rule 2.550(a) presumes all court records in San Diego County to be open unless confidential or sealed by law. Examples of non-public San Diego County court records are:

• Civil harassment records
• Mental health proceedings
• Juvenile and family court proceedings
• Workplace violence prevention records
• Guardianship or conservatorship proceedings
• Proceedings to compromise the claims of a minor or a person with a disability
• Elder or dependent adult abuse and private postsecondary school violence prevention proceedings

What Information is Available in San Diego County Court Records?

A typical court record in San Diego County contains information about civil, criminal, Family Court, mental health, and probate cases. For example, the Online Case Search portal reveals the:

• Case title, number, type, and location
• Filing date, case category, file location, DA number, and birth year
• Plaintiff/petitioner and defendant/respondent’s names
• Microfilm ID, location, reel number, and frame number

San Diego County Court Records Search

Record seekers can find San Diego County court records via the following methods:

Online:

The San Diego County Superior Court has an Online Index where individuals can view court records without charges. Users must click the Party Name Search, Case Number Search, or DA Number Search link in the left navigation pane to locate a court record. Users can download some court records generated on or after January 1, 2008, from the online Register of Actions. They can purchase some imaged family cases filed online on or after August 24, 2015, and receive the copy by mail. The search criteria are case number, name, or filing date.

In-person:

During business hours, members of the public can request to view court records in person at the Superior Court where the case was heard. They must complete a court form and show a valid photo ID. The record must be viewed at the office and not removed from the court. Some court documents may be available at computer kiosks in the appropriate business offices. The requester must provide the court staff with a case number to obtain hard-copy court records. The clerk can retrieve a maximum of 10 cases per request for each customer in a single transaction.

Mail:

For probate court record requests, inquirers must complete a PR-189 - Request for Copies (Probate) Form and submit it by mail to the court where the case was heard. For other court records, interested parties must send a letter to the court where the case was tried. The letter must include the party names, case number, the document name, and the requester’s phone, mailing address, and email address. A research fee applies to court documents that take more than 10 minutes to find. The probate form or letter must be accompanied by a check, money order, or credit card payment ( SDSC ADM-253 ). Mail requests take several weeks to process.

Fees for Court Records in San Diego County

A plain copy of a court record costs $0.50 per side and $1 per page, while a certified copy costs $40. Searching court records for more than 10 minutes costs $15. The processing time takes about two court days. If the record is stored off-site, the retrieval charge is $32 for standard documents, $50 for same-day service, and $63 for emergency requests (3 hours). The San Diego County Superior Court location also charges a divorce cost of $10 for public agencies and $15 for other applicants. Other vital records, such as birth certificates ($32), marriage certificates ($17), and death certificates ($24), are available at the San Diego Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.

San Diego County Courthouse Locations

The San Diego County Superior Court operates multiple facilities across the county:

• Juvenile court handles matters involving minors.
• The Central Courthouse handles criminal, probate, family court, appeals, and administration services.
• The North County Regional Center hears civil, criminal, adoption, family law, appeals, traffic, and minor Offense cases.
• The South County Regional Center hears traffic, family, and criminal matters, and civil harassment & elder/dependent adult abuse restraining orders.
• The East County Regional Center hears civil harassment & elder/dependent adult abuse restraining orders, family, criminal, and juvenile dependency cases.

The addresses and contact information of these courthouses are as follows:

Criminal Records Access in San Diego County

The San Diego County Superior Court does not handle criminal history checks. However, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) provides such records when applicants submit Live Scan fingerprints. DOJ only releases criminal history records to subjects of the records. Eligible individuals must complete a Live Scan Form ( English or Spanish ) to submit a request. They must take the completed form to any Live Scan site for fingerprinting services in San Diego County. Applicants outside California or the United States must submit a completed Application to Obtain Copy of State Summary Criminal History Record Form ( English or Spanish ). They must contact their local law enforcement agency for fingerprinting services. The applicant must include a processing fee of $25 payable by personal check, money order, or certified check with the submission. Mail the application, fingerprint card, and processing fee to:

California Department of Justice

Bureau of Criminal Identification and Analysis

Record Review & Challenge Section

PO BOX 160207

Sacramento, CA 95816-0207

Individuals seeking local criminal court records can find them online, by mail, or in person at the Central, North County, South County, and East County courthouses. To search for criminal records using the Online Search Index, requesters need a name, case number, or DA number. Mail requesters must send letters containing the parties’ names, case numbers, the document name, and the requester’s contact information.

San Diego County Probate Records

The San Diego Superior Court Probate Division manages guardianship of minors, decedents’ estates, trusts, and conservatorship of incapacitated adults. Record seekers can request copies of probate records by completing a Request for Copies (Probate) Form and submitting it by mail, in person, or via an approved e-Filing Service Provider. In-person requests can be made at the Central Courthouse from Monday through Friday.

San Diego County Family Court Records

The San Diego County Family Court Division handles family law cases such as legal separation, divorce, parentage, child custody, visitation, support (child and spousal), annulment, and domestic violence restraining orders. Most of these case records are confidential, but some, like divorce, are available to members of the public. Public family court records can be viewed online using the Court Index or in person at computer kiosks in the court where the case was heard. Copies of these records can also be retrieved by mail or in person during court business hours.

Federal Court Records in San Diego County

San Diego County is under the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. This court handles cases involving federal law, including civil disputes relating to intellectual property, cases involving parties from different states, and criminal cases such as drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Eligible individuals can access federal court records online through the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (CM/ECF) and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). The court charges $0.50 per page for federal court records, while printing them at public terminals costs $.10 per page. Record search costs $34 per item or name, while certified copies cost $12 per certificate. Electronic copy of record not found in CM/ECF and/or PACER costs $33.