Brentwood, California Public Records

The bond and bail process in California allows for the posting of bail through cash, bond, or property, and information on recently arrested individuals can be accessed through the sheriff's office website.

Small claims cases with disputes up to $10,000 ($5,000 for businesses) are processed through the small claims division. The court's website at https://www.cc-courts.org provides case information, filing procedures, and fee schedules. Court records can be searched online through the Contra Costa Superior Court's case search portal at https://www.cc-courts.org/records, which provides access to civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic case indexes. The system displays case numbers, parties, filing dates, hearing schedules, and disposition information for most non-confidential matters. Certified copies of court documents cost $25 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page as of current fee schedules. Remote access to certain records may be restricted, particularly for family law cases involving minors, sealed records, and expunged criminal matters. In-person requests can be made at the Civil Records counter or Criminal Records counter at the Martinez courthouse during regular business hours.

The Assessor's online property search at https://www.cocotax.org allows searches by property address, parcel number (Assessor's Identification Number), or owner name, displaying current assessed values, property characteristics, exemptions, tax rate areas, and assessment history. The database is updated regularly and provides free access to most assessment data. The Contra Costa County Recorder-Clerk's Office, 555 Escobar Street, Martinez, CA 94553 (phone: 925-335-7900, website: https://www.cocovote.us/recorder), records and maintains official documents affecting real property, including deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, liens, easements, maps, and notices. The office's Official Records Search at https://www.cocovote.us/recorder allows free online searches of recorded documents dating back to the early 1900s, with images available for documents recorded since 1976. Users can search by name, document type, recording date, or book and page number. Recording fees vary by document type but typically start at $33 for the first page. The county also provides a GIS-based parcel viewer through the Information Technology Department that integrates assessor data with aerial imagery, zoning, flood zones, and other geographic information layers.

The Streets of Brentwood outdoor shopping center anchors the retail sector with major chain stores, restaurants, and services employing hundreds. Agriculture continues with numerous family farms producing corn, cherries, walnuts, grapes for wine production, and other crops, particularly in the western and southern portions of the city near the Delta. The median household income in Brentwood is approximately $120,000, significantly higher than the California state average, reflecting the city's character as an upper-middle-class suburban community. Recent development has focused on residential subdivisions, schools, parks, and commercial centers to serve the rapidly growing population, which more than tripled between 2000 and 2020. Brentwood functions primarily as a commuter suburb within the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region, with many residents traveling to employment centers in Walnut Creek, Concord, San Ramon, Pleasanton, and the tri-valley area. The city benefits from proximity to Highway 4 and State Route 160. Brentwood's economic development strategy emphasizes maintaining quality of life, preserving remaining agricultural lands, attracting commercial businesses to expand the local tax base, and developing the downtown corridor.

The Brentwood Police Department, located at 9080 Brentwood Boulevard, Brentwood, CA 94513 (phone: 925-634-6911, website: https://www.brentwoodca.gov/police), serves as the primary law enforcement agency for the incorporated city. The department provides police reports, traffic collision reports, crime statistics, and incident logs to the public. To request police records, individuals can visit the Records Unit during business hours or submit written requests citing the California Public Records Act. Non-confidential police reports are typically available for a copying fee, though some records involving ongoing investigations, juvenile matters, or confidential informants may be withheld under exemptions. The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 1980 Muir Road, Martinez, CA 94553 (phone: 925-646-2441, website: https://www.contracostasheriff.org), provides law enforcement services to unincorporated areas of the county, operates the county detention facilities, and provides court security and civil process services countywide.

Arrest and jail booking records for individuals detained in Contra Costa County can be searched through the Sheriff's Office inmate locator system at https://www.contracostasheriff.org/arrest. The online roster displays current inmates at the Martinez Detention Facility and West County Detention Facility, showing booking photos, charges, booking date and time, bond amount, and expected release date for eligible inmates. Historical arrest records may require a formal request. All public records requests to law enforcement agencies in California are governed by the California Public Records Act, codified in Government Code Sections 6250-6277, which requires agencies to respond to requests promptly and provide access to non-exempt records. The Act balances public access with privacy protections for ongoing investigations, confidential informants, and certain personnel matters.

Walk-in service is available at the Martinez office during business hours, and applications can also be mailed. The County Clerk typically maintains records for births and deaths occurring within the past year; older records are transferred to the state. For births and deaths older than one year, or for events occurring elsewhere in California, the California Department of Public Health Vital Records Office (phone: 916-445-2684, website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/Vital-Records.aspx) processes requests. Online ordering is available through VitalChek at https://www.vitalchek.com for an additional service fee, with processing times of 4-6 weeks by mail or expedited service available. Only authorized individuals can request certified copies: the person named on the certificate (if of legal age), parents, legal guardians, children, grandparents, siblings, spouses/domestic partners, or legal representatives with proper documentation. Marriage licenses are issued by the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder at 555 Escobar Street, Martinez, with satellite offices in other cities. The marriage license fee is $85, with confidential marriage licenses costing $99. Marriage certificates can be ordered for $18 per certified copy. Divorce records (Dissolution of Marriage decrees) are maintained by the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, not the County Clerk, since divorce is a court proceeding. Case files dating back decades are available through the court's records division, though access to certain family law records may be restricted to parties of the case.

While some cities provide online business license searches, verification of Brentwood business licenses typically requires contacting the Finance Department directly. Fictitious Business Name (DBA) statements for businesses operating under a name other than the owner's legal name must be filed with the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder's Office, 555 Escobar Street, Martinez, CA 94553 (phone: 925-335-7900). The filing fee is approximately $26, and the statement must be published in a local newspaper of general circulation once a week for four consecutive weeks within 30 days of filing. DBAs expire after five years and must be renewed. Existing DBA filings can be searched through the County Clerk-Recorder's online database. California corporations, limited liability companies, and other business entities are registered with the California Secretary of State's Business Programs Division. The California Business Search at https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov provides free access to information on active and inactive business entities, including corporate status, registration date, entity type, principal address, registered agent, and corporate officers. UCC financing statements (security interests in personal property) are also filed with the California Secretary of State and can be searched at https://www.sos.ca.gov/ucc. Commercial property owners can research assessed values and property tax information through the Contra Costa County Assessor's website using the property address or Assessor's Parcel Number.

Brentwood voters are served by the Contra Costa County Elections Division, part of the County Clerk-Recorder's Office, located at 555 Escobar Street, Martinez, CA 94553 (phone: 925-335-7800, website: https://www.cocovote.us). The Elections Division administers all federal, state, county, and local elections for Brentwood residents, including voter registration, ballot preparation, polling place operations, vote-by-mail processing, and election results certification. Brentwood residents can register to vote online at https://registertovote.ca.gov, California's official online voter registration portal maintained by the Secretary of State. The deadline to register for any election is 15 days before Election Day. California allows conditional voter registration up through Election Day at certain locations. Eligible voters must be U.S. citizens, California residents, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not currently serving a state prison term for a felony conviction.

Brentwood, as an incorporated city, holds municipal elections for City Council seats and Mayor. The City Council consists of five members elected at-large to four-year staggered terms, with the Mayor selected from among council members on a rotating basis. City Council elections are typically held in November of even-numbered years, consolidated with statewide general elections. The next Brentwood City Council election is scheduled for November 2026, with seats for Districts 1, 3, and 5 potentially on the ballot depending on the district election cycle. Candidate filing information, campaign finance disclosures, and local ballot measures can be found on the City Clerk's election page at https://www.brentwoodca.gov/cityclerk and through the County Elections Division.

Brentwood residents can find their assigned polling location by visiting https://www.cocovote.us and using the polling place lookup tool, or by checking the sample ballot mailed to all registered voters before each election. Contra Costa County transitioned to the Voters Choice Act model beginning in 2020, which provides all registered voters with vote-by-mail ballots automatically while also establishing Vote Centers throughout the county that allow any county voter to cast a ballot at any center during an extended voting period before and through Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail (postmarked by Election Day), deposited in official ballot drop boxes located throughout Brentwood and the county, or brought to any Vote Center.

Election records available to the public in California include voter registration statistics (though individual voter records contain protected personal information), precinct-level election results, campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees through Form 460 and related documents (searchable at http://www.fppc.ca.gov for state candidates and locally for city candidates), candidate statements, and election materials. Historical election results for Brentwood and Contra Costa County are archived on the Elections Division website. In the November 2024 presidential election, Contra Costa County reported voter turnout of approximately 77% of registered voters, with over 500,000 ballots cast countywide.

The November 3, 2026 general election will include several significant races for Brentwood voters. At the federal level, all 52 California U.S. House of Representatives seats will be contested; Brentwood voters are part of Congressional District 9 (subject to redistricting). At the state level, Governor Gavin Newsom's term expires in January 2027, making the gubernatorial race one of the top contests in 2026, along with races for Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. California State Senate District 3 and State Assembly District 11, which include portions of Brentwood, will have elections depending on term cycles. County offices potentially on the ballot include Contra Costa County Supervisors from certain districts, Sheriff-Coroner, District Attorney, Assessor, and Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters. Local Brentwood City Council seats will also be contested, along with any city ballot measures. All California voters can request vote-by-mail status for all elections by completing an application through the County Elections Office or online voter portal.