California, court records
California has no single statewide case search: each of its 58 superior courts runs its own. Find the court with the Judicial Branch court finder, and federal cases in PACER.
Start here
Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record.
Court records
Home of the Judicial Branch of California, with Find Your Court, traffic payments, jury information and local self-help desks for every county.
Open official site Judicial Branch of CaliforniaCourt records
Judicial Branch guide to finding a case: start on the website of the court where it was filed, or use a court computer or the clerk at the courthouse.
Open official site How to Look Up a Court CaseCourt records
How to ask for Judicial Council records and court records. California has 58 superior courts, one in each county, six Courts of Appeal and one Supreme Court.
Open official site California court public recordsCourt records
Nationwide index of federal district, bankruptcy and appeals court cases, searched by party name or case number. Needs a PACER account; $0.10 per page.
Open official site PACER Case LocatorCourt records
Find the federal district, bankruptcy and appeals courts that serve any location, or look up a federal court by name.
Open official site U.S. Courts, Federal Court FinderGuide
California dissolutions are Superior Court cases kept by the clerk of the county's superior court. Court records are presumed open under rule 2.550(c), and the family law file holds the petition with its property lists, any Income and Expense Declaration, FL-150, filed when support or fees are at issue, requests for order and declarations describing finances, the Judgment, FL-180, with its property division and any attached marital settlement agreement, support orders and lodged qualified domestic relations orders. The Declaration of Disclosure, FL-140, and the Schedule of Assets and Debts, FL-142, are served on the other spouse and are not filed unless the court orders it.
Each superior court runs its own case index, and rule 2.503(c) bars public remote access to family law records, so the documents are viewed on a courthouse terminal or in the paper file and copied at the clerk's counter. Sealing requires a motion and express findings of an overriding interest under rules 2.550 and 2.551, and Family Code 2024.6 covers pleadings that list financial assets and liabilities and give their location or identifying information. The California asset search page explains what the FL-150 and the judgment show.
Record guide
At a glance
Each county's superior court keeps its own case index and website; the Judicial Branch self-help guide explains how to look up a case, and its court finder works by ZIP code or city.
More California records on this site: California public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
State court records are usually free to view at the courthouse and often free online, with per-page fees for certified copies. PACER charges $0.10 per page (capped at $3.00 per document), waived under $30 per quarter.
No. A sealed case is hidden from the public docket index by court order. Its existence may still be confirmable by number, but documents are not accessible.
Civil cases involve disputes between parties (contracts, torts, family). Criminal cases are brought by the government. Both are indexed by the same court clerks but tracked in separate sub-dockets.
Not in one search. PACER covers all federal courts. Most states have a statewide judiciary portal that covers their state courts, but a few require per-county lookups. This page links to California's official portal.
All states
Every state page lists that state's official court record sources, each opened and verified.