California Court Records at a Glance
Official court resources, local court directories, and statewide links for civil, criminal, probate, family, bankruptcy, and appellate research in California.
1Quick Links
Start here for the fastest path into California court record research.
2Official California Court Resources
Use these statewide and official court resources for case information, court structure, forms, clerk access, or public search tools.
- Judicial Branch of Californiacourts.ca.govOfficial statewide California courts portal with court locations, self-help, and judiciary information.
- How to Look Up a Court Caseselfhelp.courts.ca.govCalifornia self-help guidance for finding court case information online and through court clerks.
- California Public Recordscourts.ca.govCalifornia Judicial Branch public records access information and appellate case search links.
3Research Notes
4Related California Court Topics
Continue into related California specialty pages and supporting court-research topics.
- PACER, Find a Casepacer.uscourts.govOfficial federal portal for locating U.S. court cases and court access information.
- PACER Case Locatorpcl.uscourts.govNationwide federal case locator that can help when a case spans multiple federal courts.
5Federal & National Authoritative Sources
These federal and national sources complement California's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when California state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.
The U.S. federal judiciary's unified electronic records system. Every federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate case docket is here.
https://pacer.uscourts.gov/ (pacer.uscourts.gov)
The official directory of every federal district, bankruptcy, and circuit court. Use it to identify the correct California district(s) before searching PACER.
https://www.uscourts.gov/federal-court-finder (uscourts.gov)
The NCSC's directory of state court websites, technology standards, and public-access policies.
https://www.ncsc.org/information-and-resources/browse-by-state (ncsc.org)
California Court Records, FAQ
Are court records free?
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.
Do sealed cases show up?
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.
What's the difference between civil and criminal court records?
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.
Can I search every court at once?
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.