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San Diego County, California Public Records

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Find the right office in San Diego County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested San Diego County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

San Diego County Sex Offenders

The California Megan's Law website, run by the state Department of Justice, lists the sex offenders required to register in San Diego County and can be searched by name, address or ZIP code.

meganslaw.ca.gov
Open official site San Diego County Sex Offenders

Everything else, organized

More official San Diego County record sources

9 more San Diego County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in San Diego County

County profile

San Diego County at a glance

State
California
County seat
San Diego
Population
3,298,634
Area
4,526 sq mi
Founded
1850
Cities and towns
50

San Diego County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. San Diego County Sheriff's Department is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County and several contract cities.

Police Departments. San Diego County is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, including San Diego County Sheriff's Department and municipal police departments such as the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, and Oceanside Police Department.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. San Diego County Sheriff's Department, headquartered at 9621 Ridgehaven Court, San Diego, CA 92123, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of San Diego County and contract cities. Phone contact is (858) 974-2222, and the website is sdsheriff.gov. To look up inmates in San Diego County jail facilities, the public can access the Who's In Jail system at app6.sdsheriff.gov, which provides real-time information on current inmates housed at facilities including San Diego County Central Jail, George Bailey Detention Facility, Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, and the South Bay Detention Facility.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in San Diego County are maintained by San Diego County Sheriff's Department and local police departments.

Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Department website, allowing the public to search for current inmates.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in San Diego County are taken and retained by San Diego County Sheriff's Department during the booking process.

The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, is the unified trial court serving all of San Diego County with jurisdiction over all criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic matters. The court's central office is located at 1100 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101, and the main phone number is (619) 844-2700. Unincorporated areas of San Diego County require business licenses administered by the County of San Diego Finance and General Government Group, Auditor and Controller's Office. Each incorporated city maintains its own business license division: the City of San Diego Business Tax Division (619-236-6200), Chula Vista (619-691-5044), Oceanside (760-435-5590), Escondido (760-839-4643).

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in San Diego County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in San Diego County

Old mine sites
720
Sites with no status in the records
18
Still producing
159
Main minerals
Gold; construction sand and gravel; crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
704
Shafts and tunnels
239
What they are
prospect pit, adit, gravel pit, mine shaft
Maps surveyed
1947 to 1997
Records behind them
1,787 records for 1,601 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 897 named mine sites inside the county, 720 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 704 holes drawn inside the county, 239 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Gold; construction sand and gravel; crushed stone.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area.

600 of 1,557 shown
San Diego County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. Purple is a shaft or a tunnel. Hover a dot for its name.
California mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in San Diego County (255 shown, 694 more named and 649 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

San Diego County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in San Diego County, California?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the San Diego County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in San Diego County. Ask that agency for its record. Under Penal Code 13665, a police department or sheriff's office may not share on social media the booking photos of a person arrested on suspicion of a nonviolent crime unless an exception applies, and must remove booking photos it shared on social media within 14 days unless an exception still applies.

How do I get a criminal background check in San Diego County, California?

The California criminal history record comes from the California Department of Justice. Record Review of your own record only: submit fingerprint images through Live Scan and follow the DOJ Record Review instructions. Fee: $25 processing fee to the DOJ, plus the Live Scan agency's fingerprint fee; a fee waiver may be available.

How can I look up sex offenders in San Diego County, California?

Search the California Megan's Law Website (Department of Justice), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in San Diego County, California?

Register with the county elections official (county elections office or registrar of voters) or through the California Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. The deadline to register is 15 days before Election Day; after that, same day (conditional) registration and voting is available at the county elections office.

How do I look up property records in San Diego County, California?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in San Diego County are kept by the San Diego County Recorder. Property values are set by the County Assessor, and tax bills come from the County Tax Collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in San Diego County, California?

Certified birth and death certificates for California come from the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH VR). Copies may be obtained in person at the county office (County Registrar or Recorder) where the birth was registered, for events in that county. By mail with form VS 111 to California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410, or in person at the county office where the event was registered; since July 1, 2026 CDPH VR no longer accepts applications sent through online third party vendors. Fee: $31 for each certified copy of a birth record.

How do I find business license records in San Diego County, California?

Business entity filings are searched with the California Secretary of State (bizfile Online). Most California cities and counties require a business license, permits or registration to do business within their limits.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.

Chula VistaOceansideEscondidoCarlsbadEl CajonVistaSan MarcosEncinitasLa MesaSanteeNational CityPowayLa JollaFallbrookSpring ValleyLemon GroveImperial BeachRamonaLakesideCoronadoBonitaSolana BeachValley CenterJamulBonsallDel MarCampoRancho Santa FeBorrego SpringsPine ValleyDescansoJulianPalaJacumbaPotreroBoulevardMount LagunaCamp PendletonCardiff By The SeaDulzuraRiverside CountyOrange CountyImperial County