California, county records

San Francisco County, California Public Records

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Find the right office in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco County Sex Offenders

The San Francisco Police Department explains who has to register as a sex offender in the city and county and links the state Megan's Law search for offenders living in San Francisco.

sanfranciscopolice.org
Open official site San Francisco County Sex Offenders
Official

Court records

Divorces, Family Law court

The family law division of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, hears divorce, custody, support and domestic violence cases, and the court clerk keeps the case files.

sfsuperiorcourt.org
Open official site Divorces, Family Law court

Everything else, organized

More official San Francisco County record sources

10 more San Francisco County sources not listed above.

More county sources

Local record guide

About public records in San Francisco County

County profile

San Francisco County at a glance

State
California
County seat
San Francisco
Population
873,965
Area
47 sq mi
Founded
1850

San Francisco County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. San Francisco County Sheriff's Office is responsible for operating San Francisco County's jails, providing security for the courts, and serving civil processes.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 456, San Francisco, CA 94102 (phone: 415-554-7225, website: sfsheriff.com), operates San Francisco County jail facilities and provides court security, prisoner transport, and civil process services. The primary detention facilities include County Jail #1 (located at 425 7th Street), County Jail #2 (adjacent facility), County Jail #3 (at 150 Otis Street), County Jail #4 (at 1 Moreland Drive in San Bruno), and County Jail #5 (at 1 Moreland Drive). San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), headquartered at 1245 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94158 (phone: 415-553-0123, website: sanfranciscopolice.org), is the primary municipal law enforcement agency for the entire county. Arrest records and police reports can be requested under the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250 et seq.), with requests submitted to the SFPD Records Division at the headquarters address or through their online records request portal.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in San Francisco County are maintained by the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco County Sheriff's Office.

Jail & Inmate Records. The primary detention facility in San Francisco County is San Francisco County Jail, which includes multiple locations such as County Jail #1 and County Jail #2, located in the Hall of Justice. Inmate information can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website, which provides an inmate locator tool.

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

The San Francisco area Chamber of Commerce, located at 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 760 (phone: 415-392-4520, website: sfchamber.com), provides business resources, networking, and advocacy. The Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, is the primary trial court handling all criminal, civil, family law, probate, juvenile, and traffic matters within San Francisco County. The court is headquartered at the Civic Center Courthouse located at 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (main phone: 415-551-4000, website: sfsuperiorcourt.org). Property and land records for San Francisco County are maintained by the Office of the Assessor-Recorder, located at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 190, San Francisco, CA 94102 (phone: 415-554-5596, website: sfassessor.org and sfar.org). Professional licenses (contractors, cosmetologists, real estate agents, etc.) are issued by California state licensing boards, with information available through the Department of Consumer Affairs at dca.ca.gov. San Francisco County Planning Department at 49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 1400 (phone: 415-558-6378, website: sfplanning.org) handles building permits, zoning verification letters. California law requires marriage ceremonies to occur within 90 days of license issuance. The California Department of Public Health Vital Records Office in Sacramento is an alternative source for all California vital records and can be reached at 916-445-2684 or cdph.ca.gov/vitals.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in San Francisco County

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

From the old mine records

What is on record in San Francisco County

Old mine sites
7
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; Gold; Mercury
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
2
Shafts and tunnels
1
What they are
adit, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated
Maps surveyed
1988 to 1993
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 7 named mine sites inside the county, 7 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 2 holes drawn inside the county, 1 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Gold; Mercury.

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.

San Francisco 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 Francisco County (7 shown, 2 unnamed on the map)

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 Francisco County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

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

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the San Francisco Sheriff's Office or a city police department in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco County, California?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in San Francisco County are kept by the San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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.

Contra Costa CountyAlameda CountySan Mateo CountyMarin County