Search Santa Clara County Court Records

How to Search Santa Clara County Court Records

The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, runs a single official records portal. The court calls it the Case Information Portal. It covers civil, small claims, probate, some family cases, traffic and local ordinance cases, and criminal cases. Use the court's Case Information Online page as the entry point and click the "Access Now" link. Members of the public may view records open to inspection online when available, or in person at public access terminals at each courthouse. Filings themselves are not always available online. The court is direct about that limit and points users to the case-type instructions for getting documents in person or by mail.

Have a few items ready before starting. Know whether the case is civil, family, probate, criminal, or traffic. Have a case number if possible. For older criminal matters, know the defendant's full name, date of birth, and the filing year.

The screenshot below shows the official Case Information Online page. The court's Case Information Online portal lists what case types are searchable and links the live portal.

The same page explains what is not online. Sealed records, juvenile case files, confidential family material, victim information, financial data, probation reports, and medical data stay off the portal. Use the steps below to work the search.

1. Open the court's Case Information Online page and click the "Access Now" link to enter the live portal.
2. Pick the case area that fits the matter. The court splits coverage into civil, small claims, probate, some family, traffic and local ordinance, and criminal.
3. Search by case number when known. The case number is the most reliable key for copy requests and clerk calls.
4. If the case was filed in 2004 or later and the number is unknown, use the criminal case index. Search by defendant name plus date of birth, or by defendant name plus filing month and year.
5. For matters filed before 2004, the court says the online index will not show the case. Visit the clerk's office and search the microfiche by defendant name, date of birth, and filing year.
6. Review the docket entries that come back. The docket lists filings, hearings, orders, and judgments.
7. If a document is not viewable online, write to the clerk for a certified copy. Include the case number, defendant name, date of birth, the document requested, payment, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The Case Information Portal itself sits at a separate court domain. The screenshot below is the live Santa Clara County Court Case Information Portal. That portal is where the actual search runs after the "Access Now" handoff.

The portal accepts the inputs listed in the table below. Browser users should expect a disclaimer or splash screen before the search form loads. The validation rules are strict for criminal searches, so plan to type names in a clean format.

A search fee applies if a clerk search takes more than ten minutes. The fee is listed on the court's local fees page and on the Family Records Copy Request form.

The Santa Clara County Judicial System

California folded its old municipal and justice courts into the Superior Court in 1998. Santa Clara County has no County Court at law, no Justice of the Peace court, and no separate District Court. Every state trial matter is heard inside the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. That court is divided into numbered departments across seven buildings. Civil sits at Downtown Superior Court and the Old Courthouse. Family, juvenile dependency, drug court, traffic, and self-help sit at the Family Justice Center. Criminal sits at the Hall of Justice, Palo Alto, and South County Morgan Hill. Juvenile justice sits at 840 Guadalupe Parkway.

Appeals from the Santa Clara County Court run to the Sixth District Court of Appeal in San Jose. From there, review may go to the Supreme Court of California. Federal cases tied to the county go to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, at 280 South First Street. Limited civil, misdemeanor, and traffic appeals run through the appellate division process inside the Superior Court.

Case flow: Superior Court › Court of Appeal (Sixth District) › Supreme Court of California

Inside the Santa Clara County Court itself, departments are tied to buildings. The Downtown Superior Court holds Departments 1 through 16. The Old Courthouse holds Departments 17 through 22. The Hall of Justice holds Departments 23 through 54. The Family Justice Center holds Departments 60 through 79. Juvenile Justice holds Departments 80 through 83. Palo Alto holds Departments 84 through 89. South County Morgan Hill holds Departments 105 through 110. Always confirm the assigned department before going to court.

Santa Clara County Courthouses

The North First Street cluster in downtown San Jose holds three of the busiest civil and family buildings. Downtown Superior Court is the main civil, probate, and small claims building. The Family Justice Center sits one block north and hears family, juvenile dependency, drug court, and traffic matters. The Hall of Justice on West Hedding Street holds the bulk of criminal cases. Building hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Clerk counters keep shorter hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday.

The official Santa Clara County Court courthouse list shows each building with its department range. The screenshot below is that list in current form. Confirm the building before arriving, because criminal defendants at Downtown Superior Court will miss their calendar at the Hall of Justice.

The three primary courthouses for most public visitors are listed in the cards below. Each card holds the building address, the main phone, and a link to the court's contact info.

Other Santa Clara County Court buildings handle regional or specialty matters. The Old Courthouse at 161 North First Street holds civil Departments 17 through 22. The Juvenile Justice Courthouse at 840 Guadalupe Parkway holds juvenile justice cases. The Palo Alto Courthouse at 270 Grant Avenue handles criminal matters for Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. The South County Morgan Hill Courthouse at 301 Diana Avenue handles criminal and traffic cases for San Martin, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy. The Santa Clara Courthouse at 1095 Homestead Road is temporarily closed, so do not assume Homestead Road services are open.

Phone directories matter because each Santa Clara County Court division has its own line. Civil Clerk is 408-882-2100. Probate is 408-882-2654. Small Claims is 408-882-2352. Drug Court Clerk is 408-491-4811. Family Records is 408-534-5711. Criminal Clerk is 408-808-6611. Juvenile Justice Clerk is 408-808-6211. Traffic is 408-556-3000. The court telephone and email directory lists every division line and address.

For ADA matters, the Santa Clara County Court ADA Coordinator answers at 408-792-4203 and the ADA/TDD line is 408-882-2787. Interpreter requests go to interpreterrequest@scscourt.org. Court reporter and transcript requests go to transcripts@scscourt.org.

Types of Court Records Available in Santa Clara County

The Santa Clara County Court creates records across nine main categories. Civil and small claims records sit downtown. Family and juvenile dependency records sit at the Family Justice Center. Criminal records sit at the Hall of Justice and the two regional buildings. Probate records sit at Downtown Superior Court, Room 107. Traffic records run through a separate traffic portal. Each category has its own filing fee, copy fee, and confidentiality rules. The court also runs e-filing for civil, family, probate, and small claims through a court-approved electronic filing service provider.

The e-filing page shows the case types that accept electronic filings and the exceptions that still require paper. Criminal e-filing is permissive rather than mandatory. The screenshot below is that e-filing page.

The categories below are the public-facing record types most users come looking for.

• Civil records - complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, writs, and abstracts in unlimited and limited civil matters.
• Criminal records - complaints, minute orders, sentencing entries, bail information, and court dates. Some criminal documents are not public.
• Family and divorce records - dissolution, legal separation, nullity, custody, support, parentage, and restraining order filings.
• Probate records - decedent estates, wills, trusts, conservatorships, guardianships, and name or gender change cases.
• Traffic and local ordinance records - citations, delinquency notices, bail forfeitures, and traffic warrants.
• Small claims records - claim forms, service proofs, hearing notices, and judgments under the statutory dollar limit.
• Juvenile records - dependency and juvenile justice files. These are confidential by default.

Restraining order records are public for civil harassment, gun violence, workplace violence, and elder abuse matters. Domestic violence protective orders may be restricted from criminal-file copy access. The Self-Help Center at 408-882-2926 helps with restraining order forms. The Small Claims Advisor at 408-882-2929 helps with small claims procedure.

What Santa Clara County Court Records Show

Each Santa Clara County Court record lists the same core fields, no matter the case type. The case number is the central identifier. The parties show as plaintiffs and defendants in civil cases, petitioners and respondents in family and probate cases, and defendants in criminal cases. The filing date marks when the petition, complaint, or charging document entered the court. Status fields show whether the case is open, closed, disposed, dismissed, delinquent, or sealed. Department and judge fields tie the case to a courtroom and a judicial officer.

Docket entries are the chronological log of filings, hearing results, orders, continuances, judgments, and sentencing events. The court calls this a register of actions. Minute orders are the clerk's summary of what happened at a hearing. Document names follow standard labels: complaint, petition, answer, motion, minute order, judgment, sentencing order, proof of service, and notice. Financial fields cover filing fees, copy fees, bail, fines, restitution, and refunds. The table below lists the main fields a search result shows.

Certain fields are stripped before public display. Social Security numbers, full financial account numbers, victim contact information, juvenile information, medical records, and sealed filings are redacted or hidden. California Rule of Court 2.503 controls what may be remotely accessible. The court also runs public access terminals inside each building for records that are not viewable from home.

Public Access Laws for Santa Clara County Court Records

California runs two overlapping records systems. County agency records are governed by the California Public Records Act, recodified in 2023 under Government Code Division 10 starting at section 7920.000. Court case records are governed by California Rules of Court, statutes, common law access rules, and case-specific confidentiality laws. The Santa Clara County Court online portal offers case information, but filings are not always available online. Courts may keep official records in paper or electronic form, and electronic access is not always the same for the public, parties, attorneys, and government agencies. That nuance matters when a portal search shows a docket but no downloadable filing.

The presumption is open access. A court cannot seal records merely because a party is embarrassed. California Rule of Court 2.550 sets the standards for sealing, and Rule 2.551 sets the procedure. Juvenile case files are confidential by statute under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 and Rule of Court 5.551. Penal Code section 1203.4 provides post-conviction dismissal relief, which is often called expungement but does not erase every consequence.

The Public Records Act has a balancing test in Government Code section 7922.000. An agency may withhold a record when the public interest in nondisclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Law enforcement investigatory records are covered by Government Code section 7923.600. Use the Santa Clara County public records page for the full request workflow.

Records That Are Restricted or Confidential

Some Santa Clara County Court records are off limits to the public. Juvenile case files are confidential under state law. Sealed records are hidden by court order. Adoption records are confidential. Confidential marriage certificates may only be bought by a person listed on the certificate or with a court order. LPS mental health filings are handled under probate contacts but stay restricted. The court's criminal records page lists the specific criminal documents the public cannot see or copy.

The list of nonpublic criminal documents is specific. Arrest reports listing victim name, address, or phone number are not public. Probation reports are not public. Domestic violence protective orders cannot be copied from the criminal file. Own Recognizance reports are not public. Criminal history information from court files is not public; the Sheriff handles local criminal history requests through a separate process. Financial and medical information is redacted from open files.

To open a sealed record, file a petition in the court that issued the sealing order. The court must make findings under Rule of Court 2.551 before any seal is lifted. For arrest records that did not result in conviction, a petition under Penal Code section 851.91 may seal the arrest record. For convictions, a petition under Penal Code section 1203.4 may dismiss the conviction. Neither remedy is automatic. The Santa Clara County Public Defender helps eligible petitioners with record clearing.

Specialty Courts in Santa Clara County

The Santa Clara County Court was among the first courts in the nation to launch a criminal drug treatment program. The court started its criminal drug court and juvenile dependency drug treatment court in the early 1990s. Today the court runs over a dozen collaborative court calendars. These calendars use a team approach with court partners, treatment providers, and community organizations. The collaborative court page is the official source for current programs.

Drug Treatment Court runs out of the Family Justice Center. The Drug Court Clerk's Office sits at 201 North First Street at 408-491-4811. Adult and juvenile drug courts target substance use issues tied to criminal, dependency, or reentry cases. Mental Health Treatment Court and Juvenile Justice Mental Health Court run as separate specialized calendars. Veterans Treatment Court serves people with proof of military service who meet statutory criteria for mental illness, substance abuse, sexual trauma, and other conditions.

Parolee Reentry Court is part of the adult collaborative court system. It draws on drug court, mental health court, and reentry principles for people leaving state prison. CARE Court is the newest specialty calendar. A March 2026 court release said Santa Clara presided over CARE-related programs as of December 2024 and expected as many as 80 petitions in 2026, nearly twice the 2025 count. CARE Court is a civil care framework for people with severe mental illness who meet statutory criteria.

Santa Clara County Sheriff and Jail

Robert Jonsen is the 29th Sheriff of Santa Clara County. His office runs the Custody Bureau, which is the fifth largest jail system in California and among the 20 largest in the United States. The system books about 30,000 arrestees each year. Average daily population is 2,900. Average length of stay is about 292 days. The Main Jail at 150 West Hedding Street is designed for 1,084 inmates and has an annual budget of about $76 million. Elmwood holds the rest of the population at a Milpitas complex with separate men's and women's facilities.

To find someone in custody, use the Sheriff's inmate search. The system requires last name, first name, and date of birth, or a PFN, or a booking number. A name-only lookup will not return results. Custody status displays as "In Custody" or "Released MM/DD/YYYY." Full details, visitation, and bail handling are covered on the Santa Clara County inmate records page. For active arrest matters and bench warrants, see the warrant records page; for the official traffic warrant lookup, see the court's traffic warrant page.

Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records

Marriage records and divorce records live in two different offices. The Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder at 110 West Tasman Drive keeps marriage licenses, marriage certificates, and vital records. The Superior Court keeps divorce records. The Clerk-Recorder's own FAQ points divorce-record requests to the Superior Court at 201 North First Street for in-person service and 191 North First Street for mail service. Probate records sit at Downtown Superior Court, Room 107. The probate clerk answers at 408-882-2654. See the marriage and divorce records page for the application steps and copy rules. See the probate records page for filing fees and the probate calendar.

A few probate terms come up often in case files and forms.

Testator

The person who made a will. The California Probate Code uses this term for the person whose estate is being settled when a will exists.

Executor

The personal representative named in a will to administer the estate. The court appoints the executor through letters testamentary after the will is admitted to probate.

Conservator

A person the court appoints to care for an adult who cannot manage personal or financial affairs. LPS conservatorship is a separate mental health track handled through probate.

The Probate Clerk's Office accepts e-filed petitions from attorneys and over-the-counter filings from self-represented parties. The will-deposit rule is worth noting: California law requires depositing a will with the Superior Court in the county where the decedent lived, even when no probate case will be opened.

Santa Clara County Court Records Fees

Court records fees come from two sources. The Clerk of the Superior Court charges per-page and certification fees for case-file copies. The Clerk-Recorder charges separate fees for vital records and marriage records. The Santa Clara County Court local fees page links the statewide civil fee schedule, payment methods, bail schedules, and the return check fee. The Family Records Copy Request form lists the family-side fees. The Clerk-Recorder fee schedule lists vital records and marriage fees.

The table below pulls the most common Santa Clara County Court records fees. Confirm the exact amount with the clerk before sending a check, because filing fees change with the statewide civil fee schedule each January.

Checks for criminal copy requests should be payable to Clerk of the Superior Court. The court allows a "not to exceed $10.00" memo on the check when the page count is unknown for routine records. Fee waivers are available for filers who qualify under California's Judicial Council fee waiver rules.

How to Interpret Santa Clara County Court Records

Docket entries use short codes. "MO" usually stands for minute order. "JGT" is judgment. "SUMM" is summons. "POS" is proof of service. "CMC" is case management conference. "OSC" is order to show cause. "FOAH" is findings and order after hearing. "DISMD" is dismissed. "CONT" is continuance. Codes differ by case type and clerk practice, so confirm any code in doubt with the case-type division. The court does not publish a single master glossary for these abbreviations.

Charges and convictions are not the same thing. A charge is what the prosecutor filed. A conviction is what the court entered after a plea or trial. A criminal record may show several charges that the prosecutor dropped at arraignment, and only one conviction at sentencing. Reading only the charging document misses the case outcome. The disposition field shows the case result: convicted, acquitted, dismissed with prejudice, dismissed without prejudice, diverted, or transferred. "Dismissed with prejudice" means the case is closed for good. "Dismissed without prejudice" means the prosecutor may refile later.

Sentence fields list custody time, fines, restitution, probation length, and any special conditions. Probation is supervision in the community ordered by the court. Parole is supervision after state prison ordered by the state Board of Parole Hearings. The two are not the same authority. A defendant on Penal Code section 1203.4 relief may show the case as dismissed, but the original docket entries may still appear in the file.

Accuracy and Record Limitations

The Santa Clara County Court updates its online records as filings are docketed. Lag time depends on the case type and the clerk division. Civil and probate filings tend to post within a business day. Criminal minute orders may take longer because they pass through the courtroom clerk before posting. Traffic case status updates can lag behind in-court payments. If a docket entry looks wrong, call the case-type division. Civil is 408-882-2100. Probate is 408-882-2654. Criminal is 408-808-6611. Family Records is 408-534-5711. Traffic is 408-556-3000.

The court's general contact page lists each division phone and email. Use it when the portal looks out of date or when a record needs a correction.

History of Santa Clara County Courts

Santa Clara County's court system traces back to California statehood in 1850. San Jose served as the first state capital, and the county was one of the first 27 counties created at statehood. The Sheriff's Office was also established in 1850, making it one of California's oldest law enforcement agencies. Clerk-Recorder marriage records run from 1850 to the present day, a 175-year continuous record.

The modern Santa Clara County Court took shape after the 1998 statewide trial court unification. Before that year, California had separate municipal and superior trial courts. After unification, all trial functions moved into the Superior Court. The court's modern campus reflects that consolidation: civil and probate downtown, family and dependency next door, criminal at the Hall of Justice, and regional buildings in Palo Alto and Morgan Hill. The court's collaborative court history is its strongest local angle. Silicon Valley's court was a national early mover on drug courts, mental health calendars, and juvenile dating violence cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I search Santa Clara County Court records?

Start at the court's Case Information Online page. Click "Access Now" to open the live Case Information Portal. The portal covers civil, small claims, probate, some family cases, traffic and local ordinance cases, and criminal cases. Search by case number when known. For criminal cases filed in 2004 or later, use the criminal index with defendant name plus date of birth or filing month and year. For older criminal cases, the case will not appear online; visit the clerk's office and search the microfiche. If the document is not viewable online, request a copy by mail or in person.

Are all Santa Clara County Court documents available online?

No. The court says case information is online when available, but filings are not generally available online. Sealed records, juvenile case files, confidential family material, victim contact information, medical data, financial account data, and probation reports stay off the portal. Public records that are not viewable from home may still be viewable at public access terminals inside each courthouse. California Rule of Court 2.503 creates the distinction between remote access and courthouse access. A missing document does not always mean the record is sealed.

Where is the Santa Clara County Probate Court?

Probate matters are heard at Downtown Superior Court, 191 North First Street, San Jose. The Probate Clerk's Office is in Room 107. The probate clerk answers at 408-882-2654 and probate examiners answer at 408-882-2668. The probate email is ssprobinfo@scscourt.org. The court handles decedent estates, wills, trusts, conservatorships, guardianships, name and gender change petitions, stepparent adoption information, and matters establishing facts of birth, death, and marriage. The probate calendar is posted as a PDF on the court's online services page.

More on the Santa Clara County Court Records FAQ page.