To do a California case number lookup, go to the website of the county Superior Court where the case was filed and use its online case search tool. California has no single statewide search for trial court cases, so the county is the starting point.1California Courts. Look up a court case
Why There Is No Statewide Search
California has 58 Superior Courts, one for each county, and each court manages its own records.2California Courts. Public Records That means you need to know which county handled the case before you can look it up. If you search the wrong county’s system, the case will not appear even if the case number is correct.
What You Need Before You Search
The fastest search uses the exact case number, but formats vary by county. If you don’t have the number, most county systems let you search by the name of a party to the case.3California Courts. California Rules of Court: Rule 2.503 – Section: (f) Access only on a case-by-case basis An approximate filing date helps narrow results when a name is common.
Finding the County Court’s Search Page
The California Courts website maintains a directory with links to every Superior Court in the state.2California Courts. Public Records On the county court’s site, look for a section labeled Online Services, Case Index, or Public Access. That is where the case lookup tool lives.
What the Results Show
A successful search usually returns a case summary and a Register of Actions, which lists the dates and descriptions of the major events in the case.4California Courts. California Rules of Court: Rule 2.507 – Section: (b) Information required Seeing the register is often free. Viewing or downloading the actual filed documents may require a fee, depending on the county.
When You Won’t Find the Case Online
Court records are generally presumed open to the public, but a number of files are kept private.5California Courts. California Rules of Court: Rule 2.550 – Section: (c) Court records presumed to be open Courts also limit online access to sensitive cases to protect personal privacy.6California Courts. Viewing Court Case Records
Some categories are confidential by law and won’t appear in a public search at all. Juvenile dependency and delinquency matters are confidential.7California Courts. California Rules of Court: Rule 5.551 Adoption records are strictly protected, and generally only the parties or their lawyers can access them.1California Courts. Look up a court case A judge can also issue a sealing order that keeps specific documents or portions of a file private.8California Courts. California Rules of Court: Rule 2.550 – Section: (b) Definitions
Older cases may not be online either, because they were filed before the court kept digital records. For those, go to the courthouse in person and ask the records department to search the physical files.