To find San Francisco court records, start by identifying which court system handled the case. State matters — civil suits, family law, probate, small claims, traffic, and most criminal cases — sit with the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Federal matters sit with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The two systems keep entirely separate records, so a search in one will never surface a file from the other. Once you know which court you need, both offer online portals, and both accept in-person and mail requests for anything the portals don’t show.
Which Court Holds Your Record
The Superior Court handles the cases that touch everyday life in San Francisco: civil lawsuits, family law, probate, small claims, traffic citations, and criminal prosecutions for offenses committed in the county.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, at 450 Golden Gate Avenue, handles federal cases: lawsuits under federal statutes, constitutional questions, disputes between parties from different states where more than $75,000 is at stake, and federal criminal prosecutions such as wire fraud, immigration violations, and civil rights cases.1United States District Court. San Francisco
If the case was later appealed from the federal district court, the appellate record moves to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and is searchable through the same federal electronic system described below.2United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit. Excerpts of Record
What To Have Ready Before You Search
A case number pulls up a file instantly. Without one, gather the full legal names of the parties, the approximate filing date, and the type of case. More identifiers mean fewer results to work through.
For criminal records, if you don’t have a case number, the Superior Court recommends first obtaining a RAP sheet (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions) from the San Francisco Police Department’s Identification Bureau, on the fourth floor of the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street.3Superior Court of California. Obtain Criminal Records
Searching Superior Court Records Online
The Superior Court runs a free case search at webapps.sftc.org, reachable from the court’s main website. You can look up Unlimited and Limited Civil, Family Law, Probate, Small Claims, and criminal cases by case number or party name for anything filed from 1987 to the present.4Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Case Information
The portal reliably shows docket entries, hearing dates, and filing histories. Whether the actual documents are viewable depends on the case type and age. Older cases that predate electronic filing show summary information only; the physical files sit at the courthouse. Anything older than 1987, or any case type not in the online database, requires contacting the relevant court department or submitting a records request in person or by mail.
Searching Federal Records Through PACER
Federal filings for the Northern District of California are available through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Registering an account is free.5PACER. Register for an Account Viewing documents costs $0.10 per page, but if your total charges stay at $30 or less in a quarter, the fees are waived entirely.6Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) For light searching, that often means paying nothing. The same PACER login works for Ninth Circuit appellate records.
When a Record Won’t Appear Online
Some case types are kept out of public remote access by rule. Under the California Rules of Court, documents in Family Law, Probate, Civil Harassment, and Workplace Violence Prevention proceedings are generally not available through remote electronic access, even when the underlying case shows in the court index.7Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2.503 – Application and Scope Juvenile court records are also excluded.
Federal filings follow their own privacy rules. Parties must redact Social Security numbers, names of minor children, financial account numbers, dates of birth, and (in criminal cases) home addresses before filing.8United States Courts. Privacy Policy for Electronic Case Files Beyond that, either party can move to seal specific documents or an entire case.
If you can’t find a case you believe exists, the clerk’s office can confirm whether it exists but is restricted, even if they can’t disclose the contents.
In Person and By Mail
Physical visits remain the most reliable route for older files and anything not available electronically. The Superior Court splits records between two locations:
- Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street — civil and probate records.9Superior Court of California. Locations and Contact Information
- Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street, Room 101 — criminal records.10Superior Court of California. Hall of Justice
At either location, you can review files at public terminals or request copies from the clerk. The court uses separate forms depending on record type: a Civil Records Request Form, a Criminal Records Request Form, and an Adoption Records Form, all available on the court’s website.11Superior Court of California. Records
For mail requests, send the completed form with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the appropriate courthouse. Make sure the return postage covers the weight of the pages you expect. Describe the specific documents you need; vague requests slow processing significantly. Turnaround generally runs five to ten business days depending on the clerk’s backlog.
What It Costs
California sets court record fees statewide. For Superior Court records in San Francisco:
- Copies: $0.50 per page for copies of any record, proceeding, or paper on file.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 70627
- Staff search: $15 per search when a clerk spends more than ten minutes locating records.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 70627
- Certification: $40 per document for a certified copy bearing the clerk’s seal, needed whenever a record must be authenticated for legal use.13California Legislative Information. California Government Code 70626
- Comparison fee: $1 per page on top of certification if you bring your own copy and ask the clerk to compare it against the original.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 70627
Federal records through PACER cost $0.10 per page viewed or downloaded, with the quarterly waiver at $30 or less.
Fee Waivers
California waives court record fees, including certified copies, if you qualify. You’re eligible if you receive certain public benefits (Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, SSI, or General Assistance), if your household income falls below the limits on the Request to Waive Court Fees form (FW-001), or if paying the fees would prevent you from covering basic household necessities.14California Courts. Ask for a Fee Waiver The form lives on the California Courts self-help website and can be filed at either courthouse.
Older Files Not in the Online Systems
The Superior Court’s online search starts at 1987.4Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Case Information Anything earlier exists only in physical form. Contact the clerk’s office directly to check availability, since California courts periodically destroy records on retention schedules set under Government Code section 68152.
Federal records take a different path after a case closes. Files move from the district court to a Federal Records Center and, eventually, older ones may land at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA retrieval requires exact citations to specific documents, and reference staff can only perform limited searches.15National Archives. How to Obtain Copies of Records If you don’t already know the precise document you need, an in-person visit to a NARA research room or hiring an independent researcher is often the only practical option.