To run a California court case search by name, you go to the Superior Court website for the county where the case was filed and use its online case index. California has no statewide search that covers all trial courts at once, so knowing the right county is the first step. Most records are public, but several categories of cases are restricted from full online viewing and can only be read at the courthouse.
Start With the Right County
California has one Superior Court in each of its 58 counties, and every trial-level case begins in one of them. There is no master search engine that pulls results from all 58 courts at once.1Judicial Branch of California. About the Judicial Branch
Which county holds the file depends on the type of case. Criminal cases are prosecuted where the alleged crime took place. Civil lawsuits usually go where the defendant lives or where the dispute arose. Family law cases are generally filed where either spouse lives. If you aren’t sure, start with the county where the person lives or where the key events happened.
Once you have a county, go directly to that Superior Court’s website. Every court has one. Large counties like Los Angeles and San Diego run detailed portals; smaller counties often offer more limited online access.
How to Search by Name on a Superior Court Portal
On each county’s Superior Court site, look for a section labeled something like “Online Services,” “Case Index,” or “Public Access.” You’ll usually pick a case category first: civil, criminal, traffic, family law, probate, or small claims. Some portals let you search all categories at once; others make you choose.
Enter the person’s first and last name. The portal returns a list of matching cases, typically showing the case number, filing date, case type, and whether the person was the plaintiff, defendant, or petitioner. Filtering stops there for the general public. California Rules of Court, Rule 2.507, requires courts to exclude date of birth and driver’s license number from their electronic indexes, so you cannot narrow results using those identifiers.2Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.507 Electronic Access to Court Calendars, Indexes, and Registers of Actions
Common names create real headaches here. You may get dozens of results and have to click into each one to see whether it’s the right person. Knowing the approximate filing year or case type before you search saves a lot of scrolling.
What Case Types You Can Search
Most Superior Court portals cover the main categories the courts handle:
- Civil cases, including limited civil (up to $35,000) and unlimited civil (above that), covering contracts, personal injury, and property claims.
- Small claims, up to $12,500 for individuals or $6,250 for businesses.
- Criminal cases, both felony and misdemeanor, usually showing the charges and the disposition.
- Traffic citations.
- Probate, including estate administration, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Family law, including divorce, custody, and support. You can find the case by name, but what you can view online is restricted.
Depth varies. Civil results often include a register of actions, a chronological log of every document filed and every hearing scheduled. Criminal results typically show the charges and the outcome. Sensitive case types show much less online.
What You Won’t See Online
A case showing up in a name search doesn’t mean you can read the documents online. California Rules of Court, Rule 2.503, draws a line between what courts can publish on the internet and what they can only make available at the courthouse. For several categories, the public can view the register of actions, calendars, and indexes remotely, and nothing else.3Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.503 Application and Scope
The restricted case types include:
- Family law proceedings, including divorce, custody, spousal support, and domestic violence prevention.
- All criminal case documents beyond the register of actions.
- Juvenile court proceedings.
- Guardianship and conservatorship cases.
- Mental health proceedings.
- Civil harassment, workplace violence, and elder abuse prevention cases.
- Gun violence prevention proceedings.
The records themselves stay public. You just have to go to the courthouse to see them.4Judicial Branch of California. Who? Where? How? Viewing a Court’s Electronic Case Records
Confidential and Sealed Records
Some records go further and won’t appear in any public search. Juvenile delinquency and dependency cases are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 827, which limits access to specific people like the minor, their parents, and their attorneys.5California Legislative Information. California Code WIC Section 827
A judge can also seal a case file under Rule 2.550, removing it from public view entirely. Sealed cases commonly involve trade secrets, protective orders, or situations where public access would cause serious harm.6Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.550 Sealed Records
Expunged Cases Still Show Up
This catches people off guard. A California criminal conviction dismissed under Penal Code Section 1203.4 is not sealed or removed from public view. The case still appears in a name search. What changes is a new entry reflecting the dismissal, so anyone searching sees both the original conviction and the later dismissal notation. The underlying file, including documents and docket entries, remains available for public inspection at the courthouse.
How Far Back Records Go
Search results are only as complete as what the court has kept. California’s Trial Court Records Manual sets minimum retention periods that vary sharply by case type:7California Courts. Trial Court Records Manual
- Felony cases: 50 years or the maximum sentence length, whichever is longer. Felony judgments are kept permanently.
- Family law cases: 30 years.
- General civil cases: 10 years.
- Misdemeanor cases: 5 years.
- Infraction cases: 1 year.
After those periods, courts may destroy records. Many counties have digitized older files and kept them searchable well past the minimums, but there’s no guarantee. A traffic ticket from eight years ago may simply no longer exist. Felony records are effectively permanent.
Search Fees
Not every county lets you search for free. California Rules of Court, Rule 2.506, allows courts to charge fees to cover the cost of electronic public access.8Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.506 Fees for Electronic Access
Los Angeles County charges $4.75 per name search for guest users, regardless of how many results come back. Registered users get their first 10 searches per month at $1.00 each before the price increases.9Superior Court of Los Angeles. Fee Information
Many smaller counties offer free basic name searches. Check the specific court’s website before assuming there’s no cost. Certified copies of documents at the courthouse typically run $25 to $40 per document depending on the county.
Searching Appellate Cases
If the case went beyond the trial court, use the California Appellate Courts Case Information System. It covers both the Courts of Appeal and the California Supreme Court, and unlike the trial court system, it lets you search by party name across all six appellate districts and the Supreme Court through a single portal.10Judicial Branch of California. Opinions
Appellate searches return published and unpublished opinions, case status, and briefing schedules. If you want a written opinion interpreting a specific legal issue, this is where it lives.
Federal Cases Use PACER
Superior Court portals only cover state cases. For federal law matters, U.S. District Court filings, or bankruptcy cases, you need PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), which lets you run nationwide name searches across federal district, appellate, and bankruptcy courts.11United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER)
California has four federal judicial districts: Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern. If you know which one handled the case, go to that court’s PACER portal directly. If not, the PACER Case Locator searches all federal courts at once. PACER charges $0.10 per page to view documents, capped at $3.00 per document, and waives fees under $30 per quarter. A casual search for one case usually costs nothing.
When You Have to Go to the Courthouse
For any record type restricted from remote access under Rule 2.503, the courthouse is the only option. Courts that keep electronic records must make them available on public access terminals at the courthouse, even when they can’t publish them online.3Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.503 Application and Scope
In practice, you walk into the clerk’s office, use a public terminal, and view the full electronic file for a criminal case, a divorce, or any other restricted case type. You can request paper copies for a per-page fee, and certified copies cost more and may take longer to process. Some courthouses require appointments, so call ahead or check the court’s website before making the trip.
If a clerk has to manually search for a record that isn’t in the electronic system, courts charge a research fee of around $15. Cases predating the court’s electronic system may only be available on paper at the courthouse or in archived storage, which adds time to the request.