Court Case Search
A Santa Clara County court case search can help you locate a case number, review available case information, and identify the courthouse that holds a court record. This article explains the Superior Court’s online search options, what information to have ready, why some records cannot be viewed online, and how to request documents or copies from the appropriate Clerk’s Office.
Where Court Case Information Comes From
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara maintains the court case information described here. Its Case Information Online page is the court’s starting point for public access. It describes searchable information for civil, small claims, probate, some family, traffic and local ordinance, and criminal cases. The information and documents available depend on the case type and the rules governing public access.
That page leads to the court’s Public Portal, where visitors can select Case Search. Read the notices and search options shown there before assuming a particular record is available. The portal’s public access notice specifies civil case information under California Rules of Court, rule 2.503, while the court’s Case Information Online page describes a broader set of searchable case categories. The search option presented for a case type and the information returned by that search determine what you can review online.
Online case information is a way to locate and review available details; it is not the court’s official record. The portal states that its real-time information may contain errors or omissions. If you need a document for a formal purpose, or a detail on the portal does not match another court record you have, request the relevant record from the court rather than treating a search result as a certified copy.
Choosing the Right Case Search
Begin with the kind of case you are trying to locate. A civil dispute, criminal prosecution, traffic citation, family matter, and probate proceeding may have different public access rules and different Clerk’s Offices. Identifying the case type first helps you interpret the search results and direct any later records request to the right office.
Civil, Family, and Probate Cases
The court describes online case information for civil, small claims, probate, and some family cases. “Some family cases” does not mean every family court file is publicly searchable. Even when a case appears in an index, that does not mean its filings can be opened online. Use the available case details to identify the case number and filing location, then follow the court’s records instructions if you need a pleading, order, judgment, or other document.
The Civil Clerk’s Office, Probate Clerk’s Office, and Small Claims Clerk’s Office have separate contact numbers, although the court lists them at the same North First Street location. Family records are handled through the Family Clerk’s Office Records Unit at a different courthouse. When contacting a clerk, identify the case type as well as the case number so your inquiry reaches the office responsible for the file.
Criminal Cases and the Index
The court’s Criminal Case Records page gives a more specific route for finding a criminal case number. For a case filed in 2004 or later, it directs users to the criminal case index search. The court says you can search using the defendant’s name and date of birth, or the defendant’s name together with the month and year the case was filed.
A criminal case filed before 2004 will not appear in that online index. The court says its courthouse microfiche search requires the defendant’s name, date of birth, and filing year. You can also mail or deliver a letter asking the Clerk’s Office to search; the letter must include the defendant’s name, date of birth, and the years to be searched. A fee applies to a record search that takes longer than ten minutes.
Criminal cases are filed at different courthouses depending on the area involved. The court identifies the Hall of Justice for matters from San Jose, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and Santa Clara; the South County Courthouse for San Martin, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy; and the Palo Alto Courthouse for Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. These locations matter when you need to search at a courthouse or request records from the clerk where the case was filed.
Traffic and Local Ordinance Cases
The court includes traffic and local ordinance cases among the categories described on its Case Information Online page. On the portal, Case Search and Traffic Payment are separate choices. A case lookup helps you locate available case information; the payment option addresses a traffic ticket. Do not assume that a payment reference, ticket details, and a court case number are interchangeable when making a records inquiry.
The court also presents fine reduction requests and hearing reminders as separate services. A search result does not itself submit a fine reduction request or enroll you in reminders. If your purpose is to respond to a citation or manage a hearing, select the service that matches that task rather than relying on the case search alone.
Information to Gather Before Searching
A case number is the most useful identifier once you have it. If you are still looking for the number, gather the names associated with the case and any details you know about the case type or filing period. Criminal index searches have the specific name, date-of-birth, and filing-date options described above. For an older criminal case, the filing year and defendant’s date of birth are needed for the courthouse microfiche search.
Keep identifiers tied to the right record. A defendant’s date of birth helps distinguish criminal index results. A case number identifies the court case when requesting documents. A document title and filing date help the clerk locate a particular filing within that case. Giving only a person’s name when asking for a specific order or pleading may leave the clerk with a broader search to perform.
If a search does not return the case you expect, first reconsider the case category and the filing period. A pre-2004 criminal case requires the older-record process described by the court. Some family matters and records restricted by law will not have the same public visibility as an ordinary searchable case. An empty or limited online result does not establish that a case never existed.
What Online Results Do and Do Not Show
Case information and case documents are different. The court allows the public to search and view information for several case types, but says case documents, including filings, are not generally available online. An index entry or case detail page may help you identify a record without giving you access to the underlying complaint, motion, order, or other filing.
Members of the public may inspect court records that are open to inspection online when available, or at public access terminals in the courthouse. Availability varies by case type and law. Confidential, sealed, and otherwise restricted material is not made public simply because another part of the case can be found through a search.
For criminal cases, the court specifically excludes certain material from public viewing or copying. Its examples include documents containing a victim’s identifying information, probation reports, protective orders involving minor victims, Own Recognizance reports, criminal history information, and financial or medical information. If a document is absent from public access, do not interpret the absence as proof that it was never filed.
Getting Court Documents and Copies
After locating a case, decide whether you need to inspect an available record, obtain an ordinary copy, or request a certified copy. Those are different tasks. The court directs requests for case documents to the appropriate Clerk’s Office and says copying and certification fees may apply. Copies of pleadings must be obtained from the courthouse where the case was filed, either in person or by mailing a request with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Details for a Document Request
For a staff-conducted search at the court, the court asks for the case number, case name, title of each requested document, and each document’s filing date. If you cannot provide all of those items, a search fee applies. A mailed request should include the case number, full names of the parties, document titles, and filing dates if known. State clearly which documents you want rather than requesting an unspecified “case file” when only particular filings are needed.
The court states that copies obtained from the clerk cost $0.50 per page. For a mailed request under its general case-information instructions, make a check payable to the Superior Court. If the total fee is unknown, the court says you may mark a check “Not to exceed” a specified amount. The number of pages requested affects the total, so a limit that is too low may not cover the copies you want.
A criminal records request calls for additional identifying details. Once you have the case number, the court instructs you to specify the defendant’s full name, date of birth, and the documents requested. A request for a minute order should identify the particular court date. Other examples the court gives include a docket, sentencing document, or complaint. If you need certification, ask for a certified copy in the request. The criminal records instructions direct mailed requests to include a self-addressed stamped envelope and provide separate check-payee instructions; review that page before mailing payment.
Inspection and Personal Photographs
Public access terminals at the courthouse provide another way to view records that are open to inspection. Effective January 1, 2026, the court says a person entitled to view a court record may use personal equipment, including a cell phone camera, to photograph a paper record available for public inspection or an electronic record displayed on a public terminal. Photography is allowed as a method of copying the record.
That permission does not allow general camera or recording use throughout a court facility. Photography may be restricted in courtrooms or secure areas, or as directed by court staff or a judicial officer. Confidential, sealed, and restricted records may not be photographed. If you need a certified copy, a personal photograph does not replace a certification issued through the Clerk’s Office.
Record Types That Require Another Office
A court case search is specific to court proceedings. The court’s Criminal Case Records page directs a person seeking a copy of their local criminal history to the Sheriff’s Office. A police report following a traffic accident belongs with the police agency that investigated it. For a police report connected to a criminal case, the court describes different access routes depending on whether the requester is the victim, the defendant, or someone else; a person requesting the report from the court must identify the case as required by the clerk.
Transcripts are also distinct from the filings visible in a case search. Court proceedings may have been recorded by a court reporter or electronically, and the type of recording affects what may be available. The court says requests for transcripts prepared by privately retained reporters in civil and probate matters must be made directly with the reporter. A case search can help identify the proceeding, but it is not itself a transcript request.
Matching the Clerk to the Case
Once you know the case type and filing location, use the court’s telephone and office directory to reach the relevant clerk. The directory lists courthouse building hours separately from Clerk’s Office and telephone business hours. A courthouse being open does not mean its records counter or telephone line has the same hours.
For criminal records, choose the clerk at the courthouse where the case was filed. For civil, family, probate, small claims, or traffic inquiries, use the corresponding office rather than a general county department. This distinction is particularly useful when a search produces a case number but the document you need is not available online.
Court Offices for Case Records
Civil Clerk’s Office — 191 North First St., San Jose — 408-882-2100
Civil Records Unit — 191 North First St., San Jose — 408-882-2450
Hall of Justice Clerk’s Office — 190–200 W. Hedding St., San Jose — 408-808-6611
Palo Alto Clerk’s Office — 270 Grant Ave., Palo Alto — 650-462-3810
South County Clerk’s Office — 301 Diana Ave., Morgan Hill — 408-695-5014
Family Clerk’s Office Records Unit — 201 North First Street, San Jose — 408-534-5711
Probate Clerk’s Office — 191 North First St., San Jose — 408-882-2654
Small Claims Clerk’s Office — 191 North First St., San Jose — 408-882-2352
Traffic Court Clerk’s Office — 301 Diana Ave., Morgan Hill — 408-556-3000
Court Case Search FAQs
Why am I not receiving email notices for my civil case?
Finding your case online does not enroll you in email service. Under the court’s electronic notice rules, attorneys must accept emailed court notices, while self-represented litigants may consent to receive them. If you expected a notice, check whether you consented, then look in your spam folder. The court also advises adding noreply@scscourt.org to your email provider’s approved senders because some providers reject its messages. Review the announcement on the Santa Clara County court portal for the current notice instructions.
Can I get case index data without searching one case at a time?
The court lists requests for a CD of civil or criminal case index information among its records options. A civil index CD or digital copy may take 1–10 business days to process, depending on request volume and format. Index data can help with a broader search, but access remains subject to court rules and confidentiality restrictions. See the court’s case information page for the applicable index request option.
Why can’t I find a juvenile case in a public search?
Juvenile matters have different access rules from ordinary public case listings. A missing public result does not establish whether a juvenile case exists. The court may limit information when a statute or court rule requires confidentiality. If you are entitled to records in a particular matter, follow the court’s instructions for that case type and be prepared to establish your right to access them.
Will a county case search show a California appellate opinion?
A Santa Clara County Superior Court search concerns proceedings in that court. If you need a published opinion or case information from a California Court of Appeal or the California Supreme Court, use the California Courts resources identified on the Superior Court’s case information page. An appeal may have a separate appellate case number, so keep both numbers if you are tracking proceedings in each court.