Anaheim Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records for cases in Anaheim are held by the Orange County Superior Court. Anaheim is the most populous city in Orange County and generates a large share of the county's criminal case load each year. If you need to look up a criminal case tied to Anaheim, the court's online search tool and the clerk's office are the two main ways to get that done. The Anaheim Police Department also runs its own jail booking search for people in local custody. This page covers how to find, search, and get copies of criminal court records connected to Anaheim, California.

Search Anaheim Criminal Cases Online

All criminal cases from Anaheim go through the Orange County Superior Court. The court uses a system called Vision Public for online case searches. You can look up any criminal case by name or case number at visionpublic.occourts.org. The results show charges filed, hearing dates, case status, and which courthouse is handling the matter. It is free to search and you do not need an account. This is the fastest way to check on an Anaheim criminal court record from a computer or phone.

Vision Public pulls data from the Orange County court system, which has records going back to 1898. Not all old records are in the online system, but most cases from the last few decades should show up. If you are looking for a recent Anaheim criminal case, start here. For older records, you may need to call the clerk at (657) 622-6878 and ask them to search by hand.

Keep in mind that what shows up on the portal is not the full official court file. Under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, remote access to some criminal case documents is limited. You can see the register of actions, calendars, and case indexes online. But things like probation reports, sealed filings, or certain protective orders will not appear. For the complete file on an Anaheim criminal court record, a visit to the courthouse may be needed.

Anaheim Police Jail Booking Search

The Anaheim Police Department runs its own jail facility and posts booking data online. If someone was arrested by Anaheim PD and is being held locally, you can search for them through the department's jail lookup tool. This is different from the court record search. The jail search shows current custody status, booking charges, and bail info. It covers people in the Anaheim city jail, not the county jail system.

The Anaheim Police jail search is available at anaheim.net and shows who is currently in custody at the Anaheim facility.

Once a person moves from the city jail to county custody or gets released, they drop off this system. For longer-term booking records, use the Orange County Sheriff's Inmate Information System instead. That covers everyone held in county jail facilities. Between the Anaheim PD jail search and the sheriff's tool, you can track someone through the early stages of the criminal process in Anaheim before the court case officially moves forward.

Note: Arrest records from the police and criminal court records from the Superior Court are two separate things held by different agencies.

Anaheim Criminal Court Record Fees

Copies of Anaheim criminal court records cost $0.50 per page. This is the standard rate for all California courts under Government Code Section 70627. If you need a certified copy, that costs $40 per document plus the per-page fee. Certified copies are what courts and lawyers typically need for legal proceedings. Plain copies work fine for personal use or a background check.

There is also a $15 search fee if the clerk spends more than 10 minutes looking for your record. Records stored off-site carry a $10 retrieval charge. Copy requests sent by mail to the Orange County Superior Court take 7 to 10 working days to fill. That timeline is faster than some other big California counties. Use the court's Form L-3009 for mail requests. Include a check or money order payable to the Clerk of the Court.

Get Criminal Court Records in Anaheim

Since all Anaheim criminal cases go to the Orange County Superior Court, that is where you get the records. There are a few ways to do it. In person is the quickest. Go to the courthouse where the case was heard and ask the clerk for copies. Bring the case number or the defendant's name. The clerk can pull it up and print copies while you wait. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

You can also request records by mail. Fill out Form L-3009 and send it with payment to the right courthouse. If you are not sure which courthouse handled a particular Anaheim case, search on Vision Public first. The search results will tell you which location has the file. Or call the court at (657) 622-6878 and ask.

For your own criminal history from the state database, that goes through a different process. The California DOJ maintains statewide RAP sheets. You can request yours through the DOJ's Record Review process using Live Scan fingerprints. The fee is $25. This is not the same as getting a copy of a specific Anaheim criminal court case file.

State Criminal Record Tools

If an Anaheim criminal case led to a state prison sentence, you can track that person through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Their CIRIS inmate search shows current inmates, facility locations, and parole hearing dates. It covers everyone in state prison, including people sentenced out of Orange County courts.

Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a person who finishes probation in an Anaheim case can ask to have the conviction dismissed. The record does not go away. It stays in the court system but gets updated to show the dismissal. If you are searching for a case that has been through this process, the records at the Orange County Superior Court will still be there. They just reflect the change in status.

For sealed arrest records, Penal Code Section 851.8 lets someone found factually innocent petition to have the arrest record sealed and destroyed. If that has happened, the related court records may not be available to the public anymore.

Nearby Cities

These cities near Anaheim also have criminal cases handled by the Orange County Superior Court. Select a city for local record details.

Orange County Criminal Records

Anaheim is part of Orange County. Visit the county page for more details on the full court system, additional courthouses, and county-wide search tools.