Find Criminal Court Records in Bakersfield

Criminal court records for Bakersfield are filed with the Kern County Superior Court. Bakersfield does not operate its own criminal court. All felony and misdemeanor cases that begin with a Bakersfield arrest go through the Kern County court system. The court runs a Tyler Odyssey portal for online case searches. This page walks through how to search for Bakersfield criminal court records, the tools available for online searches, fees for copies, and how to request official court documents from the clerk's office.

Kern County Court for Bakersfield Cases

Every criminal case from Bakersfield goes to the Kern County Superior Court. Bakersfield is the county seat, so the main courthouse is right in the city. The Bakersfield Police Department makes arrests within city limits. Those cases are then sent to the Kern County District Attorney for charging. Once charges are filed, the case enters the court system and a criminal record is created.

Kern County is one of the largest counties in California by area. It covers a huge stretch of the southern Central Valley. But Bakersfield is by far the biggest city in the county, home to more than half of the county's total population. Most criminal cases in Kern County come from Bakersfield. The court uses Tyler Odyssey as its case management system, which means there is a public portal for online searches. Cases from Bakersfield are mixed in with cases from other parts of Kern County in the same database.

The main courthouse address is 1415 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301. The clerk's office handles record requests for all Kern County criminal cases, including those from Bakersfield.

Search Bakersfield Criminal Records Online

The Kern County Superior Court portal lets you search for Bakersfield criminal court records by name or case number. The system runs on Tyler Odyssey and covers criminal, civil, and family cases. Select the criminal case type, enter a name, and the portal returns any matching cases. Results show the case number, charges, filing date, and hearing schedule.

The Kern County court portal gives you free access to search Bakersfield criminal court records online.

Click into a case to see the register of actions. This is the timeline of the case. It shows every filing, motion, hearing, and court order from start to finish. Under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, remote online access to criminal records is limited to certain types of information like indexes, registers of actions, and calendars. Full case documents like police reports and probation reports cannot be viewed online. You would need to visit the courthouse to see those.

Bakersfield Criminal Court Fees

Copies of Bakersfield criminal court records cost $0.50 per page at the clerk's office. Certified copies are $40 per document, plus the per-page charge. These fees are set by state law under Government Code Section 70627 and apply at every California Superior Court, not just Kern County.

A $15 search fee can be charged when the clerk spends more than 10 minutes looking for a record. If your case is old and the file has been moved to off-site storage, there is a $10 retrieval fee on top of the copy costs. For Bakersfield criminal court records that are recent, the clerk can usually pull the file quickly. Older cases take more time. Call ahead if you are not sure what fees to expect. The clerk can give you an estimate based on the case number and what documents you need.

Note: Fee waivers are available for people who qualify financially.

Bakersfield Police Records

The Bakersfield Police Department is a separate agency from the court. Their records include arrest reports, incident reports, and crime reports. These are not the same as criminal court records. A Bakersfield police report covers the arrest and investigation. A court record covers the prosecution and legal proceedings. You need to contact the Bakersfield PD directly for police reports. The court does not provide them.

The Kern County Sheriff also operates in the Bakersfield area, handling law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county. Some arrests near Bakersfield may involve the sheriff rather than city police. In either case, the criminal court record ends up at the Kern County Superior Court. The arresting agency matters for police reports but not for court records. All criminal cases in the county go through the same court system no matter who made the arrest.

Criminal Record Access in Bakersfield

Criminal court records in Bakersfield are public records. Anyone can ask for copies. You do not need to be the defendant or have any connection to the case. There are a few exceptions. Juvenile cases are sealed. Mental health records in a criminal case are restricted. Some domestic violence case documents may have limited access. But the bulk of a criminal case file is open to the public.

Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ maintains the statewide criminal history database. This is separate from the court files. For Bakersfield cases, the court records are at the Kern County Superior Court. The DOJ has a different database that covers the whole state. To check your own record at the state level, use the DOJ Record Review process. The fee is $25 through Live Scan fingerprinting.

Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a conviction can be dismissed after probation is completed. The record remains in the system but shows the dismissal. If you are searching Bakersfield criminal court records and see a 1203.4 notation, that means the conviction was set aside by the court after the person finished their probation terms.

Get Bakersfield Criminal Record Copies

Visit the Kern County Superior Court clerk's office at 1415 Truxtun Avenue in Bakersfield. In person is the fastest method. Give the clerk the case number or defendant name and they will pull the file. You can get copies made while you wait. Pay the per-page fee at the counter.

Mail requests work too. Write to the clerk's office and include the case number, defendant name, the documents you want, and a check or money order. Mail takes longer, but it is an option if you cannot go in person. For state prison records, search the CDCR inmate database. It covers people sentenced to state prison from any county, including Kern County cases from Bakersfield. The state self-help guide at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov also explains the general process for getting copies of any court record in California.

State Criminal Record Resources for Bakersfield

The California DOJ runs the statewide background check system. You can check on the status of a background check through the DOJ applicant status portal.

This tool is separate from the court system but useful if you have submitted fingerprints for a background check and want to see where it stands. Most background check results come back within three business days. If there is a delay, the DOJ sends a notification. This applies to employment and licensing checks, not court record requests.

Kern County Criminal Court Records

For full details on the Kern County court system, fees, courthouses, and all county resources, see the Kern County criminal court records page.