Berkeley Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records from Berkeley are handled by the Alameda County Superior Court. Berkeley is in the northern part of Alameda County, and cases from the city are filed at the county level. There is no separate city court for criminal matters. You can search for Berkeley criminal records through the county's online portal or visit the courthouse in person. The Berkeley Police Department maintains its own arrest records and incident reports. This page explains the different ways to find criminal court records tied to Berkeley cases.

Search Berkeley Criminal Records Online

Alameda County offers an online criminal records request system at criminalrecords.alameda.courts.ca.gov. This covers all cities in the county, including Berkeley. You can submit requests for one or more defendants. The system searches the court database and returns matching records. Information is available for many criminal cases opened since 1974, which gives you a deep archive to search through.

The results show the case number, charges, and court dates. Full court documents are generally not available for download through the portal. California Rules of Court Rule 2.503 puts limits on what criminal records can be viewed remotely. You can usually see the register of actions and calendar details, but the actual pleadings and orders in a Berkeley criminal case often require a trip to the courthouse.

The California DOJ also offers a way to check your own criminal history through the DOJ background checks page. This is separate from court records but useful if you need your state RAP sheet.

The DOJ page shown above covers background check options in California. It is one of the state-level tools available to Berkeley residents who need criminal history information beyond what the county court provides.

Where Berkeley Criminal Cases Go to Court

Berkeley criminal cases are filed with the Alameda County Superior Court. The closest courthouse is in Oakland, which is right next door. The Rene C. Davidson Courthouse at (510) 891-6009 and the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse at (510) 627-4700 both handle criminal matters. Berkeley does not have its own criminal courthouse. Since Oakland is just a few miles away, getting to the courthouse from Berkeley is straightforward.

Walk into the clerk's office and ask to see a criminal case file. Give them the case number or the defendant's name. The clerk will pull the file and you can view it there. If you want copies, they charge $0.50 per page. Certified copies run $40 per document plus the copy fee. The clerk's office is open on weekdays during regular business hours. Call ahead if you want to confirm a specific file is on-site before you make the trip.

Berkeley Police Department Records

The Berkeley Police Department keeps arrest and incident records separate from the court system. If someone was arrested in Berkeley, the BPD has the arrest report. If the case was then filed in court, the Alameda County Superior Court has the case file. These are two different sets of records held by two different agencies.

Contact the Berkeley Police Department for copies of police reports and arrest records. They have their own request process and fees. Processing time depends on the type of record and how old it is. For recent incidents, you can often get a report within a few business days. For older records, it may take longer. The department handles records requests during business hours.

The Alameda County Sheriff also posts booking dockets online at acgov.org. This shows recent bookings across the county including people arrested by Berkeley PD who were booked into the county jail. You can view this log for free at any time.

Berkeley Criminal Record Copy Fees

Fees for Berkeley criminal court records match the Alameda County schedule. Online document downloads through the criminal records portal cost $1 per page for the first 5 pages. After that, each page is $0.50 with a $50 cap per document. In-person copies at the courthouse are $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $40 per document plus the per-page fee. A search fee of $15 applies if the clerk spends more than 10 minutes looking for a record.

For records that have been moved to off-site storage, the court charges a $10 retrieval fee. This is more common with older Berkeley criminal court records. If you are looking for a case from the 1970s or 1980s, there is a chance the physical file is in a storage facility rather than at the courthouse. The clerk can tell you when you ask about a specific case.

Criminal Record Access Rules in Berkeley

Most criminal court records from Berkeley cases are public. Anyone can ask to view or copy them. You do not need to be involved in the case. Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ manages state criminal history records. These are different from court case files. The DOJ holds RAP sheets based on fingerprint data. Court records sit with the Alameda County Superior Court.

Some records within a criminal case file are restricted. Juvenile cases are confidential. Mental health records and probation reports are not open to the public. Domestic violence protective orders and O.R. reports also have access limits. The main case documents like the criminal complaint, plea transcripts, and sentencing orders are typically available.

Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a person who finished probation can petition to have their conviction dismissed. The Berkeley criminal court record will still exist but will reflect the dismissal. For arrest records, Penal Code Section 851.8 allows sealing if factual innocence is established.

State Criminal Record Tools for Berkeley

Beyond the local court, statewide tools can help with criminal record searches. The CDCR inmate search shows people currently in California state prisons. This includes anyone sentenced from a Berkeley criminal case who is serving state time. You can search by name for free.

The California courts website directs you to the right Superior Court for any county. For Berkeley, it points to Alameda County. The state's self-help page explains how to request copies of court records step by step. For your own criminal history, the DOJ charges $25 through the Live Scan record review process.

Nearby Cities

These cities neighbor Berkeley. Oakland and Richmond are also in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Alameda County Court

All criminal cases from Berkeley go through the Alameda County Superior Court system.