Los Angeles Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records for Los Angeles cases are filed and stored at the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The city does not run its own criminal court. All felony and misdemeanor cases from Los Angeles go through the county system. You can search for criminal case data online through two court portals and also get arrest records from the LAPD. This page covers the main tools and steps for finding Los Angeles criminal court records, including where to look, what fees to expect, and how to get copies of case files or police reports.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Records

Every criminal case that starts in the city of Los Angeles ends up at the Los Angeles County Superior Court. This is the largest trial court in the country. It runs more than 30 courthouses across the county. Arrests made by LAPD officers lead to charges filed by the LA County District Attorney. Those charges create a criminal court record in the Superior Court system. The court keeps the official file for each case.

You can search for Los Angeles criminal court records online. The court runs two tools. The first is the Criminal Case Summary portal. Use it when you have a case number. It pulls up charges, hearing dates, and case status. The court added reCAPTCHA to this tool from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to keep it from getting overloaded. The data you see is not the official court record. It is for reference only.

The second tool is the Criminal Index Search. This one lets you search by name. The online index has felony records from 1980 to now and misdemeanor records from 1988 on. Type in a first and last name, and it will show any criminal cases on file. Results give you the case number, filing date, and courthouse. Once you have the case number, go back to the Case Summary tool for more details.

Note: For records before 1965, call the Archives and Records Center at (213) 974-1378.

LAPD Arrest Records in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Police Department keeps its own records that are separate from the court. These include arrest reports, crime reports, and traffic collision reports. LAPD arrest records are not the same thing as criminal court records. An arrest report shows what happened during a police encounter. A court record shows what happened after charges were filed.

To get LAPD records, contact the Records and Identification Division at 100 West 1st Street, Room P1-731, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The phone number is (213) 486-8300. An arrest summary costs $16. Crime reports and traffic reports cost $23 each. You can request these in person or by mail. Bring valid ID if you go in person. For mail requests, include your full name, date of birth, and the date range you want covered.

The LAPD also publishes arrest data on the city's open data portal. The Arrest Data from 2020 to Present dataset has detailed records of every arrest made by the LAPD. It includes the charge, the area where the arrest took place, and the date. This is a free tool anyone can use, and it does not need an account or a fee to access. It provides a broad look at Los Angeles criminal activity without going through the court system.

The city's open data portal shows LAPD arrest data from 2020 to present, which can be filtered and downloaded for free.

Each row in the dataset is one arrest. You can filter by charge type, area, or date range. This makes it useful for anyone looking into Los Angeles criminal records from a broader view, such as researchers or journalists who want to see trends in arrest patterns across the city.

Los Angeles Criminal Record Fees

Court record copies from the Los Angeles Superior Court cost $0.50 per page. That is the standard rate set by state law. Certified copies are $25 per document plus the per-page fee. If the clerk has to spend more than 10 minutes to find a record, they can add a $15 search fee. Off-site retrieval for older records is $10.

LAPD fees are different from court fees. An arrest summary from LAPD costs $16. A crime or traffic report costs $23. These fees are paid to the police department, not the court. If you need both a police report and the court file for the same case, you will pay fees to each agency. Mail requests to the LA Superior Court take 8 to 10 weeks. That is a long wait, so go in person if you can. The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.

Note: Email onlineServices@lacourt.org for questions about online court record access.

Sheriff and Inmate Records for Los Angeles

The LA County Sheriff runs the county jail system. This is where people go after being booked, whether they were arrested by LAPD or any other agency in the county. The Sheriff Inmate Information Center lets you search for anyone currently in custody. Enter a name and you get booking info, charges, bail amount, and which jail they are in. The sheriff also runs a daily booking log that lists recent arrests across the county.

These tools are free. No account is needed. They cover a different angle of Los Angeles criminal records. Court records show the legal case. Sheriff records show the custody side. Someone arrested in Los Angeles could appear in both the LAPD arrest data and the sheriff inmate search, depending on when you look. If you want a full picture of someone's criminal record in Los Angeles, check the court portals, the LAPD data, and the sheriff tools.

Criminal Record Access Laws in Los Angeles

Most criminal court records in Los Angeles are public. You do not need to be a party to the case to get copies. Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ keeps the statewide criminal history database. But the actual case files sit with the Superior Court. For Los Angeles cases, go to the court, not the DOJ.

Some records are restricted. Juvenile cases are sealed. Mental health records in a criminal file are off limits. Certain documents in domestic violence cases may be limited too. Under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, remote online access to criminal case records is limited to indexes, calendars, and case summaries. If you want to see the full case file for a Los Angeles criminal court record, you need to go to the courthouse in person.

If you want your own criminal history from the state database, you can use the DOJ Record Review process. The fee is $25 and it goes through Live Scan fingerprinting. This gives you a RAP sheet from the state level. It is separate from getting copies of case files from the Los Angeles Superior Court. Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a person can petition to have a conviction dismissed after finishing probation. The record still exists but shows the dismissal.

Get Copies of Los Angeles Court Records

The fastest way to get copies is in person. Go to the courthouse where the case was heard. Ask the clerk for the file. You need the case number or the defendant's name. The clerk will look it up and print copies while you wait. Pay 50 cents per page at the counter.

For mail requests, send a letter to the clerk's office at the courthouse that handled the case. Include the case number, defendant name, and which documents you want. Add a check or money order for the fees. Mail requests take 8 to 10 weeks in Los Angeles. If you are in a rush, going in person is the way to go. You can also try the CDCR inmate search for state prison records, which covers a separate set of information from the local court files.

Nearby Cities With Criminal Records

These cities are also in Los Angeles County. All criminal cases from these cities go through the same LA Superior Court system.

Los Angeles County Criminal Records

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