Richmond Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records in Richmond are kept by the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Richmond sits in the western part of the county along the San Francisco Bay. All criminal cases from the city are filed at the county level since California does not have city criminal courts. The Contra Costa County court system offers an online portal for searching case records and also provides in-person access at its courthouses. The Richmond Police Department handles arrest and incident records separately. This page goes over how to find and access criminal court records for Richmond.

Search Richmond Criminal Records Online

The Contra Costa County Superior Court uses the Tyler Technologies Odyssey system for online case searches. The portal at odyportal.cc-courts.org/portal lets you look up criminal cases by name or case number. Richmond cases show up in this system alongside cases from every other city in the county. You can see the case number, charges, hearing dates, and which courtroom or courthouse is handling the matter.

The Odyssey portal gives you a good overview of a case, but it has limits. Full documents are not always available for download. Under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, criminal case records have restricted remote access. You can typically see the register of actions, which tracks what has happened in a case, but the actual filed documents like complaints, motions, and orders may only be available at the courthouse. If you need copies of specific filings from a Richmond criminal case, you will likely need to visit in person or submit a written request to the clerk.

The Contra Costa County Odyssey portal pictured above is how you search for Richmond criminal court records online. Type in a name and the system returns matching cases.

Courthouses Handling Richmond Criminal Cases

Contra Costa County has courthouses in several cities. The county seat is Martinez, and the main courthouse there handles many criminal cases. Richmond cases may be assigned to different court locations depending on the nature of the charges and how the court schedules things. Check the online portal to see which courthouse has your specific case before making a trip.

At the courthouse, the clerk can look up any case by number or name. Walk in during business hours and ask for what you need. Copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $40 per document on top of the per-page charge. If the clerk has to search for more than 10 minutes, they can add a $15 search fee. For files stored off-site, there is a $10 retrieval fee. These are state fees that apply at every California Superior Court.

Richmond Police Criminal Records

The Richmond Police Department creates arrest records and police reports when officers respond to incidents and make arrests. These records are separate from what the court holds. A police report describes what happened during an incident. A court record tracks what happened in the legal case. You may need both to get the full picture of a criminal matter in Richmond.

Contact the Richmond Police Department for copies of arrest records and incident reports. They handle their own records requests and have their own fee schedule. Processing times depend on the request type and how old the record is. The department handles requests during regular business hours. For reports involving ongoing investigations, some information may be withheld under the investigatory privilege established in Government Code Section 6254.

Richmond Criminal Record Fees

Court record fees for Richmond criminal cases are the same as every other city in California. Plain copies are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $40 per document plus the copy fee. The $15 search fee applies when the clerk spends more than 10 minutes locating a record. These fees come from California Government Code sections 70626 and 70627.

If you need your own criminal history from the state database, the California DOJ charges $25 through the Live Scan fingerprint process. Visit the DOJ record review page for the steps. That covers your full state record across all 58 counties. Court record copies from Contra Costa County only cover cases filed in this county. For a complete picture you might need records from both the DOJ and the local court.

Criminal Record Access Laws in Richmond

Most criminal court records from Richmond are public. Anyone can request copies from the Contra Costa County Superior Court. You do not need to be tied to the case in any way. There are some types of records that are not open to the public. Juvenile cases are sealed. Mental health evaluations and probation reports within criminal case files are restricted. Arrest reports in the court file are also not available for public viewing.

The state has several laws that affect criminal records. Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ keeps state criminal history records that are only shared with authorized agencies and individuals reviewing their own records. Under Penal Code Section 13300, local law enforcement agencies also have obligations around criminal history information. Court case files are open to the public under different rules, but some documents within them remain restricted.

Expungements affect how records show up. Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a conviction can be dismissed after probation is done. The court record will still exist but will reflect the dismissal. Ask the clerk about the status of any Richmond criminal case if you think it may have been expunged.

Statewide Record Search Tools

The CDCR inmate search shows anyone currently in a California state prison. This covers people sentenced from Richmond criminal cases who ended up in state custody. Search by name for free. The California courts website at courts.ca.gov helps you find the right Superior Court for any county in the state.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Richmond. Berkeley is across the border in Alameda County. Concord and Oakland are also close by.

Contra Costa County Court

All criminal cases from Richmond go through the Contra Costa County Superior Court.