San Francisco Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records in San Francisco are held by the San Francisco County Superior Court. The city and county share the same name and the same court system, which makes this one of the more straightforward places to search for case files in California. All criminal cases filed here go through the Superior Court at the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street. You can search for court records tied to felony and misdemeanor cases, look up case numbers, and get copies of court documents from the clerk's office. Police records and arrest data from the SFPD are handled by a separate office.

San Francisco Criminal Records at the Hall of Justice

The San Francisco Superior Court handles all criminal court records for the city. The Criminal Clerk's Office is in Room 101 of the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. You can call them at (415) 551-0651. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They close for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. Walk in during those hours and you can ask the clerk to look up a case by name or case number. Bring the case number if you have it. The clerk can pull the file and let you view it or make copies.

Unlike many other California counties, San Francisco criminal court records are not available online. The court does not run a public web portal for criminal case searches. This is a big difference from places like Los Angeles or Sacramento, where you can search cases from a computer. In San Francisco, you need to visit the courthouse or send a mail request to get case information. Some limited case index data may be available through the court's older systems, but full records still need an in-person visit.

Note: The court's criminal records page at sf.courts.ca.gov confirms that criminal records are not available online.

Getting Criminal Court Records in San Francisco

If you need copies of criminal court documents in San Francisco, plan on going to the Hall of Justice in person. The process is fairly simple. Walk into Room 101 and tell the clerk what you need. Give them the defendant's name or the case number. They will look it up in their system and pull the file. You can view it right there, or ask for copies. Copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $40 per document, plus the per-page fee on top of that. If you need a certified copy for a legal matter, expect to pay more than a simple photocopy would cost.

The court recommends that you get a RAP sheet first if you do not have a case number. Visit the San Francisco Police Department Identification Bureau on the 4th floor of the Hall of Justice, Room 475, to get your local RAP sheet. That will give you case numbers and dates you can use when you go to the clerk's window for copies of criminal court records.

For mail requests, write to the Criminal Clerk's Office at 850 Bryant Street, Room 101, San Francisco, CA 94103. Include the case number, what you need, and a check for the fees. Mail requests take longer than walking in. The court does not give a specific time frame, but several weeks is common.

San Francisco Police Department Records

The SFPD keeps arrest and incident records separate from the court. Court records show what happened in a case after it was filed. Police records show what happened at the time of arrest. These are two different things. For police reports and arrest data in San Francisco, contact the SFPD at (415) 553-0123 for the non-emergency line or (415) 575-7230 for the Records Division directly.

The SFPD also publishes incident data online through data.sfgov.org. This open data portal lets you search police incident reports from 2018 to the present. It covers calls for service, incident types, locations, and more. You can filter by date, district, or crime type. This is free to use and does not need an account. It won't give you court case details, but it helps you find out about incidents and arrests in San Francisco.

You can also submit a public records request to the SFPD through their website. The SFPD public records request page explains how to ask for police reports, body camera footage, and other law enforcement records.

The SFPD page above shows how to file a public records request for San Francisco police documents. This is the starting point for any arrest report or incident record from the police side.

Criminal Record Fees in San Francisco

San Francisco follows the same fee schedule as other California Superior Courts. Plain copies of court documents cost $0.50 per page. If the clerk spends more than 10 minutes searching for a record, they can charge a $15 search fee. Certified copies run $40 per document on top of the per-page cost. The Certificate of the Record in San Francisco costs $40 per court number. These fees come from California Government Code and apply across all 58 counties.

For your own criminal history from the state, the California DOJ charges $25 through the Live Scan process. That is a separate thing from court records. The DOJ RAP sheet covers your whole state record. Court records in San Francisco only cover cases filed in this county. You can check your own record through the DOJ record review page for details on how to submit a request.

San Francisco Criminal Record Access Laws

Most criminal court records in San Francisco are public. Anyone can ask to see them. You do not have to be the defendant or a lawyer. Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ keeps state summary criminal history records. But the actual case files are at the Superior Court in each county. In San Francisco, that means the Hall of Justice.

Some records are sealed or restricted. Juvenile cases are confidential. Mental health records within a criminal case are also limited. Domestic violence protective orders and probation reports are not open to the public. The register of actions and calendar info may be viewable, but the full case file often needs a trip to the courthouse. California Rules of Court Rule 2.503 limits remote electronic access to certain types of criminal records. Since San Francisco does not offer online criminal record access anyway, this mainly affects what you can see if the court ever builds an online portal down the road.

Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a person can petition to have a conviction dismissed after finishing probation. The record still exists but will show the dismissal. Ask the clerk about expunged cases when you visit the San Francisco courthouse.

State Criminal Record Resources for San Francisco

Beyond the local court, you can search for California criminal records through state agencies. The CDCR inmate search lets you look up people currently in state prison. This covers anyone sentenced to state time from San Francisco or any other county. The search shows the person's name, CDCR number, current facility, and parole hearing dates.

The California courts website at courts.ca.gov can help you find the right Superior Court for any county. For San Francisco, it points you to the San Francisco Superior Court. The self-help guide on the state courts site also walks through how to get copies of court records step by step.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near San Francisco and have their own local criminal record resources. All criminal cases go through each city's county Superior Court.

San Francisco County Court

All criminal cases in San Francisco are filed with the San Francisco County Superior Court.