Santa Clara Criminal Records Search

Criminal court records for the city of Santa Clara go through the Santa Clara County Superior Court. The city shares its name with the county, which can cause some confusion, but the city of Santa Clara is just one of many cities within the county. All criminal cases from Santa Clara are filed at the county court level. You can search for criminal case records online through the court's portal or visit the courthouse in person. The Santa Clara Police Department keeps its own set of arrest records and publishes a weekly arrest log.

Search Santa Clara Criminal Records Online

The Santa Clara County Superior Court has an online case search at portal.scscourt.org/search. Enter a name or case number to find criminal cases from Santa Clara or anywhere else in the county. The portal returns case numbers, charges, court dates, and the courthouse handling the case. It covers both felonies and misdemeanors. This is the fastest way to start looking for a Santa Clara criminal court record without leaving home.

Online access has limits, though. The court says that not all documents in a criminal case file are public. Arrest reports, probation reports, and domestic violence protective orders are among the documents you cannot get through the portal. You can view the register of actions and basic case information online, but full document access usually means going to the courthouse. This is a statewide restriction under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, not something unique to Santa Clara.

The Santa Clara County case search portal is shown on the court's search page. This is where all online searches for Santa Clara criminal records start.

The Santa Clara County Superior Court portal above lets you search criminal cases by name or number. It covers cases from the city of Santa Clara and all other cities in the county.

Santa Clara Police Arrest Records

The Santa Clara Police Department publishes a weekly arrest log. This log shows recent arrests made by Santa Clara PD, including the charges, dates, and locations. It is a quick way to see who was recently arrested in the city without filing a formal request. The arrest log is available on the Santa Clara city website.

Police arrest records are different from court records. The arrest log tells you what the police did. The court record tells you what happened in the case after it was filed. If you need a copy of a police report or arrest record from Santa Clara, contact the police department directly. They handle their own records requests and have their own fees and processing times. The court does not have copies of police reports available for public access. Even when an arrest report is part of the court file, it is listed among the restricted documents that the public cannot see.

Note: The Santa Clara County Sheriff runs an inmate locator at eservices.sccgov.org for people currently in county jail.

Where Santa Clara Criminal Cases Are Heard

Criminal cases from the city of Santa Clara are typically heard at the Hall of Justice, 190 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110. This is the main criminal courthouse for the county. It is a short drive from Santa Clara. Visit the clerk's office during business hours and they can pull up any case. Give them a case number or name and they will search the system.

Copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $40 each plus the copy fee. If the clerk has to dig for more than 10 minutes, a $15 search fee can be added. For records in off-site storage, there is also a $10 retrieval fee. These are standard California court fees that apply across all 58 counties. Mail requests are also an option. Send the case details and a check to the clerk's office. Processing by mail takes several weeks, so plan ahead if you go that route.

Access Rules for Santa Clara Criminal Records

Criminal court records from Santa Clara cases are public. You do not need to be the defendant, a lawyer, or a victim to request copies. Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ keeps state criminal history information. That is a separate system from the court files. The DOJ uses fingerprints to track criminal history across the state. Court files are specific to each case and held by the Superior Court in each county.

Certain records are not open to the public. Juvenile cases are sealed. Mental health records within a criminal case, probation reports, and O.R. reports are restricted. Under Penal Code Section 1203.4, a person who completed probation can have their conviction dismissed. The case record stays on file but shows the dismissal. For arrest records, Penal Code Section 851.8 lets a person found factually innocent petition to have the arrest record sealed.

Starting January 1, 2026, AB 1524 lets the public use phones and cameras to photograph court records at the courthouse. This is a new option that applies to Santa Clara criminal records and all other case types across the state.

State Criminal Record Resources

For a personal criminal history check, the California DOJ offers record review through Live Scan for $25. Visit the DOJ record review page for instructions. This gives you your full state RAP sheet, which covers every county where you have a record, not just Santa Clara.

The CDCR inmate search lets you look up anyone in California state prison. The California courts website can help you find the right Superior Court for any county. And the state self-help guide provides a clear walkthrough of the records request process. These tools work for Santa Clara criminal records and cases from across the state.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Santa Clara and share the same county Superior Court for criminal cases.

Santa Clara County Court

All criminal cases from the city of Santa Clara go through the Santa Clara County Superior Court.