Del Norte County Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records in Del Norte County are filed and kept at the Del Norte Superior Court in Crescent City. The court is small compared to most in California, but it handles all felony and misdemeanor cases for the county. You can search for criminal case records through the court's online public portal, which runs on the Journal Technologies system. The portal lets you look up case numbers, check hearing dates, and view basic filing data. If you need copies of documents or want to see a full case file, you may need to visit the courthouse or send a written request to the clerk's office.

Search Del Norte County Criminal Records Online

The Del Norte Superior Court uses Journal Technologies to run its online case portal. This is the main tool for searching criminal court records in the county. You can find it at cmsportal.dncourt.com. The portal lets you search by case number or by a person's name. Results show basic case data like charges, hearing dates, and the status of the case. It covers both felony and misdemeanor filings.

The California courts website at courts.ca.gov can help you find the right court location if you are not sure where to start your search for Del Norte County criminal court records.

This statewide court finder page points you to each county's Superior Court. For Del Norte County, it will direct you to the Crescent City courthouse. The public portal is separate from the court's main site, so make sure you go to the Journal Technologies link for case searches.

Keep in mind that not all documents in a criminal case file are available online. Under California Rules of Court Rule 2.503, courts can limit remote access to certain types of records. In Del Norte County, you may only be able to see the register of actions and calendar info online. To view the full case file for a criminal court record, plan to visit the courthouse in person.

Del Norte County Criminal Court Location

The Del Norte Superior Court is at 450 H Street in Crescent City, CA 95531. This is the only courthouse in the county. All criminal cases, from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies, are heard here. The clerk's office handles record requests during business hours, Monday through Friday. Crescent City is a small town right on the coast near the Oregon border. If you are coming from out of the area, plan ahead since it is a long drive from most parts of California.

Walk-in requests are the fastest way to get copies of Del Norte County criminal court records. Bring the case number if you have it. The clerk can pull up the case and print copies while you wait. If you don't have the case number, the clerk may be able to search by name, but this could take longer.

Note: If the clerk spends more than 10 minutes searching for a record, the court may add a $15 search fee on top of copy costs.

Del Norte County Court Record Fees

Copy fees for criminal court records in Del Norte County follow the statewide schedule set by California law. Plain copies cost $0.50 per page. That is the standard rate across all 58 Superior Courts. Certified copies run $40 per document, plus the per-page fee. If you need a certified copy for legal use, such as for a background check appeal or court filing in another state, expect to pay more than a simple photocopy.

There are some other fees to know about. The court charges $15 if a clerk search takes more than 10 minutes. If the record you need is stored off-site, there is a $10 retrieval fee under Government Code Section 70631. For your own state criminal history from the DOJ, the fee is $25 through the Live Scan record review process. That is a separate thing from the court case file. The DOJ record is your RAP sheet. The court record is the actual case documents.

Get Criminal Court Record Copies in Del Norte County

There are a few ways to get copies. In person at the courthouse is the quickest option. Go to the clerk's office at 450 H Street in Crescent City. Give them the case number or defendant name. They will find the file and make copies for you. Pay the copy fee and you are done.

By mail, you can send a written request to the Del Norte Superior Court. Include the case number, the defendant's full name, and which documents you need. Send a check or money order for the estimated copy fees. Mail it to the court at 450 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531. Mail requests take longer to process, often several weeks. For older cases that may be in storage, the wait could be even longer due to the off-site retrieval process.

The California Courts Self-Help page walks you through the steps for getting copies of court records. It covers fees, what to include in your request, and fee waiver options if you cannot afford the costs.

The self-help guide is a good starting point if this is your first time requesting criminal court records from any California court, including Del Norte County.

Criminal Record Access Laws in Del Norte County

Most criminal court records in Del Norte County are public. This is true across California. Anyone can request copies of case filings, judgments, and sentencing orders. You do not need to be the defendant or a party to the case. However, some records have restrictions. Juvenile cases are sealed. Mental health evaluations in criminal cases are confidential. Certain domestic violence filings may have limited access too.

Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ maintains state summary criminal history information. This is different from what the court has. The DOJ record is a compiled history of arrests and dispositions statewide. Court records are the actual case files from a specific case in a specific county. In Del Norte County, the Superior Court holds the case documents. The DOJ holds the RAP sheet.

If you were convicted and later completed probation, you might be able to get the case dismissed under Penal Code Section 1203.4. This is what people often call expungement. The record still exists, but it shows the conviction was dismissed. For arrest records where you were found factually innocent, Penal Code Section 851.8 allows you to petition to seal and destroy the arrest record.

State Criminal Record Resources for Del Norte County

Beyond the local court, there are state-level tools for criminal records. The California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) lets you look up anyone in state prison. This is run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It shows the person's name, CDCR number, location, admission date, and parole hearing dates. If someone from Del Norte County was sentenced to state prison, you can find them here.

For your own criminal history, contact the California DOJ. You will need to fill out the BCIA 8016RR form and get fingerprinted at a Live Scan site. The fee is $25. Results go back to you directly. Third parties cannot request someone else's RAP sheet through this process. Employers and licensing agencies go through a different process with their own authorization.

Del Norte County Cities

Del Norte County has no cities with a population over 100,000. Crescent City is the county seat and largest community. All criminal cases from cities and towns in the county go through the Del Norte Superior Court.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Del Norte County. Each has its own Superior Court that handles criminal cases.