San Diego County Criminal Court Records

San Diego County criminal court records are maintained by the San Diego County Superior Court, the second largest trial court in California. The court handles criminal cases from across the county, including the city of San Diego and all surrounding communities. An online Court Index System lets you search case records by name or case number. San Diego County also has specific rules about how long certain types of criminal records are kept before they are destroyed. This page covers the search tools, fees, retention rules, and courthouse details for criminal court records in San Diego County.

Search San Diego County Criminal Records Online

The San Diego Superior Court runs the Court Index System, known as CIS Public, for online case searches. You can access it at courtindex.sdcourt.ca.gov. The system lets you search by party name, case number, or citation. Criminal case results show the charges, court dates, case status, and the courthouse where the case was heard. It covers felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic cases filed in San Diego County.

San Diego County charges a different fee structure for online document access than most California courts. The first 10 pages of any document cost a flat $7.50. After that, each extra page is $0.07. The total per document caps at $40. That is notably different from the in-person rate of $0.50 per page. If you just need to search and view case index information, there is no charge. The fees kick in when you download or print actual documents from San Diego County criminal court records.

The California Courts website provides a general overview of how to get court records from any county. Below is a screenshot from the Find My Court tool, which can help you locate the San Diego County Superior Court and its branches.

Use the Find My Court tool above to pull up San Diego County court locations and contact info directly from the state judicial branch site.

San Diego Criminal Record Retention Rules

San Diego County destroys certain types of criminal records after set time periods. This is important to know before you search. Infraction records are destroyed after three years. Misdemeanor traffic records are destroyed after five years. DUI misdemeanor records are destroyed after 10 years. Felony records are kept longer. If you are looking for an old infraction or traffic case, it may no longer exist in the San Diego County system.

These retention rules mean that the older the case, the more likely it is that minor criminal records have been purged from the court system. For serious felony cases, San Diego County keeps records for much longer periods. If you cannot find a record through the online system, contact the clerk's office to ask if the file has been destroyed or moved to archive storage. The court does not send files by fax or email. Copies must be picked up in person or mailed to you.

Note: San Diego County does not allow cameras or phone cameras to take pictures of file contents at the courthouse.

Fees for San Diego Criminal Court Records

San Diego County has two fee structures for criminal court record copies. In person, copies cost $0.50 per page, which is the state standard. Online, the structure is different. You pay a flat $7.50 for the first 10 pages of a document, then $0.07 per page after that, with a $40 cap per document. Certified copies from the clerk are $40 per document plus the per-page fee. The search fee is $15 if the clerk needs more than 10 minutes to locate a San Diego County criminal court record.

Getting records by mail requires a written request sent to the courthouse where the case was heard. Include the case number, the defendant name, and a check or money order for the estimated copy costs. The court will not send files by fax or electronic means. Mail requests can take several weeks to process, especially for older San Diego County criminal court records that may be in storage. For records stored off-site, there is a $10 retrieval fee. If you need your own criminal history from the state, the California DOJ charges $25 through Live Scan.

Criminal Record Access in San Diego County

Criminal court records in San Diego County are public. Anyone can ask for copies. The court makes clear that "court case files are public records and subject to public inspection." But there are rules about how you access them. Criminal case documents are only available to view in person at the courthouse or by requesting mailed copies. You cannot get them by fax or email. The online system shows the index and basic case data, but the actual documents need an in-person visit for viewing in San Diego County.

Under Penal Code Section 11105, the California DOJ holds the statewide criminal history database. That is a separate system from the San Diego County court records. The DOJ record is a summary of arrests and dispositions. The court file has the actual motions, orders, and filings from the case. Both serve different needs. California Rules of Court Rule 2.503 limits which criminal case records can be accessed remotely. For San Diego County, this means registers of actions and calendars are online, but most other criminal case documents are courthouse-only.

Expungement under Penal Code Section 1203.4 lets people who finished probation ask to have a San Diego County conviction dismissed. The case stays in the record but shows the dismissal. Under Penal Code Section 851.8, factually innocent people can petition to seal and destroy their arrest records. These laws apply across California, and they affect what shows up in San Diego County criminal court record searches.

State Criminal Record Tools for San Diego

State-level databases can supplement what you find in the San Diego County court system. The CDCR Incarcerated Records Search lets you look up anyone in California state prison, including people convicted in San Diego County. Results show the inmate name, CDCR number, current facility, and parole dates. The San Diego County Sheriff also runs a jail lookup on its website where you can check if someone is currently in county custody.

The California Courts self-help page gives a step-by-step walkthrough of how to request court record copies. It covers fees, forms, and timelines. This is useful if you have never requested criminal court records from a California county before.

San Diego County Cities

These major cities are in San Diego County. All criminal cases from these cities are processed by the San Diego County Superior Court. Select a city for local criminal court record info.

Nearby Counties

These counties border San Diego County. Each runs its own Superior Court for criminal cases.