How to Access Alameda County Court Records?
Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Alameda County was founded in 1853. With a population of over 1.5 million residents, it is one of the most populous cities in California. Alameda County, which has its county seat at Oakland City, has an area of approximately 739 square miles and is known for its diverse population and scenic landscapes.
Courts in Alameda County
The Alameda County court system operates a unified court system. In Alameda, all court proceedings are conducted by the Superior Courts. The Superior Courts in Alameda are organized into court divisions based on case types. Therefore, the Superior Courts in Alameda County have civil, criminal, small claims, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic divisions.
The Civil Division of the Superior Court handles cases related to civil disputes between individuals and businesses. There are 2 sub-divisions under the Civil Division. The unlimited cases involve claims above $25,000, while the limited cases involve monetary value less than $25,000. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court in Alameda handles all felony and misdemeanor cases filed and heard in the county.
The Small Claims Division handles civil claims for amounts below $7,500. The Family Division of the Superior Courts adjudicates issues involving families and children, such as dissolution of marriage and child support. All aspects of the administration of a deceased estate are handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court.
The Alameda County Superior Court Traffic Division presides over traffic-related violations and other offenses punishable by fines. The Juvenile Division hears cases involving minors. The case ranges from juvenile delinquencies to child abuse and neglect lawsuits.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Alameda County
Public Court records in Alameda County are all documents and papers relating to legal proceedings filed and heard in the county that are open for public inspection, viewing, and copying. The Clerk of the Superior Court Office is the record custodian for all lawsuits heard in the county. The office provides 2 online platforms, the eCourt Public Portal and the Odyssey Portal, to search and retrieve court records. Record seekers for public court records from the Traffic Division may utilize the Look Up tool. In addition, record seekers may view and obtain copies of public court records in person at the public access terminal at the courthouse locations in the county. The Clerk's Office also permits mail requests for public court records.
Types of Public Court Records in Alameda County
Members of the public have access to several types of public court records, including:
- Civil Court Records: They include contract disputes, foreclosure and liens, and landlord/tenant disputes
- Criminal Court Records: Felonies, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations are types of criminal court records
- Family Law Court Records: Divorce records, spousal support records, and custody agreement
- Probate Court Records: They include wills, trust, guardianship, conservatorship, and name change
- Traffic Court Records: They include speeding tickets, DUI offenses, and red light violations
Confidential Court Records in Alameda County
Confidential court records in Alameda County contain sensitive or private information that is not accessible to the public. Some confidential records are restricted from the public by a court order, federal statute, or state law. Confidential court records include juvenile records and mental health records. Domestic violence restraining orders. In addition, personal identifying information such as financial details and Social Security numbers are confidential court records not available to the public
Alameda County is located in the state of California with a total of 1,663,190 residents and was established in 1853.
Alameda county court records are public records that are available in most cases to the everyone. Some Alameda courts are very busy with many different types of cases, and others see very few. It depends on the court structure and the number of residents. Many counties have court records posted online on their website for easy access in California. However, in some cases, you will have to visit a few different websites to find California court records.
Public court records for Alameda County will include criminal cases (both felonies and misdemeanors), civil cases (like personal and business lawsuits), bankruptcies, marriages and divorces, liens, tax issues, small claims, traffic court cases, evictions, family law cases and more.
Since 2012, a total of 2,150,123 were filed in the county. As of 2018, 83% of the cases were criminal cases. The busiest courts in the county were Superior Court.
Finding Alameda County court records is possible using the California court system website at https://www.courts.ca.gov/, and even easier through Alameda County court records search tools like Infotracer. With just a name search, the user can review hundreds of available court records and cases from any Alameda County court.
Alameda County Court Caseload Data and Trends
Depending on the law enforcement practices, and political and economic climates, court case statistics will vary from year to year in specific areas of Alameda County, CA.
The Alameda County court system consists of 1 court type, Superior Court. In 2018, Superior Court recorded 234,110 filings, which indicates a decrease of 9% from 255,673 in 2017. Review the table below for number of cases in the county.
| Courts Type | Number of filings in 2018 |
|---|---|
| Superior Court | 234,110 |
Most Popular Court Cases
You can tell a lot about an area by the types of court cases that appear in county courts.
Alameda County court records data dates back to 2012. Some may date back further, but they started formally recording them since 2012. There was a total of 234,110 cases filed in the county for the year 2018. The most popular type of court case is criminal comprising 83% of the total filings. The next most popular types of court cases are civil and family law cases. Check out the table below to review the filing information for a specific court case type in county.
There are various options to search for a Alameda County court case using someone’s name, the court type, the courthouse or county name, and other information.
| Cases Type | Number of filings in 2018 |
|---|---|
| Criminal | 194,416 |
| Civil | 23,559 |
| Family Law | 12,983 |
| Probate | 1,782 |
| Delinquency | 803 |
| Dependency | 567 |
Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Alameda County was founded in 1853. With a population of over 1.5 million residents, it is one of the most populous cities in California. Alameda County, which has its county seat at Oakland City, has an area of approximately 739 square miles and is known for its diverse population and scenic landscapes.
Courts in Alameda County
The Alameda County court system operates a unified court system. In Alameda, all court proceedings are conducted by the Superior Courts. The Superior Courts in Alameda are organized into court divisions based on case types. Therefore, the Superior Courts in Alameda County have civil, criminal, small claims, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic divisions.
The Civil Division of the Superior Court handles cases related to civil disputes between individuals and businesses. There are 2 sub-divisions under the Civil Division. The unlimited cases involve claims above $25,000, while the limited cases involve monetary value less than $25,000. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court in Alameda handles all felony and misdemeanor cases filed and heard in the county.
The Small Claims Division handles civil claims for amounts below $7,500. The Family Division of the Superior Courts adjudicates issues involving families and children, such as dissolution of marriage and child support. All aspects of the administration of a deceased estate are handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court.
The Alameda County Superior Court Traffic Division presides over traffic-related violations and other offenses punishable by fines. The Juvenile Division hears cases involving minors. The case ranges from juvenile delinquencies to child abuse and neglect lawsuits.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Alameda County
Public Court records in Alameda County are all documents and papers relating to legal proceedings filed and heard in the county that are open for public inspection, viewing, and copying. The Clerk of the Superior Court Office is the record custodian for all lawsuits heard in the county. The office provides 2 online platforms, the eCourt Public Portal and the Odyssey Portal, to search and retrieve court records. Record seekers for public court records from the Traffic Division may utilize the Look Up tool. In addition, record seekers may view and obtain copies of public court records in person at the public access terminal at the courthouse locations in the county. The Clerk's Office also permits mail requests for public court records.
Types of Public Court Records in Alameda County
Members of the public have access to several types of public court records, including:
- Civil Court Records: They include contract disputes, foreclosure and liens, and landlord/tenant disputes
- Criminal Court Records: Felonies, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations are types of criminal court records
- Family Law Court Records: Divorce records, spousal support records, and custody agreement
- Probate Court Records: They include wills, trust, guardianship, conservatorship, and name change
- Traffic Court Records: They include speeding tickets, DUI offenses, and red light violations
Confidential Court Records in Alameda County
Confidential court records in Alameda County contain sensitive or private information that is not accessible to the public. Some confidential records are restricted from the public by a court order, federal statute, or state law. Confidential court records include juvenile records and mental health records. Domestic violence restraining orders. In addition, personal identifying information such as financial details and Social Security numbers are confidential court records not available to the public
Juvenile Delinquency in Alameda, CA
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Alameda County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in California often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 665 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Alameda County. Of that total, 80% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 535 court cases. Another 20% were dependency cases that accounted for 130 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Alameda County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Alameda County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 2,236 |
| Dependency | 7,101 |
| Status | 1,836 |
Government of Alameda County, CA
| County Seat: | Oakland |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Home Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1853 |
| Total Square Miles: | 821 |
| 2019 Population: | 1,663,190 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.00 |
| County Contact: | 1221 Oak St
County Administration Building Oakland , CA 94612-4222 http://www.acgov.org |
Alameda County, CA Courts
-
Alameda County Superior Court
Address: 2233 Shoreline Drive, Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: 510-891-6005