Fresno County Court Records Search

How to Access Fresno County Court Records?

Fresno County has about one million residents, making it the fifth-most populous city in California. Half of its population resides in Fresno City, which serves as the county seat. According to the US Census Bureau, Fresno is the sixth largest county in California, with a total area of 5,958 square miles.

Courts in Fresno County

The Superior Court in Fresno County has several organized divisions. The criminal division hears felony and misdemeanor crimes. The civil division typically presides over limited civil cases involving less than $35,000 in monetary settlements and handles unlimited civil cases involving over $35,000 in financial disputes.

At Fresno County Superior Court, there is a small claims division that hears civil lawsuits in financial disputes below $7,500. On the other hand, the family division resolves marriage dissolution cases such as domestic violence, child custody/support, and spousal support.

County residents can resolve probate issues like conservatorships, estate administration, and guardianships at the probate division. Legal matters involving minors are brought before the juvenile divisions. Fresno’s Superior Court traffic division handles traffic violations. 

Where to Find Public Court Records in Fresno County

The clerk of the Superior Court in Fresno County is in charge of recording, storing, and distributing public court records. Examples of public court records available with the court clerk include the following:

  • Court dockets
  • Transcripts
  • Legal data on involved parties, attorneys, law firms, and judges
  • Judgments
  • Pleadings, such as complaints and answers
  • Motions and responses
  • Summons

Interested persons can Access Case Information to find Fresno County public court records online. They can also request copies of court records by visiting the Clerk’s office or calling (559) 457-2000.

Types of Public Court Records in Fresno County

Fresno County court records open to the public include the following:

  • Criminal records
  • Civil records
  • Probate records
  • Certain family records

Confidential Court Records

Confidential court records in Fresno County are not available for public access or viewing. Record-holders and their legal representatives can have access to such records by visiting the court in person. According to Rule 2.503 of the California Rules of Court, confidential court records include:

  • Personal identifying information such as social security numbers, age, gender, and date of birth
  • Financial information such as credit card number and bank details
  • Medical records
  • Witness information
  • Adoption records
  • Juvenile records
  • Records involving ongoing criminal proceedings
  • Records showing civil harassment proceedings
  • Mental health records
  • Divorce settlements
  • Records sealed through court orders

Confidential records are only accessible to specific government agencies for specific purposes. Generally, requesters can view or obtain these documents if they obtain court orders.

Fresno County is located in the state of California with a total of 989,255 residents and was established in 1856.

Fresno county court records are public records that are available in most cases to the everyone. Some Fresno 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 Fresno 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 1,214,717 were filed in the county. As of 2018, 74% of the cases were criminal cases. The busiest courts in the county were Superior Court.

Finding Fresno County court records is possible using the California court system website at https://www.courts.ca.gov/, and even easier through Fresno 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 Fresno County court.

Fresno 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 Fresno County, CA.

The Fresno County court system consists of 1 court type, Superior Court. In 2018, Superior Court recorded 137,117 filings, which indicates a decrease of 17% from 159,846 in 2017. Review the table below for number of cases in the county.

Courts Type Number of filings in 2018
Superior Court137,117

Most Popular Court Cases

You can tell a lot about an area by the types of court cases that appear in county courts.

Fresno 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 137,117 cases filed in the county for the year 2018. The most popular type of court case is criminal comprising 74% 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 Fresno 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
Criminal101,298
Civil19,272
Family Law13,035
Delinquency1,375
Probate1,191
Dependency946

Fresno County has about one million residents, making it the fifth-most populous city in California. Half of its population resides in Fresno City, which serves as the county seat. According to the US Census Bureau, Fresno is the sixth largest county in California, with a total area of 5,958 square miles.

Courts in Fresno County

The Superior Court in Fresno County has several organized divisions. The criminal division hears felony and misdemeanor crimes. The civil division typically presides over limited civil cases involving less than $35,000 in monetary settlements and handles unlimited civil cases involving over $35,000 in financial disputes.

At Fresno County Superior Court, there is a small claims division that hears civil lawsuits in financial disputes below $7,500. On the other hand, the family division resolves marriage dissolution cases such as domestic violence, child custody/support, and spousal support.

County residents can resolve probate issues like conservatorships, estate administration, and guardianships at the probate division. Legal matters involving minors are brought before the juvenile divisions. Fresno’s Superior Court traffic division handles traffic violations. 

Where to Find Public Court Records in Fresno County

The clerk of the Superior Court in Fresno County is in charge of recording, storing, and distributing public court records. Examples of public court records available with the court clerk include the following:

  • Court dockets
  • Transcripts
  • Legal data on involved parties, attorneys, law firms, and judges
  • Judgments
  • Pleadings, such as complaints and answers
  • Motions and responses
  • Summons

Interested persons can Access Case Information to find Fresno County public court records online. They can also request copies of court records by visiting the Clerk’s office or calling (559) 457-2000.

Types of Public Court Records in Fresno County

Fresno County court records open to the public include the following:

  • Criminal records
  • Civil records
  • Probate records
  • Certain family records

Confidential Court Records

Confidential court records in Fresno County are not available for public access or viewing. Record-holders and their legal representatives can have access to such records by visiting the court in person. According to Rule 2.503 of the California Rules of Court, confidential court records include:

  • Personal identifying information such as social security numbers, age, gender, and date of birth
  • Financial information such as credit card number and bank details
  • Medical records
  • Witness information
  • Adoption records
  • Juvenile records
  • Records involving ongoing criminal proceedings
  • Records showing civil harassment proceedings
  • Mental health records
  • Divorce settlements
  • Records sealed through court orders

Confidential records are only accessible to specific government agencies for specific purposes. Generally, requesters can view or obtain these documents if they obtain court orders.

Juvenile Delinquency in Fresno, CA

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Fresno 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 445 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Fresno County. Of that total, 0% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 1 court cases. Another 100% were dependency cases that accounted for 444 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Fresno County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Fresno County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.

Juvenile Cases Number of cases
Delinquency182
Dependency1,564
Status3,504

Government of Fresno County, CA

County Seat: Fresno
Government Type: County
Authority: Home Rule
Year Organized: 1856
Total Square Miles: 6,011
2019 Population: 989,255
Persons/Square Mile: 0.01
County Contact: 2281 Tulare St
Hall Of Records
Fresno , CA 93721-2105
http://www.co.fresno.ca.us

Fresno County, CA Courts