How to Access San Diego County Court Records?

San Diego County, with a population of about 3.2 million residents, is California's second most populous county. It is one of the U.S. counties that share borders with Mexico. There are 62 cities in the county, including the City of San Diego, which serves as the county seat.

Courts in San Diego County

The San Diego County Superior Court has general jurisdiction over legal matters. Different divisions of the Superior Court hear specific cases, including civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile. There are seven Superior Courts in San Diego County located in Chula, Chula Vista, El Cajon, and San Diego City.

The Juvenile Court is responsible for hearing cases related to child abuse or neglect, juvenile delinquency, adoption, emancipation, and other legal matters concerning minors. The Hall of Justice Superior Court branch hears civil and small claims cases. This court also resolves legal disputes that require arbitration and mediation. The Kearny Mesa Traffic Superior Court handles only traffic and juvenile Infraction cases. Other Superior Courts in San Diego County are full-service branches that hear criminal and civil harassment cases, probate, family, appeals, restraining orders, and adult abuse cases.

Where to Find Public Court Records in San Diego County

Members of the public may legally access court records in San Diego County per the California Rules of Court, rule 2.400(a). The Clerk of Superior Court's office can provide copies of public court records for inspection. To obtain copies of public records of cases heard at any San Diego County Superior Court, visit the Clerk's Office at the location and request in person.

Additionally, some courthouses offer public computers that grant access to case files. Public court records in the county are also available online. The San Diego Superior Court only accepts public record requests by mail for probate court files.

Types of Public Court Records in San Diego County

The following types of non-confidential public court records are accessible in San Diego County:

• Criminal Court Records
• Civil Court Records
• Probate Court Records
• Traffic Court Records

Confidential Court Records in San Diego County

Some California laws prevent the public disclosure of specified court records everywhere in the state, including San Diego County. The county's Superior Court can also seal court records and make them inaccessible to the general public. However, confidential court records may be available to parties to the case and people authorized by state law or a court order.

Confidential court records in San Diego County include:

• Juvenile records
• Adoption proceeding records
• Termination of parental rights proceedings records
• Records of Grand Jury proceedings before an indictment

The following information in court records is also excluded from public disclosure:

• Jury information identification
• Medical reports and records
• Reports concerning prisoners with mental disorder
• Social security numbers

San Diego County is located in the state of California with a total of 3,337,685 residents and was established in 1850.

San Diego county court records are public records that are available in most cases to the everyone. Some San Diego 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 San Diego 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 3,950,688 were filed in the county. As of 2018, 80% of the cases were criminal cases. The busiest courts in the county were Superior Court.

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

San Diego 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 San Diego County, CA.

The San Diego County court system consists of 1 court type, Superior Court. In 2018, Superior Court recorded 449,366 filings, which indicates a decrease of 4% from 466,662 in 2017. Review the table below for number of cases in the county.

Most Popular Court Cases

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

San Diego 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 449,366 cases filed in the county for the year 2018. The most popular type of court case is criminal comprising 80% 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 San Diego County court case using someone’s name, the court type, the courthouse or county name, and other information.

San Diego County, with a population of about 3.2 million residents, is California's second most populous county. It is one of the U.S. counties that share borders with Mexico. There are 62 cities in the county, including the City of San Diego, which serves as the county seat.

Courts in San Diego County

The San Diego County Superior Court has general jurisdiction over legal matters. Different divisions of the Superior Court hear specific cases, including civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile. There are seven Superior Courts in San Diego County located in Chula, Chula Vista, El Cajon, and San Diego City.

The Juvenile Court is responsible for hearing cases related to child abuse or neglect, juvenile delinquency, adoption, emancipation, and other legal matters concerning minors. The Hall of Justice Superior Court branch hears civil and small claims cases. This court also resolves legal disputes that require arbitration and mediation. The Kearny Mesa Traffic Superior Court handles only traffic and juvenile Infraction cases. Other Superior Courts in San Diego County are full-service branches that hear criminal and civil harassment cases, probate, family, appeals, restraining orders, and adult abuse cases.

Where to Find Public Court Records in San Diego County

Members of the public may legally access court records in San Diego County per the California Rules of Court, rule 2.400(a). The Clerk of Superior Court's office can provide copies of public court records for inspection. To obtain copies of public records of cases heard at any San Diego County Superior Court, visit the Clerk's Office at the location and request in person.

Additionally, some courthouses offer public computers that grant access to case files. Public court records in the county are also available online. The San Diego Superior Court only accepts public record requests by mail for probate court files.

Types of Public Court Records in San Diego County

The following types of non-confidential public court records are accessible in San Diego County:

• Criminal Court Records
• Civil Court Records
• Probate Court Records
• Traffic Court Records

Confidential Court Records in San Diego County

Some California laws prevent the public disclosure of specified court records everywhere in the state, including San Diego County. The county's Superior Court can also seal court records and make them inaccessible to the general public. However, confidential court records may be available to parties to the case and people authorized by state law or a court order.

Confidential court records in San Diego County include:

• Juvenile records
• Adoption proceeding records
• Termination of parental rights proceedings records
• Records of Grand Jury proceedings before an indictment

The following information in court records is also excluded from public disclosure:

• Jury information identification
• Medical reports and records
• Reports concerning prisoners with mental disorder
• Social security numbers

Juvenile Delinquency in San Diego, CA

Unfortunately, in many areas of the San Diego 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 2 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of San Diego County. Of that total, 50% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 1 court cases. Another 50% were dependency cases that accounted for 1 of the juvenile cases.

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

Government of San Diego County, CA

https://www.ca.gov/

County Seat:	San Diego
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Home Rule
Year Organized:	1850
Total Square Miles:	4,526
2019 Population:	3,337,685
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00
County Contact:	5600 Overland Ave. Suite 100 San Diego , CA 92123-1278 http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov

San Diego County, CA Courts