Search California Public Records - Free Government Databases

California keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.

For statewide trial-court information, start at the Judicial Branch of California: courts.ca.gov. California federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.

California's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) at oag.ca.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.

Certified California vital records are issued by the Official California Vital Records at www.cdph.ca.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.

Most online record indexes in California are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the Judicial Branch of California (courts), the Official California Vital Records (vital records), the Official California Voter Records (elections), and the Official California Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).