Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was taken from the office that keeps the record, on its own website, on October 6, 2026.
A divorce in California is a court case in the Superior Court of the county, so the divorce record of a Santa Barbara County couple is a file of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, at its Anacapa courthouse in Santa Barbara or its Cook courthouse in Santa Maria. The Clerk-Recorder does not keep divorce records. The court takes about 1,075 divorce, separation and annulment cases a year, and gives free help with them through its Family Law Facilitator.
This guide covers filing, what it costs, summary dissolution, free help, the numbers, looking a case up, copies and common questions.
The other Santa Barbara County guides cover the county's public records offices, arrest records, warrants, inmate search, criminal records, court records, police reports, traffic tickets, DUI and property records. SearchSystems also has guides for the cities of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, Solvang and Buellton.
Where a Divorce Is Filed
South county family law cases, from Carpinteria to Gaviota, are filed at the Anacapa Division, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, (805) 882-4520, clerk's office open weekdays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. North county cases, from Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe and the Santa Ynez Valley, are filed at the Cook Division, 312 East Cook Street, Building E, Santa Maria, CA 93454, (805) 614-6414; the Lompoc Courthouse handles only limited family law matters and restraining orders, and the Solvang Division has taken no filings since October 2014. The court's Family Law page is the index to its family law services.
To file in California, one spouse must have lived in the state for six months and in the county for three months, and a divorce cannot become final sooner than six months after the other spouse is served. A couple that does not yet meet the residency rule can file for legal separation and change it to a divorce later.
The north county Family Law Facilitator's filing options sheet lists five ways to file at the Cook Division: in person, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with copies to be stamped; the drop box in front of Building E, open around the clock; by mail to the Clerk's Office, 312 East Cook Street, Building E, Santa Maria, CA 93454; electronically through an eFileCA provider; or by fax to (805) 614-6616 with the MC-005 cover sheet, at $1 a page. A Request for Order needs a hearing date from the calendar clerk, (805) 614-6414, option 6, with at least 16 court days' notice to the other side.
The Filing Fee and the Fee Waiver
The fee to file a divorce petition is $435 to $450 under the statewide schedule effective January 1, 2026, and the response carries a fee of its own; the courts' divorce filing guide lists the forms and the steps, and the court's Filing Fees page links the schedule. Electronic filing adds $5 per envelope through the providers on the court's E-Filing page.
A person who receives public benefits such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or unemployment, or whose income is low, can ask the court to waive the fees on form FW-001. The waiver covers the petition, the response, requests for orders such as custody or support, certified copies and the Sheriff's service of papers, and it ends 60 days after the judgment; the court may ask for the fees later if the person's finances improve or the case brings in money. The courts' fee waiver guide explains who qualifies, and the Facilitator helps with the application.
Summary Dissolution: The Short Form
A couple married less than five years can use a joint petition with less paperwork, if all of these are true: no children together and no pregnancy; no house or land, though renting is fine if the lease ends within a year; less than $7,000 in debts from the marriage, not counting car loans; less than $57,000 in property acquired during the marriage and less than $57,000 each in separate property, not counting cars; neither wants spousal support; and both sign an agreement dividing what they have. Form FL-810 has the worksheets. Either spouse can cancel the summary dissolution during the six-month wait with form FL-830. The courts' summary dissolution guide has the full test.
The Family Law Facilitator, Classes and Legal Aid
The Family Law Facilitator is a court attorney who helps people without a lawyer with divorce, legal separation, annulment, parentage, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, fee waivers and getting a judgment entered, by the court's Family Law Facilitator page. The service is free, the facilitator never becomes anyone's attorney, helps either side, and the conversations are not confidential; the office does not help with guardianship, adoption or restraining order applications, which go to the Legal Resource Center or Legal Aid.
- Santa Barbara office, serving the Anacapa Division: 1100 Anacapa Street, second floor, in the Self-Help Center, (805) 882-4660, SBFLF@sbcourts.org. Appointments by phone, Zoom or in person; walk-in help from support staff weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. The office also offers free child support, spousal support and divorce judgment mediation by Zoom.
- Santa Maria office, serving the Cook and Lompoc Divisions: 312 East Cook Street, Building E, second floor, (805) 614-6442, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., by appointment in person or by phone. One-hour appointments run on Mondays in Spanish from 9 a.m. and Thursdays in English from 10 a.m. in Santa Maria, and every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Lompoc; on the second Thursday of the month the facilitator holds hours at Vandenberg Space Force Base, through the base legal office, (805) 605-6207, by the north county appointment sheet.
- Classes: the Santa Barbara office teaches Divorce Basics: Process and the Law on the first Wednesday of each month and Custody and Visitation: Understanding the Law and Your Options on the second Wednesday, both from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Self-Help Center, free, with the forms and worksheets posted on the court's Family Law Classes page.
- Family Court Services provides custody and visitation mediation, and the court runs the PEACE parenting class.
The Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County has offices at 301 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, (805) 963-6754; 301 South Miller Street, Suite 204, Santa Maria, (805) 922-9909; and 102 East Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, (805) 736-6582, open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. It staffs the courthouse Legal Resource Centers: the Santa Barbara center on the second floor at 1100 Anacapa Street, (805) 568-3303, Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m.; the Lompoc center at 115 Civic Center Plaza on Wednesdays; and the Santa Maria center at 312 East Cook Street, (805) 691-2457. For a private lawyer, the County Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service, (805) 569-9400, gives a first consultation of up to 30 minutes and has a Modest Means Program for family law.
How Many Divorces the County Court Handles
The Judicial Council's 2026 Court Statistics Report counts 1,075 petitions for divorce, legal separation or annulment filed in Santa Barbara County in the year ending June 30, 2025, against 1,069 the year before, and 989 marital cases disposed of. The family law caseload for the year was 2,677 cases in all: the 1,075 marital cases, 588 domestic violence petitions, 463 child support cases, 235 parentage cases and 316 other petitions. There is no fee to file for a domestic violence restraining order, by the court's Restraining Orders page.
Looking Up a Divorce Case
The court's Public Portal shows the register of actions for family law cases that are not confidential or sealed. Documents in family cases are not shown online, by the court's Case Information page; they are seen at the courthouse. Most of a divorce file is open to the public, but papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court seals are not.
Copies of a Divorce Judgment
Ask the records office for the half of the county where the case was filed, on the court's Copy Request Form, checking the Judgment or Dissolution box: South County Records, 118 East Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, (805) 882-4778, southcountyrecords@sbcourts.org, or North County Records, 312-C East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454, (805) 614-6414, northcountyrecords@sbcourts.org.
- Certified copy of a divorce judgment: $15 plus 50 cents a page.
- Plain copies: 50 cents a page; a $1 invoice fee and a card surcharge of 2.9 percent plus 60 cents when paid by card.
- Certified copies are mailed or picked up, not emailed; allow up to 14 business days, longer for files stored off site or on microfiche.
For divorces granted between 1962 and June 1984, the California Department of Public Health can also issue a Certificate of Record, which confirms the names, county and case number but is not a copy of the judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I get a copy of my Santa Barbara County divorce?
From the Superior Court's records office for the courthouse where it was filed: South County Records in Santa Barbara, (805) 882-4778, or North County Records in Santa Maria, (805) 614-6414, in person, by mail or by email.
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Santa Barbara County?
$435 to $450 for the petition, and a fee for the response. A fee waiver on form FW-001 covers both for people on public benefits or with low incomes.
Is there free divorce help in Santa Barbara County?
Yes. The court's Family Law Facilitator gives free appointments in Santa Barbara, (805) 882-4660, and Santa Maria and Lompoc, (805) 614-6442, and free monthly classes on divorce and custody in Santa Barbara.
How much is a certified copy of a divorce judgment in Santa Barbara County?
$15 plus 50 cents a page.
Where is a divorce filed in Santa Barbara County?
At the Anacapa Division in Santa Barbara for the south county and the Cook Division in Santa Maria for the north county. The Lompoc courthouse handles only limited family matters.
Are divorce records public in California?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything sealed, and the documents are not shown online.