California's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 58 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.
- Courts: The California Supreme Court sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Superior Court (one in each of 58 counties). Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
- Criminal history: The state's criminal-history repository handles official background checks. Fees and procedures are set by the state agency — see the linked official source.
- Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the state Department of Health (or equivalent) and may also be available locally.
- Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
- Business filings: The Secretary of State (or equivalent) operates the official business-entity search.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)
Statewide Databases
463 official California government databases. Click a tab to filter by record type.
Wants & Warrants
Criminal Records
Vital Records
Voter Records
Licenses
Recorded Documents
Property Records
Other Records
California Counties
58 California counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are public records organized in California?▼
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.
Where do I start a California court-case search?▼
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.
How do I get an official California background check?▼
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.
Where do I obtain California birth, death, or marriage certificates?▼
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.
What does it cost to access California public records?▼
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).
