Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County, California, with about 68,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Palo Alto offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Palo Alto, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Palo Alto records are kept
- Kept by the City of Palo Alto: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Santa Clara County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Santa Clara County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Palo Alto City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Palo Alto.
- Website: paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Clerk/City-Records (page title: City Records | City of Palo Alto, CA)
- Phone: (650) 329-2571
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Palo Alto police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Palo Alto police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Palo Alto police records.
- Website: paloalto.gov/Departments/Police/Public-Information-Portal/Request-P... (page title: Request Police Records | City of Palo Alto, CA)
- Address: 250 Sherman Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Santa Clara County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Palo Alto City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: paloalto.gov/City-Hall (page title: City Hall | City of Palo Alto, CA)
- Phone: (650) 329-2100
- Address: 250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Palo Alto
California public records law applies to the city government of Palo Alto. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Santa Clara County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Santa Clara County. The Santa Clara County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Palo Alto website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Palo Alto offices listed above, and the city's own website is paloalto.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Palo Alto?
Request it from the Palo Alto police records unit at paloalto.gov. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find Palo Alto city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at paloalto.gov, phone (650) 329-2571. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Palo Alto?
Palo Alto cases are heard by the courts that serve Santa Clara County, and people arrested in Palo Alto are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Santa Clara County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Palo Alto?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. California public records law applies to city governments.