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.
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, with about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps 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 San Carlos offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for San Carlos, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where San Carlos records are kept
- Kept by the City of San Carlos: council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by San Mateo 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 San Mateo County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
San Carlos 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 San Carlos.
- Website: cityofsancarlos.org/city_hall/departments_and_divisions/city_clerk/... (page title: San Carlos, CA)
- Phone: (650) 802-4222
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
San Carlos 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: cityofsancarlos.org/city_hall/contact_us.php (page title: San Carlos, CA)
- Phone: (650) 802-4100
- Address: 600 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA 94070
- Hours: Monday - Thursday In-Person Counter Hours: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to San Carlos
California public records law applies to the city government of San Carlos. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records 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 San Mateo County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in San Mateo County. The San Mateo County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
San Carlos Arrest Records
The San Carlos arrest records guide says who makes arrests in San Carlos. It also says where a person arrested in San Carlos is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.
San Carlos Records Guides
SearchSystems has seven more guides to San Carlos, each written from the city's own offices and figures: San Carlos warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), San Carlos criminal records (the court file, the California criminal history and the local arrest records), San Carlos court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), San Carlos traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), San Carlos DUI (the DUI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), San Carlos divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and San Carlos property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official San Carlos website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official San Carlos offices listed above, and the city's own website is cityofsancarlos.org; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
Where do I find San Carlos city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at cityofsancarlos.org, phone (650) 802-4222. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for San Carlos?
San Carlos cases are heard by the courts that serve San Mateo County, and people arrested in San Carlos are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the San Mateo County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from San Carlos?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. California public records law applies to city governments.