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.
Santa Monica is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with about 91,000 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 Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica, 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 Santa Monica records are kept
- Kept by the City of Santa Monica: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica.
- Website: santamonica.gov/departments/city-clerks-office (page title: City Clerk's Office)
- Phone: (310) 458-8211
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Santa Monica police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica police records.
- Website: santamonica.gov/process-explainers/how-to-obtain-a-copy-of-a-police... (page title: How to Obtain a Copy of a Police Report)
- Phone: (310) 458-8431
- 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 Los Angeles County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Santa Monica 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: santamonica.gov/places/city-facilities/santa-monica-city-hall (page title: Santa Monica City Hall)
- Phone: (310) 458-8751
- Address: 1685 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90401
- Hours: Monica City Hall is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Santa Monica
California public records law applies to the city government of Santa Monica. 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 Los Angeles County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
- Santa Clarita
- Glendale
- Pomona
- Torrance
- Pasadena
- Downey
- West Covina
- El Monte
- Norwalk
- Carson
- South Gate
- Whittier
- Hawthorne
- Lakewood
- Bellflower
- Baldwin Park
- Redondo Beach
- Lynwood
- Montebello
- Monterey Park
- Diamond Bar
- Huntington Park
- Paramount
- Glendora
- Rosemead
- Azusa
- Cerritos
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Culver City
- San Gabriel
- Monrovia
- Bell Gardens
- Temple City
- Manhattan Beach
- San Dimas
- Bell
- La Verne
- South Pasadena
- Maywood
- San Fernando
- Calabasas
- Cudahy
- Agoura Hills
- Hermosa Beach
- El Segundo
- Artesia
- Hawaiian Gardens
- San Marino
- Commerce
- Sierra Madre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Santa Monica website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Santa Monica offices listed above, and the city's own website is santamonica.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Santa Monica?
Request it from the Santa Monica police records unit at santamonica.gov, phone (310) 458-8431. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find Santa Monica city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at santamonica.gov, phone (310) 458-8211. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Santa Monica?
Santa Monica cases are heard by the courts that serve Los Angeles County, and people arrested in Santa Monica are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Los Angeles County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Santa Monica?
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.