SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 2, 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.

About this guide

San Francisco County is a county in California with about 828,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 8 county office pages for San Francisco County, every one opened and checked.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, District Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where San Francisco County public records live

Each kind of San Francisco County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in San Francisco County

A person arrested in San Francisco County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in San Francisco County.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in San Francisco County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in San Francisco County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for San Francisco County.

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County Clerk of San Francisco County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in San Francisco County.

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Deeds, land records and property values in San Francisco County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in San Francisco County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: County Recorder

Property values: County Assessor

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Birth, death and marriage records in San Francisco County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in San Francisco County are issued by the office below. The California state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

  • Website: sf.gov/departments--vital-records (page title: Office of Vital Records)
  • Phone: 415-554-2700
  • Hours: Monday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • Checked: September 28, 2026, the page answered.

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District Attorney for San Francisco County

The District Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in San Francisco County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

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Public records requests to San Francisco County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for San Francisco County.

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Statewide California sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the California state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for San Francisco County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in San Francisco County

San Francisco County has 1 incorporated city or town (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city.

  • San Francisco (827,526)

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San Francisco County Arrest Records

The San Francisco County arrest records guide names the eight agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 1,152 arrests the one agency with every month of 2025 on file reported that year. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.

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San Francisco County Records Guides

SearchSystems has nine more guides to San Francisco County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: San Francisco County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), San Francisco County inmate search (the custody page of the San Francisco County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), San Francisco County criminal records (the court file, the California criminal history and the local arrest records), San Francisco County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), San Francisco County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the California Public Records Act requires), San Francisco County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), San Francisco County DUI (the DUI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), San Francisco County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and San Francisco County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official San Francisco County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in San Francisco County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for San Francisco County at data.sf.gov. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in San Francisco County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for San Francisco County is at sf.courts.ca.gov. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in San Francisco County?

The County Recorder, at sf.gov/departments--assessor-recorder. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in San Francisco County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for San Francisco County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for San Francisco County vital records at sf.gov/departments--vital-records, phone 415-554-2700, or from the California state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from San Francisco County?

Through the records request page at sanfranciscopolice.org. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.

Population
828K
County Seat
San Francisco
Libraries
28
Schools
154