Sacramento County Court Records Search: Public Case Access, Criminal Portal, Copies & Court Locations
Use this guide to find the correct official route for Sacramento County court records, including civil, criminal, family, probate, small claims, unlawful detainer, traffic, juvenile, appellate, federal district, bankruptcy, older records, courthouse kiosks, and certified copies.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, the Judicial Branch of California, a court clerk, a federal court, PACER, a law firm, a government agency, or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This page provides general record-access information only.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. A lawsuit, arrest, charge, citation, petition, warrant entry, or docket event does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this guide for employment, tenant, credit, insurance, licensing, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Sacramento County court records are split by case type, portal, access level and record age
The official custodian for Sacramento County trial-court records is the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. The court’s Case Search page routes users to criminal, civil, family law, probate, traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer search options.
Sacramento’s online record environment changed recently. Civil and probate records moved to a newer public portal in 2023, small claims and limited civil unlawful detainer records moved in 2024, and criminal records moved to a new criminal portal effective August 10, 2026.
Criminal case management moved to a new system effective August 10, 2026.
Civil documents filed before November 13, 2007 are not available digitally through the new portal.
Small claims records initiated after 1999 are available through the newer portal route unless restricted.
The court states that fees for online searches and document downloads in Public Case Access have been discontinued.
Sacramento County court record route finder
Select the record type. This privacy-safe helper runs in your browser and does not ask for names, birth dates, case numbers, citation numbers, driver license numbers, addresses, or other personal identifiers.
Civil cases generally require a public portal account. For civil files before November 13, 2007, use the Civil Records Unit because those documents are not available digitally through the newer portal.
Choose the correct Sacramento court-record system before searching
Search failures usually happen when a user searches the wrong case type, wrong portal, wrong courthouse, wrong record custodian, or wrong level of court. Use this table before entering personal information or requesting paid copies.
| Need | Correct official route | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Civil lawsuit, judgment, civil law and motion, civil tentative ruling | Sacramento Public Portal / Civil Records | Create or use a public portal account when prompted. For documents filed before November 13, 2007, contact the Civil Records Unit because older documents are not digitally available in the new portal. |
| Felony or misdemeanor criminal case | Sacramento Criminal Portal / Criminal Records | Use name or case-number search in the new criminal portal. For help, use the Criminal Portal Public Users Guide and Criminal Division contact route. |
| Criminal hearing date or courtroom calendar | Criminal Portal calendar | Use the public criminal calendar, which can be searched by hearing date and department. Verify courtroom and hearing information close to the appearance date. |
| Divorce, custody, support, family law or domestic violence case | Family Law case search / William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse | Search by name, case number or filing date where available. Understand that California rules restrict remote public access to many family-case documents. |
| Probate, estate, guardianship or conservatorship case | Probate case search / Probate Records | Use the probate portal route. Parties seeking broader remote access to guardianship or conservatorship files may need participant enrollment and identity information. |
| Small claims case | Small Claims portal / Carol Miller Justice Center | Use the newer portal for small claims initiated after 1999. Older or restricted files may require the Small Claims Unit. |
| Unlawful detainer / landlord-tenant case | Unlawful Detainer search / Carol Miller Justice Center | UD cases are masked. Public access requires the name of at least one plaintiff, one defendant and the premises address, including apartment number if any. |
| Traffic citation or traffic payment | Traffic section of Public Case Access | Search by citation number, case number, driver license number or cross-reference number only on the official Sacramento court system. |
| Juvenile case | Juvenile Courthouse / authorized access only | Do not assume public online access. Juvenile records are restricted, and some juvenile hearings are public only when allowed by law. |
| Older civil or probate record | Historical Case Search / Records Unit | Use Historical Case Search for civil cases filed from 1936 through 1995 and probate cases filed from 1948 through 2007; contact records staff for older files and off-site retrieval. |
| State appeal | California Appellate Courts Case Information / Third Appellate District | Search by Court of Appeal case number, trial court case number, party, attorney or case caption. Trial-court and appellate dockets are separate. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy case | PACER / Eastern District of California / Eastern District Bankruptcy Court | Use PACER Case Locator if the federal court is unknown. Sacramento County state-court search does not contain federal district or bankruptcy records. |
Sacramento online coverage dates and portal migration notes
Sacramento has several important record-age cutoffs. These details make this search different from a generic county court-record lookup.
| Case category | Known online / system note | If the record is older or missing |
|---|---|---|
| Civil limited and unlimited cases | Civil case information and public documents for cases initiated after November 13, 2007 are available through the public portal, excluding limited unlawful detainer. | Civil files and documents before November 13, 2007 are not digitally available in the new portal. The court says physical civil files are kept off-site and may take about 10 business days to reach the downtown courthouse. |
| Civil historical index | Historical Case Search covers civil cases filed from 1936 through 1995. | Use the historical result to identify case details, then contact the appropriate records unit for file access or copies. |
| Probate historical index | Historical Case Search covers probate cases filed from 1948 through 2007. | Contact Probate Records or the Family Relations Courthouse for older probate access, copies, or restricted-document questions. |
| Small claims | Small Claims cases initiated after 1999 are available through the newer portal unless confidential or sealed. | Contact the Small Claims Unit at Carol Miller Justice Center. |
| Unlawful detainer | Unlawful Detainer cases initiated after 2005 are available through the newer portal, but they are masked and require specific party and premises information for public access. | Contact the Small Claims and Limited Civil Unlawful Detainer Unit for questions about older or unavailable case records. |
| Criminal | A new criminal case management system launched effective August 10, 2026. The portal provides public read-only access to some criminal case data. | The court notes that cases prior to August 10, 2026 may not contain digitized documents. Use criminal records staff or courthouse kiosks for additional help. |
| Traffic | The Traffic section allows users to look up and pay traffic citations online. | Use the Traffic Division call center or public counter route at Carol Miller Justice Center. |
How to search Sacramento County court records by name, case number or filing date
Start with the Sacramento Superior Court Case Search page. It links to separate search tools for criminal, civil, family law, probate, traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer records. The Public Case Access System can research cases by name, case number or filing date, but different case types show different levels of detail.
Use saccourt.ca.gov and select the case category. Avoid look-alike websites that ask for payment or personal information before sending you to a public court link.
Pick criminal, civil, family law, probate, traffic, small claims or unlawful detainer. Searching the wrong division can produce no result even when a case exists.
Use a case number, citation number or filing date when available. For name searches, compare case number, filing date, division, party role and docket events before assuming a match.
Civil, probate, small claims and unlawful detainer searches may prompt you to create an account. The criminal portal may also require a public-user account for some functions.
Review participant information, events, documents where available, hearing dates, calendars and disposition-related entries. Some case types show limited information only.
California rules and Sacramento portal notices warn that some information must be verified through courthouse kiosks, records units, or official certified copies.
Use Civil Records, Criminal Records, Family Court Records, Probate Records, Small Claims Records, Traffic Records or Unlawful Detainer Records depending on the case type.
Sacramento court-record copy fees, search fees and certified-copy cautions
Online search and document-download fees may be discontinued in the Sacramento Public Case Access System, but staff searches, paper copies, certified copies, exemplifications, public copy machines and PACER federal records can still involve fees.
| Request | Common court-listed fee or rule | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Online Public Case Access search or document download | The court states that all fees associated with online searches and document downloads have been discontinued. | Still verify whether the document is public, available online, and official enough for your purpose. |
| Civil staff copy | $0.50 per page for copies when court staff searches and copies documents. | Use the civil record request form or front counter route and include a not-to-exceed amount if mailing a check. |
| Civil certification | $40 per certification, in addition to the per-page copy fee. | Ask whether each document requires a separate certification. |
| Civil exemplification | $50 per exemplification, in addition to the per-page copy fee. | Only request exemplification if the receiving agency or court specifically requires it. |
| Criminal non-certified copy | $0.50 per page for non-certified criminal documents. | First obtain the criminal case number through online search or public kiosk access. |
| Criminal certified copy | $1 per page for each document certified, plus a $40 certification fee. | Confirm the exact document name and whether the copy must be certified for your use. |
| Court-staff search longer than 10 minutes | $15 for each search longer than 10 minutes, including index search. | Provide case number, party names, filing year and document title to reduce search time. |
| Public copy machine | Civil Records notes privately maintained copy machines at $0.25 per copy; machines accept cash or copy cards, not credit cards. | Bring cash or a copy card if using courthouse copy machines and confirm machine availability before visiting. |
| Written civil records request | Written requests to the Civil Records Unit may take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to complete. | Use online search or courthouse kiosks first if the request is urgent. |
| PACER federal record | PACER pricing verified September 7, 2026: $0.10 per page, $3.00 cap for many case-specific documents and reports, and $30 quarterly waiver threshold; a temporary increase to $0.12 per page and $40 threshold is announced for January 1, 2027. | Use PACER Case Locator only for federal cases and check pricing before opening reports or documents. |
Court-copy cost estimator
This is only a planning aid based on common Sacramento court-listed fees. The official court quote, receipt, kiosk, or fee schedule controls.
Remote access limits, sealed records and courthouse-kiosk verification
California’s electronic court-record rules distinguish between public remote access, courthouse electronic access, party access and sealed or confidential records. A record may be public at the courthouse but not available to the public over the internet.
- Family Code proceedings, including dissolution, support, custody and domestic violence prevention matters.
- Juvenile court proceedings.
- Guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.
- Mental health proceedings.
- Criminal proceedings, except limited extraordinary-case situations.
- Minor-compromise, civil harassment, workplace violence, elder abuse and gun violence prevention records.
- An online docket may show limited index or event information only.
- Some documents may be available only at courthouse kiosks.
- Parties may have broader remote access than the general public when the court provides that access.
- Sealed or confidential records are not available to the public online or at the courthouse.
- Unless electronically certified by the court, an electronic trial-court record is not the official record.
Official Sacramento County court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Use these official court, California appellate, federal, bankruptcy and county recorder resources instead of commercial background-check or people-search sites.
Main official routing page for criminal, civil, family, probate, traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer search options.
- Confirm the page is on saccourt.ca.gov.
- Select the correct case category.
- Use case number or citation number when available.
- If prompted, create a public portal account only on the official court portal.
Use this for public research by name, case number or filing date where supported.
- Read the access notice and use-of-documents warning.
- Choose the correct case type.
- Review participant, event and document information where available.
- Verify important results through kiosks or official copies.
Use this for newer Sacramento criminal case access after the August 10, 2026 system launch.
- Read the terms of use.
- Use Searches for party-name or case-number search.
- Use Calendars for criminal hearing calendar access.
- Remember older cases may not contain digitized documents.
Use this when you need step-by-step help with the new criminal portal.
- Review the account setup section.
- Follow the search-page instructions.
- Use exact or partial party names carefully.
- Review the calendar section for hearing-date searches.
Use this for civil case files, civil copies, civil certifications and older civil-file access.
- Check whether the file was filed before or after November 13, 2007.
- Use the public portal for digital public records where available.
- Use the Civil Records Unit for older or off-site files.
- Confirm copy, certification, exemplification and search fees before mailing payment.
Use this for criminal case copies and criminal record-request procedures.
- First locate the criminal case number online or at a public kiosk.
- Review non-certified and certified copy fees.
- Use the correct request form or records unit route.
- Do not treat an arrest or charge as a conviction without final disposition.
Use this for family court records, family law calendar search, Family Court Services appointment search and related family routes.
- Use family search by name, case number or filing date where available.
- Expect privacy limits for family documents.
- Use participant subscription instructions if you are a party and the court provides access.
- Contact Family Court Records for official copies or access questions.
Use this for small claims records and court-location details at Carol Miller Justice Center.
- Use case information online for small claims case lookup.
- Remember small claims cases must be filed at Carol Miller Justice Center.
- Use public kiosks in room 200 for case research when needed.
- Check Night Court and advisory clinic details separately if you need help, not just a record.
Use this for landlord-tenant and small claims record-access rules.
- Check whether the case falls after the online coverage date.
- For UD, gather one plaintiff name, one defendant name and the premises address.
- Create a public portal account if prompted.
- Do not use this page as tenant-screening advice or an FCRA product.
Use this for traffic citation lookup and payment routing.
- Use citation number or case number when available.
- Only enter driver-license information on the official court system.
- Review fine, appearance and status details carefully.
- Contact Traffic at Carol Miller Justice Center if the citation is missing or unclear.
Use this for older civil and probate indexes.
- Search civil cases filed from 1936 through 1995.
- Search probate cases filed from 1948 through 2007.
- Record the case number and filing details.
- Contact the records unit if you need copies or the physical file.
Use this for California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal case information.
- Select Supreme Court or Appellate District.
- For Sacramento appeals, start with the 3rd Appellate District when appropriate.
- Search by case number, party, attorney or case caption.
- Compare the trial court case number to the Sacramento case.
Use this for federal district court cases in the Eastern District of California.
- Confirm the case is federal, not state court.
- Use PACER or the specific court CM/ECF link.
- Use the Sacramento federal courthouse route for local federal clerk information.
- Review PACER pricing before opening documents.
Use this for bankruptcy matters filed in the Eastern District of California.
- Confirm bankruptcy is the correct record type.
- Use PACER or the bankruptcy court’s case-information route.
- Use the Sacramento Division address and hours before visiting.
- Review payment rules because cash and personal checks may not be accepted in some situations.
Sacramento courthouse locations for record help
Many searches start online, but older files, kiosk verification, certified copies, sealed-record questions and department-specific records may require the correct courthouse or records unit. Confirm the department, hours, parking, security rules and payment method before visiting.
500 G Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Civil phone: 916-874-5522, press 3
Criminal phone: 916-874-5522, press 1
The court identifies this downtown courthouse in its current locations and phone-directory routing.
3341 Power Inn Road
Sacramento, CA 95826
Phone: 916-875-3400
Business hours: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday, excluding court holidays.
Family Law and Probate divisions are located here, along with Self-Help and Family Court Services functions.
301 Bicentennial Circle
Sacramento, CA 95826
Small Claims / UD: 916-875-7746
Traffic: 916-669-5712
Business hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; closed Fridays and court holidays.
Traffic, Small Claims and Unlawful Detainer matters are heard or processed here.
9605 Kiefer Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95827
Juvenile Justice: 916-876-7753
Business hours: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday, excluding court holidays.
Juvenile records are restricted. Contact the court directly if you are an authorized party.
651 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-874-6936
This location is connected with criminal court operations and the Sacramento County Main Jail area; court records and jail custody information are separate systems.
3636 American River Drive, Suite 110
Sacramento, CA 95864
Phone: 916-874-6334
Regular hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Use this office for recorded documents and vital-record services, not ordinary court case dockets.
Court records vs recorder records, jail records, criminal history and federal records
Sacramento County has multiple record custodians. Searching the wrong agency can make a real record look missing.
- Civil lawsuits and judgments.
- Criminal court cases and court calendars.
- Family law and divorce case files.
- Probate, guardianship and conservatorship cases.
- Small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer cases.
- Certified copies of court-file documents.
- Recorded documents.
- Deeds and official land records.
- Marriage certificates issued in Sacramento County.
- County recorder copy services.
- Vital-record style services that are not court case files.
- Current jail custody or booking information.
- California DOJ criminal-history review.
- Police incident reports.
- Federal district court records.
- Bankruptcy court records.
- State appellate dockets.
Where Sacramento appeals, federal district cases and bankruptcy records go
A Sacramento Superior Court case can later appear in a different system if it is appealed or if the matter is federal. Do not expect the county trial-court portal to contain the complete appellate or federal record.
Use California Appellate Courts Case Information. For Sacramento County appeals, the Third Appellate District is commonly the correct Court of Appeal route. Search by Court of Appeal case number, trial court case number, party, attorney or case caption.
Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The PACER court lookup lists the Sacramento federal court at 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, with phone 916-930-4000.
Bankruptcy records are federal. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California and PACER. The Sacramento Bankruptcy Court location is at 501 I Street, Suite 3-200, Sacramento, CA 95814.
What to do if a Sacramento County court-record search returns no result
- Wrong case type or portal.
- Wrong spelling, middle name, suffix, maiden name, business name or abbreviation.
- Wrong filing date or missing case number.
- Searching old civil or probate records in the newer portal only.
- Searching federal, bankruptcy or appellate records in the state trial-court system.
- Searching recorder, jail or criminal-history records as if they are court dockets.
- Sealed or confidential record.
- Juvenile, family, guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health or criminal remote-access limits.
- Document available at courthouse kiosk but not online.
- Older physical file stored off-site.
- Record requires public portal account or party subscription.
- Case too new or affected by portal transition.
How to read Sacramento docket information without over-interpreting it
A docket is a timeline of court activity. It is not always a plain-English explanation of the final result, and it may not include every document available at the courthouse.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, creditor, debtor, decedent, personal representative, guardian and ward are legal roles. A role does not always mean wrongdoing.
Complaint, petition, summons, motion, notice, order, minute order, hearing, judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence, warrant and continuance entries must be read in context.
Open, pending, disposed, dismissed, closed, reopened, stayed, vacated, satisfied or appealed can mean different things depending on the case type. Verify final disposition before relying on it.
Use Sacramento County court records carefully
- Do not identify a person from a common name alone.
- Compare case number, court division, filing date, party role and docket activity.
- Do not assume an arrest, charge or warrant entry is a conviction.
- Do not assume a civil judgment shows current payment status.
- Use certified court records when the result matters officially.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not republish children’s names, protected health details, addresses or unnecessary sensitive information.
- Do not bypass sealed, juvenile, confidential or restricted-record rules.
- Do not scrape court records into a people-search or background-check product.
- Contact the official court for corrections, sealing, expungement and certified copies.
Frequently asked questions about Sacramento County court records
What is the official way to search Sacramento County court records?
Use the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento Case Search page or the court’s Public Case Access System. The correct route depends on the case type: civil, criminal, family, probate, small claims, unlawful detainer, traffic, juvenile, appellate, federal, or bankruptcy.
Can I search Sacramento County court records by name?
Yes, several Sacramento court systems support name searching, but a name match alone does not prove identity. Compare the case number, court division, filing date, party role, docket activity, hearing information, and disposition before relying on a result.
Are Sacramento online case searches free?
Sacramento Superior Court states that it has discontinued all fees associated with online searches and document downloads in the Public Case Access System. Court-staff searches, paper copies, certified copies, exemplifications, and federal PACER records can still have fees.
Where do I search Sacramento criminal court records?
Use the Sacramento criminal case search or the new Sacramento Superior Court Criminal Portal. The court launched a new criminal case management system effective August 10, 2026, and the public portal provides read-only access to some criminal case data plus criminal hearing calendar access.
Where do I search Sacramento civil, probate, small claims, or unlawful detainer records?
Use the Sacramento public portal route for civil, probate, small claims, and unlawful detainer records. Civil and probate cases moved to the new portal effective April 24, 2023, and small claims and limited civil unlawful detainer cases moved to the new portal effective June 17, 2024.
Why can’t I see every Sacramento court document online?
California rules limit remote public access to certain categories, including many family, juvenile, guardianship, conservatorship, mental health, criminal, and protection-order records. Sealed or confidential documents are not available to the public, and some records may require courthouse kiosk review or a records-unit request.
How do I get certified copies of Sacramento County court records?
Use the correct Sacramento Superior Court records page for the case type and request copies from the proper records unit, front counter, mail route, or public kiosk. Common court copy guidance lists staff copies at $0.50 per page, certifications at $40, exemplifications at $50, and a $15 search fee when staff search time exceeds 10 minutes.
Where do I find older Sacramento civil or probate case records?
Use Sacramento’s Historical Case Search for civil cases filed from 1936 through 1995 and probate cases filed from 1948 through 2007. For civil documents filed before November 13, 2007, the court states that physical files are kept off-site and may take about 10 business days to be delivered to the downtown courthouse.
Are Sacramento court records the same as Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder records?
No. Court records involve cases such as civil lawsuits, criminal cases, family law, probate, small claims, unlawful detainer, and traffic. Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder records involve recorded documents and vital records such as deeds, recorded documents, and marriage certificates.
Where do I search Sacramento federal or bankruptcy court records?
Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California for federal district cases. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California for bankruptcy matters. Sacramento County state-court search does not contain federal district or bankruptcy case records.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against official Sacramento Superior Court Case Search, Public Case Access, Criminal Portal, Criminal Portal Public Users Guide, Court Records, Civil Records, Criminal Records, Family Law, Small Claims, Unlawful Detainer and Small Claims Records, Traffic, Historical Case Search, court locations, court phone directory, California Rules of Court electronic-access rules, California Appellate Courts Case Information, Third Appellate District search, Eastern District of California PACER lookup, Eastern District Bankruptcy Court, PACER pricing, and Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder resources. Review date: September 7, 2026.