RecordsLookupVG Search Records
Sponsored Options

Records Search Options

Top Choice

Instant Checkmate

4.9 / 5.0

Criminal-record and social-profile search option.

View Records

TruthFinder

4.8 / 5.0

Police, court, and bankruptcy-related record search option.

View Records

Intelius

4.7 / 5.0

People search with reverse-phone, address, and contact lookup tools.

View Records
Direct answer

Identify the Record and Its Office

California’s Public Records Act gives members of the public a right to inspect or obtain copies of many records held by state and local agencies, subject to exemptions. But there is no single statewide search that contains every public record. Courts keep their own case records, individual agencies answer requests for records in their custody, and California DOJ criminal-history summaries have separate access restrictions.

Statewide routing matrix

Route the record category to the office that actually keeps it

California public records are decentralized. This matrix is the starting point for the most common major record families.

Record category Start with Useful input Access path Key limit
State/local agency administrative records The specific agency, department, board or local office that maintains the record Program/topic, date range, names, contract/license/case identifiers when known Check posted records first; use a focused PRA request when the record is not already available Exemptions apply and the agency does not have to create a record it does not maintain
Court case records The California Superior Court in the county where the case was filed County, party name, case number and case type when known Court website, courthouse access or clerk copy request depending on the court/record Not all case types/documents are remotely available; confidential records are restricted
Your California criminal-history summary California DOJ Record Review Your identifying information plus fingerprint submission DOJ’s personal record-review process Third-party access is restricted; ordinary PRA is not the route
Vital records CDPH Vital Records and/or the relevant county registrar/recorder Names, event type, date and county where the event occurred/was licensed State or county vital-record request route depending on the document Eligibility and authorized-vs-informational copy rules can apply
Business-entity filings California Secretary of State / bizfile Online Entity name or entity number Online Business Search; order records/certificates when needed Search covers filed entity data/documents but not every business type or all ownership/contact information
Property assessment records County assessor County, parcel/address and owner information where supported County assessor search/contact; BOE publishes county assessor contacts Assessment records are not the same as recorded deed/title documents
Recorded real-property documents County recorder in the county where the property is located Property/party names and recording/document references when known County recorder search/copy system Recorded documents show filed instruments; they do not themselves provide a legal title opinion
Access choice

Online search, direct request, or restricted process?

The next action depends on whether the custodian already publishes the record and whether the record has a special access regime.

Situation Best next action Why
The custodian already publishes an index, docket, filing image or record search Use the official online system first It may answer the question without a separate PRA request
You know an agency has an existing record but it is not posted Send a focused request to that agency PRA works through the custodian that maintains the record
The record has a separate statutory access system, such as a court case or personal criminal-history review Use that dedicated route PRA is not a universal substitute for court rules or restricted criminal-history access
Routing checklist

Describe the record well enough to reach the right custodian

  • ✓
    Record family

    Name the document or record category before choosing an agency.

  • ✓
    Jurisdiction

    Identify the state agency, county, city, court or recorder connected to the event/property/entity.

  • ✓
    Strong identifiers

    Use case/entity/license/parcel/document numbers, names and approximate dates when available.

  • ✓
    Existing online access

    Check the official custodian’s search/index before filing a request.

  • ✓
    Request scope

    Ask for identifiable existing records rather than a custom research report or compilation the agency does not maintain.

How the systems fit together

Public-record law is a routing framework, not one statewide database

The California Public Records Act is most useful after you identify the government body that actually maintains the record. Courts, criminal-history systems, vital-record programs, business filings, county assessors and county recorders each operate under their own custody and access rules.

That distinction prevents two common mistakes: sending a request to a statewide office that does not hold the record, and assuming a public-record request overrides separate rules for court, criminal-history or vital records.

No single California search contains every public record
Start with the record category and custodian. Use PRA for existing agency-held records when appropriate, but use court, DOJ, vital-record, business-filing, assessor or recorder systems when those are the actual record routes.

Related Record Guides

Sources

Statewide sources for the major record families