Los Angeles County Criminal Records

Locate a Los Angeles Superior Court case

If you know the case number, use the court’s Criminal Case Summary service. Otherwise, the criminal defendant-name index can return matching case numbers, defendant names, filing dates and filing locations. Keep the location as well as the number: you will need the correct courthouse when asking for an order or sentencing document.

A name match is a lead to a proceeding, not a complete criminal-history report or proof that the person was convicted. Compare the case context and obtain the disposition before drawing a conclusion about a charge. The court’s online information and the actual certified filing serve different purposes.

Use name options and dates deliberately

The court offers Exact Match, Starts With and Sounds Like name searches, plus filing start and end dates. Use the known spelling first. If a broader spelling search is needed, narrow another field or the filing period to avoid confusing people with similar names. Each new paid query is a separate search, not a guaranteed additional result.

The index covers felony cases from 1980 onward and misdemeanors from 1988 onward; some former municipal-court locations extend misdemeanor entries to 1983. Traffic and other infractions are excluded from this criminal-name result. Use the court’s traffic route for those matters, and do not treat an older case’s absence as evidence that no file exists.

Compare guest and registered search charges

A guest name search costs $4.75. Registered users pay $1 each for searches 1–10 in a month, $4.75 each for 11–99, $4.50 for 100–999, $4.25 for 1,000–10,000 and $4 for 10,001 onward. The monthly search counter resets at the beginning of each month. These are per-search charges, regardless of how many results appear.

The charge is nonrefundable even if the desired record is not found. The court’s FAQ lists Visa, MasterCard, Discover and debit-card payment, excluding American Express and checks for the online service. Review the spelling, scope and confirmation screen before authorizing a search. Registering is optional because a guest route exists.

Send older felony and misdemeanor inquiries to the right place

The Archives and Records Center describes holding most general-jurisdiction cases filed from 1911 through 2004, including criminal felonies. It does not store misdemeanor cases; ask the originating courthouse whether that misdemeanor file is retained. The published ranges describe holdings and index coverage, not a promise that every historical document survives.

For an older felony, provide the defendant’s name, approximate filing year, case number if known and the requested document to Archives. For a misdemeanor, begin with the filing location from the index or original papers. Ask whether the file is on site, transferred or unavailable before traveling or sending payment for an assumed full file.

Request the actual criminal filing and certification

On the court’s Obtaining Copies page, choose Criminal Records and contact the office handling that case type at the courthouse responsible for the file. Name the judgment, minute order, sentencing order or other item required; include the case number and relevant date. Ask whether an ordinary copy is enough or whether your recipient requires certification.

The court’s general FAQ also publishes a mail route for certified copies: Los Angeles Superior Court, Certification Unit, Room 112C, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Confirm that unit can handle your identified criminal document and obtain the current copy, certification and postage total first. The FAQ requires prepayment and says the Certification Unit does not accept credit cards.

Sealed or confidential material may require a court order. Do not use Government Agency Criminal Record Online Request as a public shortcut: the portal expressly says requests from individuals and nongovernment agencies will not be fulfilled. A paid name-index search does not grant access to a restricted file.

Separate court files from Sheriff and statewide records

For an LASD arrest or police report, use the Sheriff’s Records and Identification Bureau rather than the Superior Court name index. Its published number is 562-345-4441; staff review your authority to obtain the requested record and arrange pickup by appointment or a mail request. The Public Services Section is at 12440 East Imperial Highway, Suite 120, Norwalk, CA 90650.

For reviewing your own statewide California criminal history, use DOJ’s personal Record Review instructions. That fingerprint-based process is separate from finding a public Los Angeles court case. If the issue is inaccurate statewide history, follow DOJ’s review and challenge instructions rather than expecting a Superior Court search purchase to correct the repository.

Resolve an incomplete outcome with the filing court

When a case summary lacks the final outcome, request the disposition or sentencing record from the court that handled it. For an online payment or retrieval error, use [email protected] with the transaction reference and error description; case-specific questions belong with the courthouse. Preserve the original receipt so a technical problem does not lead to unnecessary repeat purchases.