San Diego Court Docket Search

San Diego County Superior Court serves over three million residents. Court dockets are available through online portals that cover civil, criminal, family, and probate cases. The court maintains historical case indexes that go back to 1880. This makes San Diego one of the best counties for finding old court records. You can search recent dockets online. Older cases require different search methods. The court operates multiple courthouse locations across the county. Each handles specific case types or serves particular regions within San Diego County.

San Diego County Docket Portals

San Diego County runs multiple online case search systems. The Court Index portal provides basic case information. You can search by case number or party name. Results show filing dates, parties, case types, and disposition status. The system covers most case types but has limits on what details appear for sensitive cases like family law and criminal matters.

Civil and probate cases have a separate Register of Actions portal. This shows the full docket for each case with detailed entries for every filing, hearing, and order. The portal uses Tyler Technologies Odyssey software. You can view chronological lists of all court activity in a case. Some documents are available for online viewing. Others require a courthouse visit to inspect.

Family law cases use their own ROA search system. Criminal cases appear in the Court Index but with limited details available to the public. You may need to visit a courthouse in person to get full criminal docket information depending on the case type and status.

Historical Case Indexes

San Diego County keeps case indexes from 1880 to mid 1974. These old indexes are available for public searches. You can find cases that were filed over a century ago. The indexes list party names, case numbers, and basic information about the type of case. Full case files for very old cases may be stored in archives. You need to request them from the clerk office if you want to see the actual court documents and docket sheets.

The court website at www.sdcourt.ca.gov has information about how to search historical records. Some older records are available on microfilm. Others exist only in paper form in storage facilities. Requests for archived cases can take weeks to process. Staff need time to locate files that have been in storage for many years.

Courthouses in San Diego County

The main courthouse sits at 1100 Union Street in downtown San Diego. This building handles major civil litigation and criminal trials. Other courthouses serve different parts of the county. There are facilities in Chula Vista, El Cajon, Kearny Mesa, North County, South County, and Vista. Each location has public access terminals where you can search for cases at no charge.

Clerk staff can help you find cases and print copies. The copy fee is fifty cents per page. Certified copies add a forty dollar certification fee plus the per page charge. If you need staff to search for a case that is not in the online database, they can charge a search fee if the work takes more than ten minutes. Most people use the online portals to find their case number first, then visit a courthouse if they need official copies.

Types of Court Dockets

San Diego County Superior Court dockets cover all trial court case types. Civil dockets include contract disputes, personal injury lawsuits, real estate matters, and business litigation. A complex civil case can have hundreds of docket entries over several years. Each motion, hearing, trial date, and ruling gets recorded on the docket. You can track the entire life of a case from filing to final judgment.

Criminal dockets show prosecutions by the District Attorney or City Attorney. They list arraignments, bail hearings, plea negotiations, and sentencing. Many criminal cases resolve with plea deals. The docket shows when the defendant entered a plea and what sentence the judge imposed. Traffic cases also appear in the criminal system. A speeding ticket generates a docket entry with a court date.

Family law dockets handle divorce, custody, support, and restraining orders. These cases often involve many hearings. The docket grows with each request for orders, each hearing, and each judgment. Probate dockets manage estates, conservatorships, and guardianships. Small claims dockets track disputes under ten thousand dollars. These cases move quickly from filing to hearing to judgment.

Court Record Fees

San Diego County charges standard California fees for court records. Copies cost fifty cents per page. This applies whether you get copies in person or through the mail. Some online portals may charge fees for downloading documents. Case searches at courthouse terminals are free. You only pay when you want printed or electronic copies of documents.

Certification adds forty dollars to the cost of copies. Many people need certified copies for court proceedings in other jurisdictions or for government agencies. Regular copies work fine for personal use or research. If you order a lot of copies, the cost can add up. Many counties cap document fees at fifty dollars per document but San Diego may have different rules. Check with the clerk office about fee caps before ordering large documents.

Major Cities in San Diego County

Several large cities sit within San Diego County. Court dockets for residents of these cities are maintained by the county Superior Court system. Select a city below to find local court information:

Nearby Counties

San Diego County borders several other counties. Each maintains its own court system: