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Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
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For California criminal records online, do not look for one public statewide name-search database. Use California DOJ when reviewing your own fingerprint-based state summary criminal history, and use the relevant county Superior Court for public case information or certified court documents. The two record systems have different access rules and should remain separate.
California has a state-history route and a court-case route
| Need | Custodian | Access pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Your own statewide summary history | California DOJ | Fingerprint-based personal record review. |
| A public criminal court case | County Superior Court | Case search or clerk access based on the filing court. |
| Certified court document | Filing Superior Court | Copy/certification request to the court custodian. |
Choose the California route before entering a name
1
Define the scopeDecide whether you need your own statewide criminal-history summary or a public court case.2
Identify the county for case researchCalifornia trial-court records are maintained by the Superior Court where the case was filed.3
Use fingerprint review for your own DOJ historyFollow the DOJ process when the target is your state summary criminal-history record.4
Request the court file when online detail is limitedContact the clerk if the court website does not expose the record or document you need.Public court access and DOJ history access are intentionally different
Superior Court case
- Often searchable by local court tools.
- Access can be limited for sensitive/confidential records.
- Certified documents come from the filing court.
DOJ state summary
- Not an open public third-party name-search product.
- Individuals can request their own record using fingerprints.
- Designed as a statewide criminal-history summary rather than a court-file copy.
California identifiers should be preserved with the source
| Field | Court use | DOJ/self-history use |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Best direct locator for a known case | Can help reconcile a reported disposition. |
| County/court | Required custodian context | Explains which court submitted case information. |
| Date of birth | May assist permitted identity matching | Part of identity verification. |
| Fingerprint identity | Not the ordinary court search key | Core to the personal DOJ record-review route. |
A California criminal-history summary is not a substitute for the underlying case file
The DOJ summary is built from information submitted by criminal-justice agencies and courts, while a Superior Court file preserves the procedural record for one case. If the question is “what is on my statewide criminal history,” use the DOJ review. If the question is “what happened in this case,” use the filing court.
When a summary and court record appear inconsistent, preserve both source dates and the case identifier. Corrections often require the underlying court or agency information, so retaining provenance is more useful than copying a third-party profile.
Related guides
California criminal records online: separate DOJ history from county court files: common questions
California DOJ restricts state summary criminal-history access; individuals can request their own record through the record-review process.
Request it from the Superior Court where the case was filed.