Copies of a File or Status of a Case

Status of a Case
Viewing or Copying Files
Fees for Copying a File or Getting Copies of a Document

Status of a Case

Information about pending or recently concluded civil cases excluding family law, probate, small claims, traffic, appeals, juvenile traffic, unlawful detainer cases under $25,000, and juvenile cases, can be obtained by calling the Civil Division at 916-874-5522, by sending a letter including appropriate fees to the Civil Correspondence Clerk, by hiring a private agency to retrieve information, or by going to the Civil Records Unit in the Downtown Courthouse. The Civil Unit is open Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is located at 720 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-1380.  Civil staff can assist in answering many types of questions about the status of documents, upcoming scheduled hearings and events, and when certain documents are due to be filed according to Case Management Program guidelines.  Civil staff are not permitted to give legal advise, or tell you how proceed in your case pursuant to Government Code section 68082.

Viewing or Copying Court Files

To obtain copies of a civil file, you may hire a private agency to assist you, go to the Civil Records Unit in the Downtown Courthouse to obtain copies, or by writing a letter including appropriate fees to the Civil Correspondence Clerk. 

The Civil Records Unit retains case files on-site for approximately 3 years.  All other files are kept at an off-site retention facility and take 3 to 5 business days to be delivered to the main courthouse.  If you plan to retrieve a file yourself, it is strongly suggested that you call the Civil Records Unit at 916-874-7186 to find out if the file is in the building.  Copy machines are available in the Records Unit and cost .15 cents per copy.

Most civil court files are public records and may be viewed by anyone. To see a court file you must present a valid picture identification such as a current driver's license.  

Written requests sent to the Civil Correspondence Clerk take approximately 3 weeks to complete and require fees for copying, research, and postage.  Your letter should include as much information as you are able to provide, including the court case number.  If you do not know the court case number you can use the Court's Index Search Program for Unlimited Civil cases filed from 1992 to current, and Limited Civil Cases filed from 1996 to current.  All cases that are not on the Court's Index Search Program are on microfiche, which is located in the Civil Records Unit, or at the following libraries:

• Fair Oaks Branch at 11601 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks
• Galt Branch at 1000 Caroline Avenue in Galt
• Martin Luther King Branch at 7340 24th Street Bypass
• Carmichael Branch at 5605 Marconi Avenue, Carmichael
• Central Branch at 828 I Street in Downtown Sacramento, and,
• Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center at 551 Sequoia Pacific Boulevard by appointment only. For an appointment, call 916-264-7072. Please note that they do not have case files after 1950.

Fees

The following charges apply if you wish court staff to search for and copy documents.  You may send a blank check, made out to Sacramento Superior Court, bearing the words, "Not to exceed [amount] dollars" in the memo section.