Search Free Santa Clara County Public Records: Arrest, Probation, Marital & More

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Free Santa Clara County Public Records Search

Access Santa Clara County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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Learn how to search Santa Clara County public records through county and state agencies in a matter of minutes.

Even though there are countless types of records and agencies that host them, information relating to criminal history (arrests, mugshots, probations, warrants, background check reports and prisoner details), marital records, court documents (civil, family, criminal, etc.) property taxes and ownership can be found once you know what to look for, or where to look..

So no matter what’s being sought or the reason why, the guide below provides all the necessary information to find public information in Santa Clara County, California, quickly and efficiently.

Written or authored by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who possesses a Juris Doctorate in Law from Widener University School of Law and is a Licensed Attorney.

How To See Who Was Arrested Through the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Inmate Finder (Arrests, Mugshots & the Reason for Detainment)

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act (CPRA), you can perform a Santa Clara County bookings search to find out if someone is in jail or to get specific information on their charges.^1,2

This can be helpful in several situations such as checking to see if a friend, loved one, family member, or neighbor was arrested recently.

No matter the reason, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has an online inmate finder for inmates arrested and processed in their jail.³ The sheriff’s office inmate finder provides multiple ways to perform an inmate search. You can search with any of the below options:

• Booking Number (CEN)
• Person File Number (PFN)
• Name (to perform this search you will also need either the person’s date of birth or the booking date)

If you have enough information to perform a search you can see the following information:

• Name
• Sex
• Date of Birth
• Booking Date
• Booking Number (CEN)
• Person File Number (PFN)
• Housing Facility
• Bail Amount
• Release Date
• Court Appearances (including the court department, date and time for any appearances)

Unfortunately, you cannot find someone’s mugshot using this online tool. If you have any questions you can contact Santa Clara County’s Department of Corrections at 408-299-2305. Or you can go in person to either of the below custody facilities:

Custody Facility	Address
Main Jail	150 West Hedding Street San Jose, California 95110
Elmwood Facility	701 South Abel Street Milpitas, California 95035

You can also contact the sheriff’s office if you need additional assistance locating any jail records or related police reports. If you know the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office was the arresting or processing agency you can contact them for more information at 408-808-4400.

You can also visit their Headquarters or one of their other locations if you prefer to ask in person about any Santa Clara County arrest records. Below is contact information for the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office’s locations:

Location	Address	Phone Number
Headquarters	55 West Younger Avenue San Jose, California 95110	408-808-4400
South County Substation	80 West Highland Avenue, Building K San Martin, California 95046	408-686-3650
West Valley Division	1601 South De Anza Boulevard Cupertino, California 95014	408-868-6600
Transit Patrol Division	3331 North First Street San Jose, California 95134	408-321-7149
Parks Patrol	55 West Younger Avenue San Jose, California 95110	408-808-4400

Request Police Reports From Major Police Departments in Santa Clara County

In addition to county searches, you can also perform a free public records search at the city level as well. While there are no city jails the larger cities do have their own independent police departments.

If the person you are searching for was arrested in one of these cities it may be helpful to reach out directly to their police department to request inmate details or to get arrest information that may assist with your search. Police reports are also commonly obtained for legal matters, insurance claims, journalism stories and complains.

The following information relates to arrests made in major cities within Santa Clara County, but any other city police department can be found by searching the web for ‘[Name of the City] arrest records.’

San Jose, California: The largest city in Santa Clara County is San Jose and although the Police Department does not have an online search tool, they do provide ways in which you can request public records of which they are the records custodian.

If you would like to obtain a copy of a police report or other record held by the San Jose Police Department you can contact the Records Unit at 408-277-4261. To make a request you can also go in person to:

San Jose Police Department
Records Unit
201 West Mission Street
San Jose, California 95110

You also have the option to submit a records request online and track its status.⁴ The San Jose Police Department provides a list of forms depending on what type of document you are requesting.⁵

The City of Santa Clara, California: Within Santa Clara County is a city by the same name. The Santa Clara Police Department provides an arrest log that is updated on a weekly basis and contains arrests for the last approximately 30 days.⁶

The arrest log provides the following details:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Age
• Sex
• Race
• City
• State
• Arrest date
• Location
• Case number
• Arrest type
• Charge
• Description

You can use the information provided here to either conduct a county or state level inmate search or find their current court records (more on searching court records later in this article). If you have not found what you are looking for, the Santa Clara Police Department also provides you with the option to make a Records Request Online.⁷

Here is the contact information for the police departments of a few other large cities in Santa Clara County:

Police Department	Address	Phone Number
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety	700 All America Way Sunnyvale, California 94086	408-730-7100
Mountain View Police Department	1000 Villa Street Mountain View, California	650-903-6344
Milpitas Police Department	1275 North Milpitas Boulevard Milpitas, California 95035	408-586-2400
Palo Alto Police Department	275 Forest Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301	650-329-2406

How To Find Santa Clara County Marriage & Divorce Information: Marital Status

For the most part, divorce and marriage information is a part of Santa Clara county public records; however, there are certain exceptions and requirements depending on whether you are looking for an informational copy or certified copy of a marriage or divorce certificate.

Below is information on how to access and request these records from Santa Clara County’s public records repository.

Retrieve Marriage Records Through the Office of the Santa Clara County Clerk Recorder

There are many reasons to search and request Santa Clara county marriage records from the Office of the County Clerk Recorder.⁸ Personally, you may need to get a copy of your marriage record to

• Change your name
• Obtain a new social security card
• Be added to a life insurance policy
• Legal matters

Of course there are also reasons to check someone else’s marriage record as well. Maybe you need proof of marriage for a contractual deal or maybe you just want to find out if someone is married for personal reasons.

If you are looking for your own marriage records in Santa Clara County or to check if someone is married you will have to contact the Office of the County Clerk Recorder. They are custodians of all marriage records in Santa Clara County from 1850 to today. Unfortunately, there is no online search tool for marriage records.

If you want to request a marriage record you will need some basic information:

• Legal names of the married couple
• Marriage date
• City the marriage license was issued in (for online requests only)

The fee for a copy of a marriage record is $17.00. There are three different ways you can request a marriage record from the Santa Clara County Clerk Recorder.

In Person: You can go directly in person to make your request, however, you have the option of scheduling an appointment online in advance.⁹ If you would like to call them before going in person you can contact them at 408-299-5688. Their office is located at:

Santa Clara Clerk Recorder’s Office
70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, 1st Floor
San Jose, California 95110

The Santa Clara Clerk Recorder’s Office is open from Monday – Friday, 8:00AM – 4:30PM.

By Mail: You can also make a request by mail which will take approximately 2-3 weeks for you to receive the requested record. Follow the below steps.

1. Fill out their Application for a Certified Copy of a Standard or Confidential Marriage Certificate.¹⁰
2. Have the application notarized.
3. Include a return envelope.
4. Mail your application along with a return envelope and a $17.00 fee to:
   • Santa Clara Clerk Recorder’s Office
     70 West Hedding Street
     East Wing, 1st Floor
     San Jose, California 95110

Online: You can make an online request for a marriage record through VitalChek, an authorized third party service. Processing time is approximately 1 week. Follow the below steps for an online request:

1. Complete VitalChek’s online application.¹¹
2. Make your online payment. Marriage records cost $24.00 through VitalChek.
3. Have the completed form notarized.
4. Email the completed and notarized form to [email protected].

There are three types of marriage records you can request and each come with their own rules as to who can access them and what they can be used for.

Certified Informational Copies: This is the most basic type of marriage record. Anyone can request an informational copy of a marriage record. When making a request for this type of marriage record you do not need to have your request notarized.

However, informational copies have limitations such as:

• They cannot be accepted as proof of marriage
• The signatures of the marriage record are concealed
• The document specifically states that it is an informational copy only

Certified Authorized Copy – Standard Marriage: A certified authorized copy of a marriage record can be used as proof of marriage. This is the type of marriage record you will need if you need to change your name or take any other type of action that requires certified proof of your identity. This type of marriage record can only be requested by the following people:

• Spouse (or domestic partner)
• Child
• Parent
• Grandchild
• Grandparent
• Legal guardian
• Sibling
• Governmental agencies and legal representatives (for official business only)

Certified Authorized Copies of Confidential Marriages: This type of marriage record has the same authority as a standard marriage record. The only difference is that if a person had a confidential marriage, only the parties to the marriage record can make a request.

Locate Santa Clara County Divorce Records via the Superior Court of California

Public divorce records in Santa Clara county are held by a different custodian than marriage records. Divorce records are part of Santa Clara County judicial records maintained by the Superior Court of California.¹²

Divorce records (except those of confidential marriages) can be accessed online through the Santa Clara Superior Court of California’s Online Case Tool.¹³ Here you can search by:

• Case number
• Party name
• Filing date range

When you perform a search you can view the following information:

• Party names
• Case type
• Case number
• Filing date
• Case status
• Court Location

You can also go in person to request a copy of a divorce record. To make a request in person you can go to the below address:

Family Justice Center Courthouse
201 North First Street
San Jose, California 95113

If you have any specific questions before going in person you can contact them at 408-792-4200. Their hours of availability are 8:30AM – 3:00PM on Monday through Thursday and 8:30AM – 12:00PM on Friday.

You can also make a request for a divorce record by mail. To do so you will have to complete the Family Records Copy Request Form.¹⁴ Include the appropriate fee which can vary depending on the document type and number of pages (see the Family Records Request Form for specific fees). The mailing address for requests of divorce records is:

Superior Court – FJC
Records Request
191 North First Street
San Jose, California 95113

If someone needs a record of a vital event that occurred in a different county, our resource on how to track down all California public records for free will prove useful as it gives guidance on how to easily locate information on anyone in the state–including not just marital details but also background checks, warrants, birth and death certificates, court cases, criminal pasts, and more.

How To Search Santa Clara County California Criminal Records

If you want additional criminal information that you were unable to get with your inmate search then you will want to look up someone’s criminal record. Santa Clara County Criminal records can give you additional information that you may not be able to find by performing a county inmate search. Additional information may include:

• Probation status
• Case number
• Case disposition
• Sentence length
• Release date
• Housing facility

To perform a free criminal record check in Santa Clara county you can use the online public portal provided by the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.¹⁵ Here you can search Santa Clara County’s public index of criminal records. You can search by:

• Case number
• Party names
• Business search
• Filing date range

Make sure you have the right case type selected (criminal cases) before conducting your search. Once you complete your county case search and select the record you want to view you can access the following information.

• Case Number
• Caption
• Defendant’s name
• Case type
• Filing date
• Case Status
• Attorneys (specifying who they are representing)
• Hearing information (including the type of hearing, court date, time and result)

Note: The online case search tool is only for cases from 2004 to present. 

If you are looking for public criminal records from before 2004 or you need additional information you can go in person to the Clerk’s office where that individual’s case was filed. The below courthouses are where criminal records are filed in Santa Clara County.

There are limitations regarding the type of criminal records you can access. For instance the below criminal records are not available to the general public.

• Domestic violence protective orders
• Probation status reports
• Any type of criminal record containing a victim’s name or their contact information
• Any type of criminal record with medical or financial information.

Use California State Resources To Find Criminal Records

After performing a criminal records search in Santa Clara County, you may find that you were unable to get all of the information you were looking for.

Maybe the person you were searching for was charged in a different county. Or it could be that the person has a federal criminal record.

At this point you may want to expand your search to California state and federal public records. With the below resources you can search for state and federal criminal records throughout the state of California. In addition, you can perform searches for particular types of offenses such as individuals convicted of sex offenses.

• California Superior Court – The California Superior Court has courthouses located throughout the state of California. If you need criminal records from another county you can search the California Superior Court in the county where the individual was arrested or had their case tried.¹⁶
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) – at the CDCR you can find criminal records for anyone that is incarcerated throughout the state of California.¹⁷
• California’s Megan’s Law Website – if you want to perform a specific search for sex offenders then you can use this search tool to find any person convicted of a sex offense in the state of California.¹⁸
• U.S. National Sex Offender Registry – similar to California’s sex offender search tool, this search tool can find convicted sex offenders in any state in the United States.¹⁹
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) – if the person you are trying to get information about received federal charges they are likely located in a federal prison. You can use this tool to search for inmates in federal prison throughout the United States.²⁰

How To Complete a Background Check for Yourself or Someone Else in Santa Clara County California

You can complete your own background check or obtain one from a local or state agency such as the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office or California’s Department of Justice.

So far this article has provided various ways to obtain Santa Clara County public records on your own. Whether you are searching these records about yourself or someone else, this is commonly referred to as a personal background check.

If you perform a background check on your own, there are not many restrictions on what you can do with these records. In addition, the person you are performing the background check on does not need to be notified that you are performing a background check since all of the documents are publicly available.

There is one restriction when it comes to personal background checks: whether you obtained Santa Clara County court records or a recent jail roster, you cannot use the information to perform an illegal act. For example you cannot use the information to harass a co-worker or use someone’s address to stalk them.

Professional background checks may contain a lot of the same information but they are different. Typically, an individual is asked to get a professional background check to determine someone’s criminal and financial history to:

• accepting them as a tenant
• hiring them as an employee
• granting them a security clearance
• authorizing them to own a firearm
• maintain employee or volunteer clearances for individuals that work with the elderly or children

Here are some important things to know about professional background checks:

• The level of detail can vary widely from a county name-only search (Level 1) to a nationwide fingerprint search with the FBI (Level 2)
• For someone to request a professional background check of another person they must obtain their consent as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.²¹
• There are restrictions on how professional background checks can be used, including the prohibition of using it for discriminatory purposes. You have protections through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).²² If you were discriminated against because of your background check you can file a charge through the EEOC’s online portal.

If you would like to request a background check in Santa Clara county you can do so through the County Sheriff’s Office. Requests can be made in person. Before you go to request records in person you have to call and schedule an appointment at 408-808-4705.

Their hours are 8:00AM -5:00PM, Monday through Friday.

For in person requests, you can use the below address.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office
Records Division
55 West Younger Avenue
San Jose, California 95110

You can only request your own criminal record and the fee for this request is $25.00. If you are a resident of Santa Clara County all you need is a valid government-issued ID and payment for the fee. Out-of-county residents will also need to provide a fingerprint card and a notarized letter of their request.

The sheriff’s office only provides a background check for any criminal records within the county. If you need a more in depth background check then you can make a request through California’s Department of Justice.²³

How To Look for Arrest Warrants in Santa Clara County

If someone has a warrant it typically means they are wanted for a crime or have missed an important court hearing they were required to attend. While there is no online search tool you can ask for information on Santa Clara county warrants in person at the Santa Clara County’s Sheriff’s Office.

To do so you have to go to the Headquarters located at:

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office
Records Division
55 West Younger Avenue
San Jose, California 95110

To make a request for a warrant search you simply need to provide them with the person’s name and their date of birth. If the search is for yourself you can provide a valid ID and get more detailed information. Regardless, there is no fee for the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office to perform this type of search.

You can also check criminal records using Santa Clara County’s Superior Court of California Online Case Directory. Here you can follow the steps to perform a criminal records search as was outlined earlier in this article. Information will be provided as to whether a warrant was issued and when it was issued.

How To Check Probation Records in Santa Clara County Through the Online Case Directory

If someone has a criminal record you may want to get specific information on their probation status. This can be important in numerous scenarios such as when an employer is making a decision to hire a new employee.

For conducting a probation search in Santa Clara County, you can use the Online Case Directory to see if there is any information available on the person’s sentencing.

While this won’t specifically state if someone is on probation, it can help you gather information on the crime committed and the date they were sentenced. This information can then be used to determine the likelihood of whether or not they’re on probation.

You can also contact the County of Santa Clara Probation Department to see if you can obtain additional information for your probation search. You can call them at 408-435-2000 or email them at [email protected]. If you would like to talk to someone in person you can go to their office located at:

Probation Administration Santa Clara County
2314 North First Street
San Jose, California 95131

How To Access Court Records Using the Santa Clara County Superior Court’s Online Case Portal

You can perform a Santa Clara County case search for a variety of court records such as civil, family and criminal courts or cases. You can search all of these cases online using the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County’s Online Case Directory.

This online directory allows you to specifically search the following case types:

• Civil
• Criminal
• Traffic
• Probate
• Family

You can also look up court records in person. The Administration Division for the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County can be contacted at 408-882-2700. Their address is at:

201 North First Street
San Jose, California 95113

Below is a list of all courthouse locations for Santa Clara County:

Courthouse	Address	Phone Number
Downtown Superior Court	191 North First Street San Jose, California 95113	408-882-2100
Family Justice Center Courthouse	201 North First Street San Jose, California 95113	408-882-2700
Hall of Justice	190 West Hedding Street San Jose, California 95110	408-808-6600
Juvenile Justice Center	840 Guadalupe Pkwy. San Jose, California 95110	408-808-6200
Old Courthouse	161 North First Street San Jose, California 95113	408-882-2100
Palo Alto Courthouse	270 Grant Avenue Palo Alto, California 94306	650-462-3800
Santa Clara Courthouse	1095 Homestead Rd. Santa Clara, California 95050	408-556-3000
South County Courthouse	301 Diana Drive Morgan Hill, California 95037	408-695-5000

How To Obtain Vital Records in Santa Clara County: Birth & Death Records or Certificates

Both death and birth records are needed in a variety of situations. For instance, you need a copy of your birth certificate when requesting a passport. For death certificates, they are needed to administer an estate or related tasks such as receiving a payout of a decedent’s life insurance policy.

The County of Santa Clara Office of the Clerk Recorder is the custodian if you want to check public records for either a birth or death record.²⁴ Through the Clerk Recorder you can find birth and death records dating all the way back to 1873 through today.

To request either a birth or death record you will need certain information. Below is the information you need for each of these records.

Birth Records	Death Records
Name	Name
Date of birth	Date of death
Gender	Gender
City of birth	City where decedent died
Parent’s names	Reason for the death

You will also need to provide the following information about yourself:

• Name
• Relationship to the person who’s record you are requesting
• Government-issued ID
• Address
• Phone number

There are two types of records you can get for birth and death records: Certified Authorized Copy and Certified Informational Copy. Anyone that has the information above can request a certified informational copy.

If you are simply looking for a record for informational purposes only this should suffice. However, if you need the record to prove identity or to take some official action (e.g., open an estate checking account or change your name) then you are going to need a certified authorized copy.

Only the below people are qualified to request a certified authorized copy of a birth or death record.

• Spouse (or domestic partner)
• Legal guardian
• Child
• Parent
• Grandchild
• Grandparent
• Legal representatives and government agencies (for official business only)

Fees: Death records cost $24.00 and birth records are $32.00 with an additional $2.50 fee if you pay by debit or credit card. 

You can request birth or death records three different ways.

In Person: If you would like to make a request in person you can go to their office located at:

County of Santa Clara – Office of the County Clerk Recorder
70 West Hedding Street
East Wing, First Floor
San Jose, California 95110

The Clerk Recorder is open Monday through Friday from 9:00AM – 12:00PM and 1:00PM – 4:00PM. While you can go in any time they are open it is recommended that you schedule an appointment.

By Mail: If you are not in a rush you can also make a request by mail. It takes approximately 3-4 weeks to receive the requested records.

To do so you have to fill out their Application for Certified Copy of a Birth or Death Record and have it notarized.²⁵ You can mail this form along with the fee and a return envelope to the address listed above.

Online: If you would like to make a request online there will be an additional $7.00 processing fee as online requests are made through a third-party company, VitalChek. Similar to mail-in requests, the time to receive a record from an online request is 3-4 weeks.

To make a request you can fill out the VitalChek online form and complete your payment online. Then you must print the form, have it notarized and send it to the Office of the County Clerk Recorder. There is a drop box located at their primary office provided above. You can also email the form to them at [email protected].

For genealogy searches you can contact the Santa Clara County Archives at 408-755-7895.²⁶ You can schedule an appointment with them to view birth and death indexes prior to 1920.

How To Find Santa Clara County Property & Tax Records Through the Office of the Assessor

Santa Clara County public records include specific information on properties located within the county. The County of Santa Clara Office of the Assessor provides an online property search tool.²⁷ You can use this search tool to perform a basic or advanced address search.

You can also search by the Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN). Once you complete your search you can view the below information:

• Address
• Assessor’s parcel map
• Document number
• Document type
• Transfer date
• Property value (itemized by land and improvements)
• Historical property value for the previous two years
• School District
• Tax rate area information

If you have any questions about property records you can contact them at 408-299-5500. You can also visit in person at:

Assessor’s Office
County Government Center
East Wing, Fifth Floor
San Jose, California 95110

There is also a link to access tax bills for the property through the Department of Tax and Collections.²⁸ You can enter the same information (address or APN) to access various property tax information such as:

• Amount due
• Due date
• Payment history
• Tax distribution details

If you need further information you can contact the Department of Tax and Collections at 408-808-7900 or in person at

Tax and Collections
70 West Hedding Street
East Wing, Sixth Floor
San Jose, California 95110

An Overview of Agencies Who Host & Distribute Santa Clara County Public Records

Public records in Santa Clara County can be found throughout a variety of local government agencies. Many times you can find these records through an online search tool without having to call anyone or go in person.

They can be used for many different things such as:

• Name Change
• Legal Actions
• Employment
• Housing
• Insurance

Here is a summary of the best resources to use when searching for public records:

• Inmate search – Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Online Inmate Finder
• Vital Records (including birth, death and marriage records) – Office of the County Clerk Recorder
• Court Records (including civil, family and criminal cases) – Santa Clara Superior Court of California’s Online Case Tool
• Property Records
  • Online Property Search Tool
  • Online Property Tax Search Tool

No matter what you’re searching for or the reason why, following the guide above allows easy access to Santa Clara County public records.