Start with Los Angeles Superior Court when you need the actual criminal case
Los Angeles County criminal information is spread across several government systems. The Superior Court maintains filed criminal cases and dispositions; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department maintains many booking, custody and law-enforcement records; California DOJ maintains the state’s fingerprint-based criminal-history repository; and CDCR handles state-prison information. Choosing the right source first is much faster than searching the same name everywhere.
Los Angeles County does not keep every criminal record in one database
Before searching, identify what kind of information you actually need. A court case, jail booking, sheriff report and statewide RAP sheet are different records maintained by different agencies.
Filed criminal case
Case number, filing location, charges, hearings, dispositions and other public case information.
Booking / arrest records
Booking-arrest information and qualifying Sheriff-created law-enforcement records.
Municipal police report
LAPD and other city police departments retain reports they created; LASD does not automatically hold them.
State criminal history
California’s fingerprint-based criminal-history repository. Access is restricted by state law.
State-prison record
Selected information concerning people incarcerated in California state institutions.
Federal case
Federal prosecutions are separate from Los Angeles Superior Court and use PACER.
How to search Los Angeles County criminal cases online
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Criminal Division is the official starting point for Los Angeles County trial-court criminal cases.
If you already know the case number, use the Court’s online Case Access service. Publicly available case information can be viewed by entering the case number.
Open LA Court Case AccessUse the case number if you have it
A case number is more precise than a name and helps avoid confusion between defendants with similar or identical names.
If you do not have the case number, run a defendant-name search
LA Court provides a separate Criminal Defendant Index that returns matching case numbers, filing dates and filing locations.
Open the matching case summary
Review the case information, charges and case activity available through the Court’s public system.
Verify the defendant
Do not rely solely on a common name. Compare filing location, case date, DOB or other lawful identifiers when available.
Read the disposition
Determine whether the charge resulted in conviction, dismissal, acquittal or another resolution.
Contact the courthouse for the actual criminal document
Criminal document images are not available through LA Court’s online document-image service.
Search for a criminal case number by defendant name
LA Court’s Search for Case by Defendant Name is the official Criminal Defendant Index.
The service returns matching:
- criminal case number
- defendant name
- filing date
- filing courthouse / location
LA Court supports both Exact Match and Starts With searching. Exact Match is useful when you know the correct spelling, while Starts With can help when you only know part of a first or last name.
How far back does the online Los Angeles criminal name search go?
| Case type | Online name-search range | Older-case note |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | 1980 to present | Contact Archives for availability before 1980. |
| Misdemeanor | 1988 to present | Some misdemeanor information can extend back to 1983 depending on when former Municipal Court locations automated records. |
| Traffic / other infractions | Not included in Criminal Defendant Index results | Use the Traffic Division instead. |
Current LA Court defendant-name search fees
LA Court charges a public-access fee for each name search, even when the search returns no matching record.
| User type | Search volume | Current fee per search |
|---|---|---|
| Registered user | Searches 1–10 during the month | $1.00 |
| Registered user | Searches 11–99 | $4.75 |
| Registered user | Searches 100–999 | $4.50 |
| Registered user | Searches 1,000–10,000 | $4.25 |
| Registered user | Searches 10,001+ | $4.00 |
| Guest user | Any individual name search | $4.75 |
Court fees can change. Confirm the live amount on the LA Court Online Services Fee Information page before running a paid search.
How to read a Los Angeles criminal case without misinterpreting it
Finding a defendant’s name is only the first step. Read each charge and its final outcome.
| Item | What it means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Unique court identifier. | Use it for future searches and record requests. |
| Charge | An offense alleged in court. | Do not treat it automatically as a conviction. |
| Filing date | Date the criminal case was filed. | Compare it with the event you are researching. |
| Plea | The defendant’s response to a charge. | A plea entry may not be the final disposition. |
| Disposition | How the charge ultimately resolved. | Check every count separately. |
| Sentence | Court-imposed punishment or conditions. | Connect it to the charge and disposition. |
Los Angeles criminal document images are not available through online document access
LA Court’s online document-image service covers selected civil, small claims and other case categories, but its public Online Services page states that criminal case document images are not available online.
This matters when you need the actual:
- criminal complaint
- information or indictment
- minute order
- plea paperwork
- sentencing order
- certified disposition
- other filed criminal document
Use the case summary to identify the correct case and courthouse, then contact the clerk at the filing courthouse regarding access or copies.
How to locate an older Los Angeles County criminal case
If a case predates the Criminal Defendant Index coverage, the court’s Archives function may be necessary.
Los Angeles County has many criminal courthouse locations
Los Angeles County criminal cases are not all handled in one building. LA Court’s criminal courthouse directory currently lists more than twenty locations with criminal jurisdiction.
Examples include:
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center
210 West Temple StreetLos Angeles, CA 90012
Major downtown criminal courthouse and Criminal Clerk’s Office location.
Compton Courthouse
200 West Compton Blvd.Compton, CA 90220
Handles criminal and other assigned case types.
Airport Courthouse
11701 S. La Cienega Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90045
One of LA Court’s criminal courthouse locations.
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center map
This is the major downtown Los Angeles criminal courthouse. Confirm that your specific case is filed there before visiting because Los Angeles County uses many criminal courthouse locations.
Criminal Clerk’s Office
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Location: 2nd Floor, Room M6
Phone: (213) 628-7700
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s arrest, booking and law-enforcement records
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Records & Identification Bureau handles several categories of Sheriff-maintained records.
LASD lists services including:
- booking-arrest information
- qualifying booking photographs
- clearance letters
- incarceration letters
- criminal-history requests
- crime reports for qualifying victims
- record-sealing functions
- Live Scan fingerprint services
Records and Identification Bureau — Public Services Section
12440 East Imperial HighwaySuite 120 West
Norwalk, CA 90650
Phone: (562) 345-4441
LASD currently states services are provided by appointment.
Request a police report from the agency that created it
Los Angeles County contains dozens of cities and multiple independent law-enforcement agencies. This means the records custodian depends on who handled the incident.
For example:
- Los Angeles city incident → LAPD may be the custodian
- Sheriff-patrolled contract city → LASD may hold the report
- Long Beach incident → Long Beach Police Department may hold it
- Pasadena incident → Pasadena Police Department may hold it
California DOJ does not provide an open public statewide RAP-sheet search
California DOJ maintains the statewide criminal-history repository, but California summary criminal-history information is confidential and access is controlled by statute.
The Department states that requests from unrelated third parties for another person’s complete state criminal-history record are not authorized.
How to request your own California criminal-history record
California residents use the DOJ Record Review process with Live Scan fingerprints. The current DOJ processing fee is $25, plus any fingerprint rolling fee charged by the Live Scan provider. A fee waiver may be available to qualifying applicants.
Use Form BCIA 8016RR
Select “Record Review” and complete the required personal information.
Visit an authorized Live Scan location
Submit your fingerprints electronically.
Wait for your DOJ Record Review
The response shows the criminal-history information maintained under your identity.
Challenge inaccurate information if necessary
Use Form BCIA 8706 and supporting evidence when the returned record is inaccurate or incomplete.
A major Los Angeles County issue: some old dispositions were not reported to California DOJ
This is one of the most important Los Angeles-specific criminal-history issues to know about.
California DOJ has reported that Los Angeles County Superior Court identified a backlog of roughly 464,000 criminal dispositions spanning cases from 1965 through 2023 that had not previously been transmitted to the state’s criminal-history repository because of issues associated with an older case-management system.
That means an individual’s California DOJ RAP sheet can, in some situations, fail to show the dismissal, conviction or other final disposition even though the Los Angeles Superior Court already has the outcome.
What to do when your California criminal-history record is inaccurate
California DOJ instructs individuals to first request their own fingerprint-based Record Review. After receiving it, review each arrest and disposition carefully.
If court information is missing or wrong:
DOJ’s Claim of Alleged Inaccuracy or Incompleteness process requires the requester to identify the disputed information and provide available supporting proof.
Use CDCR CIRIS for California state-prison records
Someone serving a California state-prison sentence should be searched through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, not through LA Court’s defendant index.
CDCR’s California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) can display selected public information including:
- name
- age
- CDCR number
- current institution
- admission date
- county or counties of commitment
- parole eligibility information
California Megan’s Law search
California DOJ operates the Megan’s Law Website for qualifying public sex-offender registration information.
The underlying information comes from California’s Sex and Arson Registry and information submitted by local law-enforcement agencies.
Los Angeles criminal appeals are searched separately
A Los Angeles Superior Court felony case can be appealed to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District.
California provides a statewide Appellate Courts Case Information system for Court of Appeal and Supreme Court matters.
Federal criminal cases in Los Angeles require PACER
A federal prosecution is not filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Most federal criminal cases arising in Los Angeles County are handled in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Search federal cases using: PACER.
Search federal court recordsWhy a Los Angeles criminal record may no longer appear publicly
California law provides multiple forms of criminal-record relief, including qualifying dismissals, sealing and automatic relief.
A record may therefore become restricted or its public presentation may change because of:
- arrest-record sealing
- dismissal relief
- automatic record relief
- juvenile sealing
- court order
- statutory confidentiality
Juvenile records do not follow ordinary adult criminal-record rules
California juvenile court and juvenile law-enforcement records are generally subject to more restrictive confidentiality rules than adult criminal records.
Do not expect an ordinary Los Angeles criminal defendant-name search to function as a full juvenile-record search.
Public court research is not automatically a compliant background check
Los Angeles court records can be publicly researched, but employment, tenant, licensing and similar screening decisions may be governed by additional California and federal requirements.
California DOJ also restricts statewide criminal-history access to specified lawful purposes. An employer cannot simply order an unrelated person’s DOJ RAP sheet as if it were an ordinary public record.
Los Angeles County criminal-record search tips that save time
Save the case number
Once found, use it instead of paying for repeat defendant-name searches.
Use Exact Match first
When you know the spelling, Exact Match can reduce noise from large result sets.
Older felony?
The online name index starts at 1980 for felonies. Contact Archives for older cases.
Older misdemeanor?
General online coverage starts in 1988, with some automated locations reaching back to 1983.
Need the complaint?
Criminal document images are not available through the online document-image service.
Know the police agency
LAPD-created reports are not automatically LASD records.
DOJ record missing disposition?
Check Los Angeles Superior Court because of the known historical disposition-reporting backlog.
State prison?
Use CDCR CIRIS, then use the commitment county to locate the court case.
Federal case?
Switch to PACER. It will not appear as a Superior Court criminal case.
Questions people commonly ask about Los Angeles County criminal records
1. Can I search Los Angeles County criminal cases online?
Yes. Los Angeles Superior Court provides public case access by case number and a separate defendant-name index for criminal cases.
2. Is the Los Angeles criminal defendant-name search free?
No. LA Court charges a public-access fee for criminal defendant-name searches. Registered users and guest users currently have different fee schedules.
3. How far back does the LA criminal name search go?
LA Court currently lists felony name-search coverage from 1980 to the present and misdemeanor coverage generally from 1988 to the present, with some misdemeanor information reaching back to 1983.
4. Can I download Los Angeles criminal court documents online?
LA Court states that criminal case document images are not available through its online document-image service. Contact the appropriate courthouse for access or copies.
5. Where do I request Los Angeles County Sheriff’s arrest or booking records?
LASD Records and Identification Bureau handles booking-arrest information and other qualifying Sheriff-maintained records. The Public Services Section is located in Norwalk and currently operates by appointment.
6. Can I get another person’s California DOJ RAP sheet?
No. California DOJ states that statewide summary criminal-history records are restricted by law. Individuals can request their own fingerprint-based Record Review, while authorized agencies may obtain information for statutorily approved purposes.
7. How much does a California DOJ personal Record Review cost?
California DOJ currently lists a $25 processing fee, plus any fingerprint rolling fee charged by the Live Scan provider. Fee-waiver eligibility may be available.
8. Why might my DOJ record show an arrest but no Los Angeles court outcome?
California DOJ has identified a historical Los Angeles Superior Court disposition-reporting backlog involving hundreds of thousands of records from 1965 through 2023. Check the original Superior Court file and use the DOJ correction process when appropriate.
9. How do I find someone in California state prison?
Use the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s CIRIS search. It provides selected public information on people incarcerated in CDCR institutions.
10. Where do I search a federal criminal case from Los Angeles?
Use PACER. Federal prosecutions are separate from Los Angeles Superior Court cases and are generally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California when the prosecution arises in Los Angeles County.
Official sources used for this guide
- Los Angeles Superior Court — Criminal Case Information
- Los Angeles Superior Court — Criminal Defendant Index
- Los Angeles Superior Court — Online Services Fees
- Los Angeles Superior Court — Find a Case
- Los Angeles Superior Court — Criminal Courthouse Directory
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department — Record Requests
- LASD Records and Identification Bureau FAQ
- California DOJ — Request Your Own Criminal Record
- California DOJ — Los Angeles County Superior Court Disposition FAQ
- CDCR — California Incarcerated Records and Information Search
- California DOJ — Megan’s Law Website
- California Appellate Courts Case Information
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search