Sonoma County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Sonoma County is situated in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. After its establishment in 1850, it became part of the Wine Country region of California due to its fertile land. Its county seat, Santa Rosa, is also the county's largest city. The county spans an area of 1,768 square miles and is home to an estimated 488,4636 people. It is also the largest wine-producing county in California. Its court system is dictated by the California Trial Court System, which consists only of Superior Courts.

The Sonoma County Superior Court, located in Santa Rosa, handles all court cases in the county. For administrative convenience, the court is divided into several Divisions, including Criminal, Civil, Family Law, Juvenile, Probate, Small Claims, and Traffic Divisions. The Criminal Division handles issues such as felonies, misdemeanors, and infraction cases. The Civil Division is involved in lawsuits, including general civil claims and breach of contract. The Family Law Division handles cases like the dissolution of marriage, legal separation, child custody and support, family support, adoption, domestic violence, and termination of parental rights. The Juvenile Division has limited jurisdiction over all juvenile matters in the county. Cases relating to property transfer, guardianships, conservatorships, trust administration, and mental health are handled by the Probate Division. The Division for Small Claims handles smaller civil cases with lower monetary damages compared to those handled by the Civil Division. Traffic matters are generally handled by the Traffic Division, which has subdivisions for adult and juvenile traffic offenses.

Despite a crime rate of 29.88 per 1,000 residents, Sonoma County is still considered safer than 91% of counties in the United States. Courts in the county handle over 50,000 cases on an annual basis. Records from these cases are handled by the Superior Court Clerk. To access the records, interested persons can visit the Superior Courthouse at:

600 Administration Drive,

Room 107-J, Santa Rosa,

CA 95403

Alternatively, these records can be obtained remotely by visiting the Superior Court Record Search. A mailed request may also be made with a payable check attached to it. The county ensures that archived records for cases dating back to the mid-1800s can also be obtained. However, confidential records relating to juvenile and adoption cases, as well as sealed cases, are only accessible to authorized officials of the court or government agencies.

The Sonoma County Superior Court is mandated to deliver justice properly and maintain the law within its jurisdiction. The court's records database effectively provides the public with easy access to details on court proceedings and individual criminal histories in Sonoma County.