Placer County Court Records
Placer County court records are official documents generated or submitted during a judicial proceeding in Placer County. These records include information about presented evidence, hearing transcripts, summaries, filings, and final verdicts.
Court records ensure transparency in the court system and judicial process. They also offer a legal precedent for future cases and historical records. The Placer Superior Court creates and maintains the county’s court records, and inquirers may access them online or in person at the Clerk’s Office in the court where the case was adjudicated.
Are Court Records Public in Placer County?
Yes, court records are considered public in Placer County according to the California Public Records Act (CPRA) law. This law allows anyone to request to inspect or copy court records from the Placer Superior Court. However, there are exceptions to disclosable records and information. Any records about an ongoing law enforcement investigation or documents that identify confidential personal information and compromise public personnel or victims’ safety are typically exempt from public access.
Where to Conduct a Placer County Case Lookup
The Placer Superior Court maintains the county’s court records and allows inquirers to view and copy them through:
- The online case portal by the Superior Court of California: This system allows users to search for California and Placer County criminal, traffic, family, and civil law cases.
- The public terminal at the Honorable Howard G. Gibson Courthouse, which is Placer County Superior Court’s main courthouse.
- Visiting the Main Courthouse and Tahoe Courthouse for general case records and the Juvenile Courthouse for Juvenile cases.
- Mail-in requests to the court where the case was heard.
How to Conduct a Placer County Case Records Search
To conduct a Placer County case records search using the Online Portal or the public courthouse terminal, inquirers must furnish the search tool with information related to the record of interest. This includes the case number of the record, the name of the subject(s) involved, etc. A Placer County Case Search will provide inquirers with information about the parties involved, dates, judgments, etc.
Where the inquirer does not have the required case number, they may conduct a name search in person at the courthouse. If the search takes the courthouse clerk more than ten minutes to complete, the requester will have to pay a $15.00 fee. They will also be required to leave a photo ID and keys with the clerk while viewing the records.
It is worth noting that requesters are limited to viewing five record files per day based on the type of case including Appeals, Civil, Criminal, Small Claims, Traffic, etc. For civil and small claims records, they are allowed to view up to 50 files if in chronological order. At the Main Courthouse, requesters can have up to 25 pages copied per day. Private copiers are not allowed. If a requester wishes to obtain more copies of a court record, they will need to pick up the copies at a later date within two weeks.
Placer County Main Courthouse
10820 Justice Center Drive
Roseville, CA 95678.
Place County Court — Tahoe
2501 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City, CA 96145.
Placer County Juvenile Courthouse
11270 B Avenue
Auburn, CA 95603.
Inquirers can also obtain records through mail-in requests to the court. They are required to mail a completed Form PL-CW001 - Records and Copy Requests with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the courthouse at either of these addresses:
For the Honorable Howard G. Gibson Courthouse
Placer County Superior Court
P.O. Box 619072
Roseville, CA 95661-9072
Or
For the Tahoe Courthouse
Placer County Superior Court
P.O. Box 5669
Tahoe City, CA 96145.
Mailed-in queries must include a check addressed to the court that covers the number of copies at $0.50 per page. The check should have the words “not to exceed (amount) dollars” in the memo section. For different case types, inquirers will need to make separate requests. Requestors are charged according to the Placer Superior Court Uniform Fee Schedule.
Placer County Civil Court Case Records
Civil court case records are legal documents that outline the judicial processes and proceedings of a legal matter typically filed by private citizens or institutions against third parties. The records are typically filed for cases such as:
- Family Law Cases: These include divorce, child support, and child custody cases.
- Probate Cases: Cases involving the distribution of a deceased person’s property and assets.
- Property Dispute Cases: Cases involving ownership or use of personal or real estate property.
- Small Claims cases such as personal injury claims, contract and employment disputes.
The Placer Superior Court files and maintains these records, which can be accessed through the online portal or directly from the Main and Tahoe courthouses that hold these records.
Placer County Criminal Court Case Records
Criminal court case records are official documents that include information related to criminal offenses and consequent judicial proceedings. These cases usually involve disputes and hearings of domestic violence, drug offenses, felony charges, juvenile delinquency, property crimes, etc.
Criminal case court records are available to the public unless restricted by court order. The Clerk’s Office at the court where the case was adjudicated is the custodian, and requests for copies of these court records go to the office. The minimum requirement to facilitate a search for criminal court records is the defendant’s name. Other details like the case number and the adjudication date can help expedite the search.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Inquirers may access court records for free using the Placer Superior Court Online Portal by providing the case number or citation number of the case of interest. However, not all records may be available online due to scheduling and confidentiality restrictions.
Inquirers may use third-party websites where they can access case records using a party’s name. These services might come with a charge for viewing or downloading these records.
Courts in Placer County
The contact information of the courts in Placer County is as follows:
Hon. Howard G. Gibson Courthouse (Main Courthouse)
10820 Justice Center Drive
Roseville, CA 95678
Phone: (916) 408-6000
Superior Court Tahoe Courthouse
2501 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City, CA 96145
Phone: (530) 584-3460
Superior Court Juvenile Courthouse
11270 B Avenue
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: (530) 745-2100
Historic Courthouse
101 Maple Street
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: (916) 408-6000
Superior Court Jail Courtroom
11801 Go For Broke Road
Roseville, CA 95678
Phone: (916) 408-6000
