Monterey County
Located 106 miles from the City of San Francisco and 45 miles from San Jose, Monterey County lies on the central coast of the State of California. Monterey County was established in 1850 and named for Monterey Bay located on the coast of California. The county's population is estimated at over 439,000 as of 2020.
Following the state's court structure, Monterey County operates a unified court system with the superior courts the only type of court in the county. The Monterey County supreme court has two courthouse locations in Salinas and one each in Monterey, King City, and Marina. One of the courthouses in Salinas is a juvenile justice court, handling juvenile justice sessions daily.
The Monterey County superior court has the following divisions :
- Appeals : Handles the review of the decisions of the other divisions of the court
- Civil : Handles cases where one party sues another for the recovery of property or money, collect damages, enforce a contract, or protect civil rights
- Criminal : Handles adult felony and misdemeanor cases
- Collaborative Court : Combines judicial supervision with rigorously monitored rehabilitation services to reduce recidivism
- Family Law and Child Custody Mediation : Has jurisdiction over cases involving dissolution of marriage, nullity, paternity, domestic violence, child custody, visitation, and support
- Jury Services : Support and provides jury trial privileges
- Juvenile : Hears juvenile delinquency and dependency cases
- Mediation : Offers a confidential, informal, and flexible process of alternative dispute resolution
- Probate : Handles guardianships, conservatorships, decedent estates, trust cases, and other probate matters
- Small Claims : A court where disputes are resolved quickly and inexpensively. Attorneys are not allowed to represent either party in the dispute
- Traffic : Has jurisdiction over vehicle code violations, and processes adult and juvenile traffic and minor offense matters
- Records : Provides access to public court records
All legal documents and files which are public court records in Monterey Courts are maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court. Per Rule 2.400 (a) of the California Rules of Court, court case files are public records and subject to inspection by the public in the office of the clerk, except if confidential or sealed by law. The clerk of court makes the following categories of court case files accessible to the public:
Typically, the superior court provides public access computers in the clerk's office for the public to access indexes and court case record information. The public may request copies of court records in person at the clerk's office. Court records are also obtainable via mail. Note that there is a fee schedule for searching court records without a case number and for obtaining copies and certified copies of Monterey County court records.
Remote electronic access to civil unlimited, civil limited, probate court, and family law indexes and court calendars are also available via the case lookup resource of the Monterey County superior court. Users can find Monterey County court case information using a case number, party name, or filing date.
