San Joaquin County
Located in the Northernmost part of California's Central Valley and covering over 1,426 square miles, San Joaquin County is home to almost 800,000 people. The county was founded in 1850 and got its name from the San Joaquin River.
The San Joaquin County Superior Court resolves disputes among residents through several divisions of the court. The Criminal Court Division has jurisdiction over preliminary felony hearings, misdemeanors, and felony trials. On the other hand, the Civil Division handles cases relating to employment, real property, enforcement of judgment, contracts, and personal injury. The Family Law Division of the San Joaquin County Superior Court presides over matters relating to child custody, family support, adoptions, dissolution of marriage, and domestic violence restraining orders. It also handles elder abuse restraining orders, child custody, and visitation.
Cases involving minors are usually assigned to the Juvenile Division of San Joaquin County Superior Court. They include juvenile delinquency, dependency, and traffic hearing matters. The Probate Division is in charge of decedents' estates, conservatorship of adults who cannot manage their financial resources or provide for their needs, and guardianship of minors. All cases in which dispute amounts are $10,000 or less are under the purview of the Small Claims Court in San Joaquin County. Matters relating to local municipal code ordinances, infractions, vehicle code violations, and animal codes are handled by the Traffic Division. Also, there are Collaborative Courts in the county.
The Records Management Office/Clerk Office of the San Joaquin County Superior Court maintains all public court records in the county. Public court records are records of legal proceedings that are neither confidential nor sealed, and records of the following types of cases are available at the San Joaquin County Superior Court's Clerk Office:
- Traffic cases
- Civil cases
- Criminal cases
- Probate cases
- Juvenile cases
- Family law cases
The Clerk's Office offers copies of court records in person (walk-in or by appointment) and by mail. However, interested persons can also request court records online using the Records Request Portal managed by the county's Superior Court. Note that certain fees apply depending on the record type. Furthermore, the Case Management Search Portal permits the public to search records of cases by case numbers or part names.
