How to Search Monterey County Court Records
The official case-search tool is the Monterey Superior Court Public Portal. The court's online case search page tells users the portal needs no login, covers current and completed cases dating back to 2008, and lets the public pay criminal and traffic fines and fees. The portal is a JavaScript app, so a modern browser is required. The Case Information route is the public-facing search; other routes such as advanced search, attorney cases, and warrants may be limited by user role.
Have the case number, the full party name, or the rough filing year ready before you start. The court's records page says searches without a case number can pull back many matches with the same name. Bring date of birth, the violation location, and the case type when possible. Business cases need four characters or more in the business-name field; adding a wildcard symbol broadens the match.
- Open monterey.courts.ca.gov, click Online Services, and pick Case Search.
- From the portal, choose Case Information.
- If you know the case number, enter it and click Search Case Number.
- If not, switch to party-name search; enter first and last name and click Search Party Name.
- Narrow results with Filing Date From, Filing Date To, and the Courthouse dropdown (Salinas, Monterey, Marina, King City).
- Click the case number link to open the case view. Read status, hearings, and the register of actions.
- For a certified copy, mail the Request for Record Search and Copies (CI-115) with the fee.
The court does not run record searches by phone. The civil/family/probate page and the criminal records page both confirm that. For a deeper walk-through on Monterey County court dockets, see the dockets page.
Monterey County Court Records Search Fields
The Case Information route on the public portal exposes the fields below. Field labels and order match the live portal. Required marks change with the search type: case-number search needs only the case number, while party-name search requires both first and last name.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | Yes for case-number search | Buttons: Search Case Number; Clear Case Number Input. |
| First Name | Text | Yes for party search | Combined with Last Name. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes for party search | Combined with First Name. |
| Business Name | Text | Yes for business search | Minimum 4 characters; wildcard `*` allowed. |
| Filing Date From | Date picker | Optional | Date-range start. |
| Filing Date To | Date picker | Optional | Date-range end. |
| Courthouse | Dropdown | Optional | Defaults to All Courthouses. |
Result columns: Case Number, Case Name, Status, Filing Date, Type. A "No Cases Found" message shows when there are no matches. Read more about court calendars on the Monterey County court dockets page.
Types of Monterey County Court Records
The Superior Court keeps records across every trial-court division. Each division has its own counter and its own quirks. The list below tracks how the court itself splits the work.
- Criminal — felonies, misdemeanors, infractions filed in Criminal Division; full detail on the criminal records page.
- Civil — limited and unlimited civil, complex civil, collections, and judgments at the Monterey Courthouse.
- Family — divorce, custody, support, and restraining orders in Departments 16 and 17; see marriage and divorce records.
- Probate — estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and LPS matters in Department 13; see probate records.
- Traffic — infractions and minor offenses heard at Marina and King City.
- Small claims — Department 20 at Marina; appeals go to Department 13.
- Juvenile — confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code 827.
What Monterey County Court Records Show
A typical case view returns the fields below. The exact list depends on case type. Confidential cases do not show up. Documents are not always linked free; many require a courthouse computer or a paid request.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Portal identifier; format varies by year and case type. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was filed. |
| Parties | Plaintiff/defendant, petitioner/respondent, or People v. defendant. |
| Case Type | Civil, family, probate, criminal, traffic, small claims, or restraining order. |
| Status | Active, Disposed, Dismissed, Sealed, Transferred, Stayed. |
| Hearings | Date, time, department, judicial officer, and hearing type. |
| Register of Actions | Filings, motions, orders, minute orders, and judgments. |
| Disposition | Plea, verdict, dismissal, judgment, or sealing notation. |
| Financial | Filing fees, fines, restitution, bond, and collections status. |
Probate notes sit on a separate route. Tentative rulings live on a third route keyed by hearing date. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, and minor identities are redacted under court rule.
Public Access Framework for Monterey County Court Records
California treats court records as presumptively open. The Monterey court records page cites California Rule of Court 2.400(a) for public inspection and 2.550(a) for the open-records presumption. Rule 2.500 sets electronic-access policy. Rule 2.503 covers courthouse computer terminals. Rule 2.507 covers remote access to indexes, calendars, and registers of action.
Anyone may request a court file. The clerk asks for ID at the counter. There is no Monterey County residency rule. Out-of-state requesters may use the mail process. Fees apply for copies and certifications. The court will accept a check or money order payable to Superior Court; cash by mail is not allowed.
Note: The court warns that the same name can match many people; bring date of birth, case number, or violation location to avoid mismatched records.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Monterey County
Not every case is public. Juvenile justice and dependency files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code 827. Sealed juvenile cases under section 781 are further restricted. Adoptions are confidential under Family Code 9200. Confidential marriages are kept by the County Clerk-Recorder and are only released to the named parties. Mental-health records inside LPS conservatorships are restricted by state law and court sealing practice.
To view a sealed civil file, an interested person normally has to file a motion to unseal under California Rules of Court 2.550 and 2.551. The judge must make written findings. Arrest sealing under Penal Code 851.91 applies after no conviction. Factual-innocence sealing under Penal Code 851.8 is a separate, harder track.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The court splits its records counters by case type. Criminal goes to the Salinas Courthouse. Civil, family, and probate go to the Monterey Courthouse. The Marina counter handles traffic and small claims. Bring photo ID. Cash, check, or money order is accepted in person; cash by mail is not.
Salinas Records Counter (Criminal)
240 Church Street
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 775-5400
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Monterey Records Counter (Civil/Family/Probate)
1200 Aguajito Road
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 647-5800
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for viewing/copies
Off-site files take 7-10 days. More than five cases needs a Court File Request Form and 72 hours. Sequential researchers can pull 25 cases in one session. The civil/family/probate page allows a "not to exceed $75.00" check when fees are unknown.
Calendar Search Fields
Calendar-side searches use a smaller set of fields. The Final Daily Calendar route uses a date picker and a filter box. The Tentative Rulings route uses a hearing-date picker. The Probate Notes route uses the case number.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Date picker | Yes for final daily and tentative rulings | Used for final daily, law and motion, and tentative-ruling routes. |
| Filter Table Results | Text | Optional | Filters visible table results in place. |
| Copy Visible Table Data | Button | Optional | Final Daily Calendar route copies the day's table. |
Final Daily Calendar result fields: Hearing Date, Hearing Time, Case Name, Custody Type, Case Number, Department, Judicial Officer, Hearing Type. Tentative Rulings result fields: Hearing Date, Judge, Department, Caption, Case Number, Document. See the Monterey County court dockets page for a deeper look at calendar reading.
Historical Monterey County Court Records
Older non-confidential court records are kept under an agreement between the Superior Court and the Monterey County Historical Society. The Society is at 333 Boronda Road, Salinas, CA 93907, (831) 757-8085. It maintains certain non-confidential historical court records and makes them reasonably available during normal business hours, with duplication allowed at cost. Records on the public portal date back to 2008 for general cases and November 1992 for criminal electronic information.
For files before those electronic-coverage dates, the requester either visits the Salinas Records counter or files a mailed request. The records page allows a check marked "not to exceed $75.00" for civil/family/probate and "not to exceed $200.00" for criminal when the fee is unknown. Off-site files take 7-10 days. More than five cases needs a Court File Request Form and 72 hours.