How to Search Monterey County Court Records
The central tool is the Monterey Superior Court Public Portal. The court's online case search page says the portal needs no login and covers current and completed cases back to 2008. Criminal electronic records reach back to November 1992. Older criminal files require a visit to the Salinas Courthouse Clerk's Office or a mailed Request for Record Search and Copies.
Before you start, have the case number ready if you know it. If you do not, gather full party names, the rough filing year, and the case type. Business cases need at least four characters in the business-name field, and a wildcard symbol expands matches. The court's civil/family/probate records page asks for as much identifying detail as possible because the same name can match many people.
- Open the case search information page at monterey.courts.ca.gov and click through to the Public Portal.
- Pick Case Information from the portal navigation. Search by case number first if known, since it gives a clean match.
- If the case number is unknown, switch to party-name search and enter first and last name, or use business-name search for a company.
- Narrow with Filing Date From and To, plus the Courthouse dropdown (Salinas, Monterey, Marina, King City) when needed.
- Open a result by clicking the case number. The case view shows status, hearings, register of actions, and parties when public.
- For a hearing schedule, switch to the Final Daily Calendar route to confirm date, time, department, and judicial officer.
- For a certified copy, mail the form and fee to the proper records counter at the courthouse that holds the file.
The court does not search records by phone. The criminal records page and the civil/family/probate records page both make that clear. Phone calls to (831) 775-5400 reach the main switchboard, but record searches must be filed online, in writing, or in person.
The Monterey County Judicial System
California has a unified trial-court system, and Monterey County is served by one Superior Court that covers every case type. The Superior Court holds 21 numbered departments across five court locations, with felony trials in Salinas, civil and probate in Monterey, traffic and small claims in Marina, and limited South County calendars in King City. Above the Superior Court sits the California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District, in San Jose. Above that is the California Supreme Court.
The presiding judge for 2026 is Hon. Pamela L. Butler, with Hon. Jennifer O'Keefe as assistant presiding judge. The court's 2026 Judicial Assignments page lists every department, its location, and the assigned judge or commissioner. The Superior Court's own Appellate Division hears appeals from limited civil cases, misdemeanors, and infractions; larger appeals go to the Sixth District.
Case flow: Trial Department › Superior Court Appellate Division (limited civil, misdemeanor, infraction) › Sixth District Court of Appeal › California Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court of California, County of Monterey | All trial-level matters in Monterey County | Felony, misdemeanor, infraction, civil, family, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic, restraining order |
| Superior Court Appellate Division | Appeals from limited civil, misdemeanor, infraction | Trial-court rulings, sentencing review, infraction appeals |
| California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District | Unlimited civil, felony, juvenile appeals from Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito | Appellate review of judgments, writs, sentencing |
| California Supreme Court | Statewide; discretionary review | State-law questions, capital cases, bar admissions |
Superior Court judges in California serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters. Vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment. Department 13 at the Monterey Courthouse runs probate, LPS conservatorships, CARE Court, adoptions, unlawful detainers, and small claims appeals. Family law cases ending in odd numbers go to Department 16; even numbers go to Department 17. Read more on the Monterey County Superior Court page.
Monterey County Courthouses
The county runs five court sites. The locations page publishes addresses, phone numbers, hours, and which courtrooms each site holds. Salinas is the main location and the criminal-case center. Monterey holds civil, family, and probate. Marina runs traffic, small claims, child support, and restraining orders. King City covers South County traffic. The Juvenile Justice Court at 1422 Natividad Road runs Department 12, though juvenile filings are kept at the Salinas Courthouse.
Monterey Courthouse
1200 Aguajito Road
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 647-5800
Salinas is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. King City runs Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Marina mails go to P.O. Box 2010, Marina, CA 93933. The court warns that parking near the Salinas building is limited. Leave extra time for entrance screening, which the court runs at every public door under its court security policy.
Below is the Salinas Courthouse case-information page, the same site that links to the Public Portal for case search.
The civil/family/probate records page explains the $15 record-search fee, the $0.50 per-page copy rate, and the certification rules used by the Monterey Courthouse clerk.
Types of Court Records in Monterey County
The Superior Court keeps records across every trial-court division. Some files are public on demand. Some need a written request. Some are sealed by statute. The split below tracks how the court itself organizes its Records page.
- Criminal records — felony, misdemeanor, arraignment, sentencing, and probation files held at the Salinas Records counter; covered in depth on the arrest records page.
- Civil records — unlimited and limited civil, complex civil, collections, civil harassment, judgments, and writs at the Monterey Courthouse.
- Family records — divorce, legal separation, custody, support, and restraining orders in Departments 16 and 17; see the marriage and divorce records page.
- Probate records — estates, wills filed in probate cases, guardianships, conservatorships, and LPS matters in Department 13; see the probate records page.
- Traffic records — infractions and minor offenses at Marina and King City, with citation lookup through the portal.
- Small claims — Marina Department 20 hears the matters; Department 13 hears small claims appeals.
- Juvenile records — confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code 827; access only by statute or court order.
What Monterey County Court Records Show
A typical case view on the Monterey portal returns the same core fields no matter the case type. The list below pulls from the portal's public case search and case-view routes. Confidential files do not show up, and some details get redacted under court rule.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Portal-assigned identifier; format varies by year and case type. |
| Filing Date | Date the complaint, petition, or citation was filed with the clerk. |
| Parties | Plaintiff/defendant, petitioner/respondent, People v. defendant, or estate caption. |
| Charges / Cause | Penal Code or Vehicle Code section, civil cause of action, or probate type. |
| Hearings | Date, time, department, judicial officer, and hearing type from the Final Daily Calendar. |
| Disposition | Plea, verdict, dismissal, judgment, traffic-school grant, or sealing notation. |
| Register of Actions | Chronological list of filings, motions, orders, and minute entries. |
| Financial | Filing fees, fines, restitution, bond, and collections status. |
Probate notes appear on a separate route. Tentative rulings appear in a third route, keyed by hearing date. The court also publishes daily calendars that list custody type for criminal cases, useful when a family member needs to know whether a defendant is in custody for the next hearing. Document images are not always free online; many require a courthouse terminal or a paid copy request.
Public Access Laws for Monterey County Court Records
California treats court records as presumptively open. The court records page cites California Rules of Court 2.400(a) and 2.550(a) as the legal basis. The California Public Records Act, recodified at Government Code section 7920.000 in 2023, covers Sheriff and county administrative records but does not directly govern court case files. Court administrative files use Rule of Court 10.500. Drivers and patients also rely on specific statutes that seal or shield sensitive content.
Key Statutes:
Government Code § 7920.000 — recodifies the California Public Records Act and sets the framework for state and local agency records.
Government Code § 7922.000 — allows an agency to withhold a record when the public interest in nondisclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
California Rule of Court 2.550 — presumes court records open unless confidential or sealed under a specific finding.
Welfare and Institutions Code § 827 — keeps juvenile case files confidential except for statutory access.
Government Code § 68150 — sets trial-court record preservation and retention standards.
The court also follows Rules 2.500, 2.503, and 2.507 on electronic access. Rule 2.503 covers courthouse computer access; Rule 2.507 covers remote access to indexes, calendars, and registers of action. Read more on the public records page.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Some Monterey court files do not come up in a routine search. Juvenile justice and juvenile dependency files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code 827. Adoptions are confidential under Family Code 9200. Confidential marriage licenses are kept by the County Clerk-Recorder and are released only to the named spouses with photo ID or a notarized written request, except where a Family Code 511(c) court order applies.
Civil records can also be sealed by motion under California Rules of Court 2.550 and 2.551. The judge must make specific findings before sealing. To view a sealed file, an interested person normally has to file a motion to unseal. Fee-waiver applications, mental-health case content in LPS conservatorships, protected addresses in restraining orders, and CLETS information are also restricted by statute. The court redacts Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minors' identifying details before any public view.
Note: California "expungement" under Penal Code 1203.4 sets aside a conviction but does not erase court, DMV, or DOJ records; sealing under Penal Code 851.91 is the route after no conviction.
Specialty Courts in Monterey County
Monterey runs its problem-solving calendars inside Department 10 at the Salinas Courthouse, B Level, before Hon. Timothy Roberts. The court's 2026 judicial assignments list a Combined Drug Court, DUI Treatment Court, Military Diversion and Veterans Treatment Court, and Criminal Mental Health calendar. CARE Court runs in Department 13 at the Monterey Courthouse, before Hon. Elisabeth K. Mineta, alongside probate and LPS conservatorships.
Drug court and DUI Treatment Court use judicial monitoring, probation supervision, treatment-provider participation, and regular review hearings. Veterans Treatment Court serves qualifying veterans or service members whose conduct ties to service-related conditions. CARE Court is California's Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment framework for certain adults with untreated schizophrenia-spectrum or other psychotic disorders. The DA lists each specialty calendar on its collaborative courts pages.
Monterey County Sheriff and Jail
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff-Coroner Tina M. Nieto. The agency lists 324 sworn deputies, 165 civilian staff, and a $166M annual budget on its About page. The county jail and Sheriff campus sit at 1414 Natividad Road in Salinas, about a mile from the Juvenile Justice Court. Booking, housing, and release run through the Jail Operations Division, which holds roughly 1,100 incarcerated people across 31 housing units.
The Sheriff's official In Custody Log is the public lookup for current inmates. Booking numbers from that log are required for jail mail, deposits, and Smart Communications messaging. For names that no longer appear in the log, call (831) 755-3782 to verify release. State prisoners come up on the CDCR CIRIS system; federal inmates appear on the BOP locator. More on the Monterey County inmate records page and the warrant records page.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses and birth, death, and marriage certificates are held by the County Clerk-Recorder at the County Government Administration Building, 168 West Alisal Street, 1st Floor, Salinas. The elected official is Xochitl Marina Camacho. Divorce records, by contrast, are court records and live with the Superior Court at the Monterey Courthouse. Probate matters are heard by Department 13 on Wednesdays. Full detail on the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page.
- Testator
- The person who made the will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out its terms after the testator's death.
- Intestate
- A person who dies without a valid will; state law decides who inherits.
- Conservator
- A court-appointed person who manages the personal care or finances of an adult who cannot do so alone.
- Letters
- The court order that gives a personal representative or conservator legal power to act.
Monterey County Court Records Fees
The court charges a fixed set of fees for record searches, copies, and certifications. The fee table sits inside the civil, family, and probate records page and the statewide local fee schedule PDF. The court does not take cash by mail. Make a check or money order payable to Superior Court. If the fee is unknown, the records page allows a check marked "not to exceed $75."
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Civil/family/probate copy per page | $0.50 |
| Certification with court seal | $25 per document plus copy fees |
| Marriage or domestic partnership dissolution certification | $15 per document plus copy fees |
| Record search without case number | $15 per name |
| Off-site file retrieval (up to three files) | $10 |
| Administrative records copy | $0.10 per page, paid in advance |
| Marriage certified copy (Clerk-Recorder) | $19 effective Jan. 1, 2026 |
| Birth certified copy (Clerk-Recorder) | $31 effective Jan. 1, 2026 |
| Death certified copy (Clerk-Recorder) | $26 effective Jan. 1, 2026 |
Note: The court does not conduct record searches by telephone, so plan a written or in-person request when a case number is missing.
How to Interpret Monterey County Court Records
Reading a case file means knowing the difference between a charge and a conviction. A charge is what the District Attorney filed. A conviction is what a court entered after plea or verdict. A dismissed case is not a conviction. A "set aside" under Penal Code 1203.4 dismisses the case but still leaves a court file. Sealed arrests under Penal Code 851.91 do not appear in routine searches but still exist in restricted databases.
Common docket entries include "ARR" for arraignment, "PHRG" for preliminary hearing, "MOC" for minute order continued, "DV" for domestic violence, and "PV" for probation violation. Custody type on a criminal calendar tells you whether the defendant is in jail at the time of the hearing. "In propria persona" means the party is representing themselves. Status fields show "Active," "Disposed," "Dismissed," or "Sealed." Reading the disposition column matters more than reading the charge column.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Records on the public portal update as the clerk processes filings. There is normal lag between a citation, a clerk entry, and a portal display. For traffic cases, the court suggests waiting three to four weeks before searching. The portal can also reflect a case as Active for some time after a disposition because final paperwork takes time to post. Errors in a court file can be corrected by motion in the underlying case. Errors that flowed to DMV need a separate DMV correction request.
Note: Always verify a result with the originating court counter before relying on it for a job, a lease, or a court filing.
History of Monterey County Courts
Monterey County was one of California's 27 original counties in 1850. The seat was first Monterey, then moved to Salinas after the rail line came through the Salinas Valley. An 1878 brick Victorian courthouse stood at 240 Church Street until the current courthouse was built around it in 1937. The National Park Service lists the building as Monterey County Court House, NRIS 08000878. Architect Robert A. Stanton is named on the National Register record. The site of the old courthouse is now a courtyard, lily pond, and commemorative sculpture in the courtyard space.
Older non-confidential records are archived through the Monterey County Historical Society at 333 Boronda Road, Salinas, under agreement with the Superior Court. The court is also planning a new Fort Ord Courthouse, an 83,000-square-foot, seven-courtroom facility intended to replace the Monterey Courthouse and consolidate one Marina department and one Salinas calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Monterey County court records online?
Use the official Monterey Superior Court case search page and click through to the Public Portal. The portal needs no login and covers current and completed cases back to 2008. Search by case number when known, or by party name. Criminal electronic records reach back to November 1992. Older criminal files need a written request to the Salinas Records counter.
Are Monterey County court records public?
Most are. The court's Records page cites California Rules of Court 2.400(a) for inspection of court files and 2.550(a) for the presumption of open records. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, mental-health, and confidential marriage records are restricted. Personal data such as Social Security numbers and minors' details are redacted.
Where do I get a Monterey County marriage certificate?
Contact the Recorder-County Clerk at 168 West Alisal Street, 1st Floor, Salinas, (831) 755-5450. The office only holds records for licenses purchased in Monterey County. Confidential marriage certificates are released only to the named parties.
How do I find a Monterey County inmate?
Use the Sheriff's In Custody Log to look up a current inmate. Booking numbers from the log are required for mail and deposits. State prisoners appear on CDCR's CIRIS site; federal inmates appear on the BOP locator. Call (831) 755-3782 to confirm a release.
More on the Monterey County Court records FAQ page.