Search Santa Barbara County Court Cases

This guide helps users handle a case search in Santa Barbara County, California, and understand where to search court records, hearings, civil case documents, and related court information.

The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara provides online case access through its main court portal and a separate Civil Portal, with Records Department locations available for files and copy requests that need staff handling.

Superior Court case search portals

Use the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara portal to search court records, search hearings by date range, and make payments or select payment alternatives for criminal and traffic cases.

• Case information for Smart Search
• A hearing date range for Search Hearings
• Criminal or traffic case payment details, when using payment options

For civil case records, use the court’s Civil Portal, which provides remote public access to civil cases and court records as allowed by California Rules of Court, rule 2.503(b).

• Open the search court records and hearings portal.
• Choose Smart Search to look for court records, Search Hearings to review hearings, or Make Payments for criminal and traffic payment options.
• For civil case documents, open the search civil case records portal.
• Review any usage notices before relying on online case information or requesting official copies.

Browser note: the portal requires JavaScript and cookies, and it supports current and previous major releases of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari on a rolling basis.

Civil case records and document access

The Civil Portal is the court’s public remote access point for civil cases and court records that may be displayed online under California Rules of Court, rule 2.503(b). It includes Smart Search for court records and Search Hearings for hearings within a date range.

Some civil case documents may be restricted from remote display. When a record is not available online, it may still be available for viewing or copy request through the Records Department.

Attorneys of record may request elevated remote access for additional information, such as document images, on cases where they represent a party. Attorney registration is for attorneys only; legal office support staff and paralegals are not provided their own elevated access login.

Criminal records and in-person file review

An online Criminal index is not available at this time. To view a criminal file, visit the Records window during normal business hours.

Public access terminals are available in the lobbies of the Figueroa, Miller, and Lompoc Divisions. The court does not confirm personal identifying information about a party over the phone or by email, including date of birth, the last four digits of a Social Security number, address, or driver’s license number.

People seeking personal information about a party may use a court-provided computer at the courthouse or submit a Copy Request Form.

Online results and official court records

Online case information is provided as a public service and does not constitute the official record of the Court. It may contain errors or omissions, and users must access the records only as instructed by the Court.

To obtain an official certified court record, request the specific documents from the Court in person or in writing with the proper fees. Include as much identifying information as possible for each case and specify which documents you want certified.

The Court Calendar and Public Index may not be re-copied or redistributed without express consent from the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara.

Copies and certified court records

Copies of court records may be requested in person, by postal mail, or by email. Requests are processed in the order received. Copies may be held for pickup, mailed, or emailed, but certified copies cannot be sent by email.

Typical copy request steps are:

• Fill out the Copy Request Form.
• Submit the completed form to the appropriate Records Division in person, by mail, or by email.
• Allow up to 14 business days for processing; cases that are off-site or in the courtroom may take longer.
• Do not include credit card or payment information in an email request.

Copy request fees listed by the Court include:

North County also lists $1.00 per page for copies that are faxed. The Court does not accept credit card information over the phone.

Hearing calendars, tentative rulings, and payments

The main portal and Civil Portal both include Search Hearings for a specified date range. Court calendar information is not the official certified record of the court.

Tentative rulings may be searched by case number or filtered by judicial officer. The official court documents are the documents filed with the case record, and questions should be directed to the department where the hearing was set.

For traffic tickets and criminal fines, the court’s online payment systems can help users locate and review basic citation information, pay infraction fines and fees, view future payment dates, sign up and pay for traffic violator school, and get a one-time 30-day extension to resolve a citation.

Records Department contacts

Use the appropriate Records Department for file viewing questions, copy requests, and follow-up on records requests.

• South County Records Department, 118 E. Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
  Phone: (805) 882-4778
  Email: southcountyrecords@sbcourts.org
  Office hours: 8:00am - 3:00pm
  Phone hours: 9:00am - 12:00pm
• North County Records Department, 312-E East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454
  Phone: (805) 614-6414
  Email: northcountyrecords@sbcourts.org
  Office hours: 8:00am - 3:00pm
  Phone hours: 9:00am - 12:00pm