County, Louisiana Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

Start with the right government office

Where Can You Find Los Angeles County Criminal Records?

LA County criminal records are maintained by several agencies. The correct source depends on whether you need a court case, recent arrest, jail booking, state prison record or statewide criminal-history report.

Official Los Angeles Superior Court name search

How to Search LA County Criminal Records by Defendant Name

The court operates an online service called Search for Case Number by Defendant Name.

It returns a list of matching defendant names, criminal case numbers, filing dates and filing locations. The index is updated daily.

Because a fee applies to every search, review the official search instructions before entering the defendant’s name.

Step-by-step LA County criminal case search

1. Open the criminal defendant index.

   Go to the official Los Angeles Superior Court Criminal Name Search page.

2. Review the published search coverage.

   The online index generally covers felony cases from 1980 onward and misdemeanors from 1988 onward. Some misdemeanor records extend to 1983, depending on the former Municipal Court’s automation date.

3. Choose guest or registered access.

   Guest searches have a flat fee. Registered users have a monthly tiered name-search rate.

4. Sign in or continue as a guest.

   The payment system requires supported card information. Registration is not required for a guest search.

5. Enter the defendant’s name.

   Use the first and last name as accurately as possible. Avoid unnecessary spelling variations because separate searches can result in separate charges.

6. Select the match method.

   The court supports search options such as Exact Match and Starts With. Exact Match uses the entered name, while Starts With can return names sharing a prefix.

7. Review the charge before submitting.

   The search fee applies even if the person has no matching records.

8. Submit the paid search.

   The website displays any matching public criminal case index entries.

9. Compare the results.

   Check the defendant name, filing date, case number and court location. A name match alone does not establish identity.

10. Save the case number.

    Copy the full case number, including any letters and leading numbers.

11. Open the criminal case summary.

    Use the court’s Case Access service to review available case status, history and court events.

12. Request the official judgment when necessary.

    For certified proof of conviction, dismissal or another result, contact the original criminal courthouse.

What will a criminal name search return?

The court identifies four primary result fields:

• Criminal case number.
• Defendant name.
• Case filing date.
• Filing courthouse location.

The name index is intended to help locate a case number, not to replace the court’s criminal case summary or certified judgment.

Search without paying for another defendant-name lookup

How to Search LA County Criminal Records by Case Number

If you already know the criminal court case number, begin with the court’s Case Access service rather than performing another paid name search.

Step-by-step case-number lookup

1. Open the official Case Access page.

   Visit the court’s public case-information service.

2. Enter the complete case number.

   Copy it exactly from the court notice, earlier case index result or official document.

3. Submit the search.

   Use the available search or case-access option.

4. Confirm the case.

   Check whether the returned information corresponds to the correct court and proceeding.

5. Review the public summary.

   Look for available case status, upcoming hearings, recorded case actions and disposition information.

6. Contact the courthouse for missing records.

   The case summary does not guarantee electronic access to every original filing.

Where can you find a criminal case number?

• Court summons or hearing notice.
• Criminal complaint or information.
• Prior court order.
• Certified disposition.
• Attorney’s case documents.
• Official criminal defendant-name search.
• Courthouse records counter.

The court also provides public computer terminals inside courthouses. These can be useful if you cannot access the electronic case summary remotely.

Can you download criminal documents directly online?

Generally, no. The Superior Court’s public case access instructions distinguish criminal case summaries from downloadable civil document images.

Its online document-download service is for supported civil, small claims, family law and probate records. It does not generally offer criminal case document images for online purchase.

For criminal judgments, sentencing orders and other filed documents, follow the court’s records-copy procedure.

Published Superior Court public-access fees

LA County Criminal Records Search Fees in 2026

Los Angeles County publishes a detailed fee schedule for online name searches and court document copies.

Criminal defendant-name search pricing

Registered search counts reset monthly. The published tier structure should be reviewed before making multiple searches.

Other court-record charges

Superior Court felony criminal proceedings

How to Search LA County Felony Criminal Records

California felony criminal cases are prosecuted in Superior Court. Los Angeles County maintains felony case information across numerous court locations.

Felony classifications can involve serious offenses such as robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, certain theft crimes and other offenses defined by California law.

How to find a felony prosecution

1. Open the Superior Court Criminal Defendant Name Search.
2. Enter the defendant’s full name and choose the appropriate search method.
3. Review the applicable search fee.
4. Submit the name search.
5. Identify a matching felony case number and filing location.
6. Open the criminal case summary.
7. Review the final disposition and sentence when available.
8. Contact the filing courthouse for official documents.

How far back are felony cases searchable?

The court’s published online Criminal Defendant Index generally covers felony cases from 1980 to the present.

Older cases may be held in the Archives and Records Center.

A no-match result for a pre-1980 prosecution does not mean the case never existed.

Downtown Los Angeles felony courthouse

This courthouse handles significant criminal proceedings in the Central Judicial District. However, not every Los Angeles County felony is filed here.

Cases involving the San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley, South Bay, Long Beach or San Gabriel Valley may be assigned to other court locations.

Countywide misdemeanor case information

How to Search Los Angeles County Misdemeanor Records

Misdemeanors are criminal offenses generally less serious than felonies. They are still criminal cases and may result in probation, fines, jail sentences or other consequences.

Examples of misdemeanor charges

• Certain petty theft offenses.
• Some driving under the influence offenses.
• Qualifying simple assault or battery charges.
• Criminal trespass.
• Vandalism under applicable thresholds.
• Other offenses classified as misdemeanors.

Charge classification can vary according to the statute, prior convictions and circumstances.

How to look up a misdemeanor case

1. Use the Superior Court’s Criminal Defendant Name Search.
2. Enter the defendant’s first and last names.
3. Review the available matching case numbers.
4. Identify the court where the misdemeanor was filed.
5. Open the court’s criminal case summary.
6. Check the final disposition of the charge.
7. Request an official judgment or dismissal order if needed.

How far back do online misdemeanor records go?

The published criminal index generally includes misdemeanors from 1988 onward.

Some former Municipal Courts have misdemeanor information dating back to 1983, depending on the location’s original record automation.

For older proceedings, ask the filing court or the Archives and Records Center.

Are misdemeanor and traffic records the same?

No.

Some traffic offenses, such as qualifying driving under the influence charges, are criminal offenses. Routine traffic infractions are generally handled through the Traffic Division.

The Criminal Defendant Name Search expressly excludes traffic and other infraction results.

Los Angeles criminal court filing locations

Which LA County Courthouse Has the Criminal Record?

Los Angeles County operates numerous courthouses across several judicial districts.

The case’s actual filing location determines where original documents should be requested. A defendant’s current home address does not necessarily identify the proper courthouse.

These are examples of county court locations, not an exhaustive list or a guarantee that every listed court currently handles every criminal case type.

Use the official directory to confirm a courthouse’s assigned divisions, service counter and current filing arrangements.

Where should you search a case from Santa Monica?

Begin with the countywide criminal name search or case-number lookup. Then use the filing courthouse identified by the court.

What about Long Beach, Pasadena or Lancaster?

Use the same countywide case system, but contact the actual filing courthouse for certified records.

Do not assume that the downtown Los Angeles criminal courthouse stores every original case file.

Hearing information and criminal court calendars

How to Find an LA County Criminal Court Date

The Superior Court provides criminal hearing information through its public case-access and calendar services.

Search by case number

1. Open the court’s Case Access page.
2. Enter the criminal case number.
3. Review available scheduled court events.
4. Confirm the department and courthouse location.
5. Check the hearing time and date.
6. Verify changes with the courthouse or your attorney.

What if you know only the defendant’s name?

Use the Criminal Defendant Name Search to locate the case number, subject to its published fee.

Alternatively, contact the relevant courthouse records office.

Criminal hearing reminders

The Los Angeles Superior Court offers an optional hearing reminder service for qualifying court events.

Understand the difference between charges and convictions

How to Read an LA County Criminal Case Disposition

A criminal court record may show an arrest, filed charge, guilty plea, dismissal, judgment or sentence.

These events have different legal meanings.

Official court documents, copies and certification

How to Obtain Certified LA County Criminal Court Records

If you need official proof of a criminal case outcome, request a certified disposition or judgment from the courthouse that handled the case.

Los Angeles Superior Court provides procedures for requesting copies in person or by mail.

Step-by-step certified record request

1. Locate the criminal case.

   Search by defendant name or case number.

2. Identify the filing courthouse.

   Use the court’s case summary or criminal index result.

3. Find the final disposition.

   Determine whether you need a judgment, sentencing order, dismissal or another document.

4. Confirm whether certification is required.

   Ask the receiving organization whether an ordinary copy is acceptable.

5. Contact the Clerk of the filing courthouse.

   Confirm that the requested record is available and ask about copy procedures.

6. Complete the court’s Request for Copies form.

   Include the case number, document description and requester contact information.

7. Calculate the copying fee.

   Ordinary copies generally cost $0.50 per page.

8. Add the certification fee.

   Certification generally costs $40 per document, in addition to copying charges.

9. Submit payment as instructed.

   The court may accept check, money order or credit-card arrangements. Do not mail cash.

10. Provide mailing materials when necessary.

    Mail requests may require a properly addressed, stamped return envelope.

11. Review the certified document.

    Confirm the defendant, case number, disposition and certification.

How do mail requests work?

The court instructs requesters to send the completed Request for Copies form to the courthouse where the case file is located.

If the exact total is unknown, the court describes a method of using a check or money order marked with a specified “not to exceed” amount in the memo field.

Ask court staff about the expected total before mailing payment.

Does the California DOJ provide certified LA criminal judgments?

No. The California DOJ states that it does not maintain or issue certified copies of local Superior Court case documents.

Certified court dispositions must be obtained from the original court.

Historical and pre-electronic court proceedings

How to Find Older Los Angeles County Criminal Records

Older criminal files may not appear in the court’s current online name index.

The Superior Court maintains an Archives and Records Center for historical case material.

Cases before the online coverage dates

The court lists these standard Criminal Defendant Name Search ranges:

• Felonies: 1980 to present.
• Misdemeanors: 1988 to present, with some records dating to 1983.

If the case predates these ranges, contact Archives or the original courthouse.

Archives research steps

1. Gather the defendant’s full legal name.
2. Estimate the original case filing year.
3. Identify the probable courthouse.
4. Find any available historic case number.
5. Contact the Archives and Records Center.
6. Ask whether the case file is held in the historical collection.
7. Confirm search and document-copy fees.
8. Request inspection or copies of qualifying public records.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

How to Search LA County Jail Inmate and Booking Records

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides an official inmate information service for public custody inquiries.

It covers available information about individuals in Sheriff’s custody, not every criminal conviction in California.

How to check an LA County inmate

1. Visit the Sheriff’s official website.

   Open the inmate information service from LASD.

2. Find the Inmate Information Center.

   Use the publicly available custody search.

3. Enter the identifying details.

   Search using the inmate’s name and other fields required by the service.

4. Review possible results.

   Check whether the listing belongs to the correct individual.

5. Read the booking information.

   Available results may include custody, bail, housing or court information.

6. Verify urgent custody status.

   Release or transfer information can change quickly.

7. Check the court docket separately.

   Booking into jail does not establish a criminal conviction.

LA County inmate telephone information

The Sheriff’s published telephone directory lists an inmate information line at 213-473-6100.

The department’s custody manual also identifies an inmate information answering service at 213-473-6002.

If the online inmate search is unavailable, use the official Sheriff’s contact directory.

What inmate information may be public?

Under the Sheriff’s published custody procedures, releasable information may include:

• Booking details.
• Arrest information.
• Bail amount.
• Housing location.
• Court dates and location.
• Release date.
• Information concerning holds.
• Visiting days and hours.

Availability depends on the individual’s custody status and applicable disclosure rules.

What about California state-prison records?

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) maintains a separate public service called California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS).

It can provide available information about people in state-prison custody, including facility and county-of-commitment information.

Sheriff’s Police and city police reports

How to Obtain LA County Arrest and Police Reports

Police reports are maintained by the agency that investigated the incident.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department maintains its own law-enforcement records, while agencies such as the Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department maintain separate reports.

How to request a Sheriff’s incident report

1. Identify the Sheriff’s station or unit responsible for the investigation.
2. Gather the incident date, location and report number if known.
3. Open the LASD official Record Requests page.
4. Choose the correct category, such as law-enforcement report or custody record.
5. Review who is authorized to receive the requested record.
6. Submit the request under the applicable procedure.
7. Confirm any research or copying fee.
8. Receive the releasable information.

Can you request an LAPD police report from LASD?

Not normally.

The Los Angeles Police Department is a different agency from the Sheriff’s Department.

For incidents investigated by LAPD, use the LAPD records-request process. The same principle applies to municipal police departments in Pasadena, Long Beach, Glendale and other LA County cities.

Are police reports public under the California Public Records Act?

Some information is releasable, but full investigative reports can be exempt or restricted.

Victims, involved parties and other authorized requesters may have rights to specific records under California law.

The Sheriff’s Records and Identification Bureau publishes separate procedures for law-enforcement-related records and general California Public Records Act requests.

California statewide criminal-history records

Can You Search California DOJ Criminal History by Name?

The California Department of Justice maintains statewide criminal-history summary information, but it is not an unrestricted public defendant-name database.

California law limits access to criminal-history summaries to the subject, law enforcement and other specifically authorized agencies.

The DOJ expressly states that third-party requests for another person’s restricted history are not authorized through the ordinary personal review service.

How to request your own California criminal-history record

1. Visit the California DOJ’s Criminal Records — Request Your Own page.
2. Read the application and fingerprint instructions.
3. Complete the appropriate record-review application.
4. For California residents, arrange authorized Live Scan fingerprinting.
5. Pay the $25 DOJ processing fee, unless an applicable waiver is granted.
6. Pay any separate fingerprint-provider rolling charge.
7. Wait for the DOJ’s response.
8. Review the record for accuracy.
9. Use the DOJ’s challenge procedure if an entry is incorrect.

Can someone obtain another person’s California rap sheet?

Not through an ordinary public name search or personal records-review application.

Employers, licensing agencies and other qualified organizations must follow their applicable statutory authorization and fingerprint-check procedures.

Can the DOJ issue a certified LA County judgment?

No. The DOJ states that only the court with jurisdiction can provide certified copies of its own court documents.

How do you correct a California criminal-history error?

An individual can request their own record, then use the DOJ’s official inaccurate-or-incomplete record challenge form with supporting documentation.

If the problem concerns a court disposition, obtain the correct judgment or dismissal order from Los Angeles Superior Court.

California record cleaning and restricted records

Can LA County Criminal Records Be Dismissed, Sealed or Expunged?

California provides several forms of criminal-record relief. The proper process depends on whether the record concerns an arrest without conviction, a misdemeanor conviction, a felony conviction or another disposition.

The word expungement is commonly used, but California’s procedures do not always physically erase the entire criminal-history record.

Common California record-relief procedures

How to begin a record-cleaning request

1. Locate the original criminal case number.
2. Obtain the final disposition.
3. Identify whether the proceeding resulted in conviction.
4. Review the applicable California court self-help instructions.
5. Determine eligibility and any waiting period.
6. Use the correct petition or request form.
7. File with the court that has jurisdiction, if a petition is needed.
8. Follow notice or hearing requirements.
9. Confirm the signed order or automatic-relief status.

Free California public registry

How to Search LA County Registered Sex Offender Information

The California Department of Justice maintains the public Megan’s Law website.

The service allows searches of qualifying publicly disclosable sex offender registration information in California.

Important limitations

• Not every registered offender appears on the public website.
• Different public disclosure rules may apply to names, addresses and ZIP codes.
• A no-match result does not establish that a person has no sex-related criminal history.
• Registry data must be used only for purposes allowed by California law.

The DOJ specifically restricts using Megan’s Law information for unrelated commercial eligibility decisions, including employment or housing, except where separately authorized by law.

Fix common search problems

Why LA County Criminal Records May Not Appear Online

What if you find a criminal record with incorrect information?

Start by determining which office maintains the incorrect record.

For an incorrect court entry, contact the relevant Superior Court Clerk. For an error in a personal California DOJ criminal-history summary, use the DOJ’s record-review and challenge procedure.

Obtain the certified court disposition when necessary to establish the accurate outcome.

Accuracy and legal use of criminal court information

Can LA County Criminal Court Records Be Used for Background Checks?

Public criminal court records can help establish what occurred in an individual prosecution.

However, an online defendant-name search is not automatically a complete or compliant employment, tenant or licensing background check.

Federal and California laws may regulate the use of arrest and conviction history in consequential decisions.

Before relying on a public criminal record

• Verify the individual’s identity.
• Confirm the proper court and jurisdiction.
• Distinguish an arrest from a conviction.
• Review the final disposition of each charge.
• Check for dismissal, sealing or later court orders.
• Consider whether state or local fair-chance restrictions apply.
• Follow legally required authorization and notification procedures.

California provides additional employment protections involving criminal-history information. Employers should consult the California Civil Rights Department and applicable laws rather than assume all publicly available information may be used without restriction.

Common Los Angeles criminal records questions

Frequently Asked Questions About LA County Criminal Records

Government criminal record and public-access sources

Official LA County Criminal Records Search Links

The following links lead to official court, Sheriff’s Department and California government services.

Los Angeles Superior Court

• Los Angeles Superior Court — Official Website
• Criminal Defendant Name Search
• Criminal Case Number and Case Access
• Official Public Access Online Fee Schedule
• Online Criminal Name Search FAQ
• Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse Directory
• Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center
• Official Court Records Copy Request Instructions
• LA Superior Court Archives and Records Center
• Los Angeles Superior Court Hearing Reminders

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
• LASD Inmate Information Center
• LASD Official Records Requests
• Sheriff Records and Identification Bureau FAQs
• LASD Telephone Directory

California Statewide Criminal Records

• California DOJ — Request Your Own Criminal History
• California DOJ — Criminal History Access Restrictions
• California CDCR — State Prison Inmate Locator
• California DOJ — Megan’s Law Public Registry
• California Courts — Record Cleaning Guide
• California Courts — Obtaining Certified Court Records

Federal and Background Screening Information

• PACER — Federal Criminal Case Search
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Search
• California Civil Rights Department — Fair Chance Act
• FTC — Background Check Requirements