San Bernardino County Clerk of the Superior Court

About the Clerk of the Superior Court in San Bernardino County

In California, the Clerk of the Superior Court is part of the trial court itself, not a separate elected office. The court is led by an Executive Officer who serves as the clerk of the court, supervises filings, manages the case file system and signs orders on behalf of the bench. Each district courthouse runs its own clerk counter, but the central administrative hub sits inside the San Bernardino Justice Center at 247 West Third Street. The court operates 13 facilities across the largest county in the contiguous United States and processes filings for civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, mental health, traffic and small claims matters.

The clerk function is the public face of the court for paper. A litigant files a complaint with the clerk. A lawyer e-files a motion through the clerk. A self-represented party asks the clerk for a certified copy of a judgment. The clerk does not give legal advice. The clerk does not decide the case. The clerk keeps the record true, time-stamps each document, and makes sure the file moves to the right judge or department. That is the daily job.

Superior Court Clerk vs Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk

The two offices share the word clerk, but they are not the same. The Clerk of the Superior Court holds court case files: civil, criminal, family law, probate, traffic and small claims. The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, often called the ARC, holds property records, official records like deeds and liens, vital records, marriage licenses and fictitious business name filings. The current ARC official is Josie Gonzales, sworn in January 2025 after a November 2024 special election to complete the late Bob Dutton's term.

The ARC vital records page states plainly that the Recorder-County Clerk does not maintain court records and that anyone seeking a divorce decree must contact the court where the case was filed. Confusion on this point costs people days. Someone who walks into 222 West Hospitality Lane asking for a divorce decree is sent back to the Justice Center. Someone who asks the court clerk for a birth certificate is sent to the ARC. Treat the two offices as separate maps.

The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Josie Gonzales bio is available at arc.sbcounty.gov.

The page confirms the office she leads and lists the services that fall under the ARC umbrella.

What the San Bernardino County Court Clerk Does

The court clerk is the gatekeeper of the case file. The job covers paper, fees, time stamps and certified copies. Court staff also issue process, log hearings and post minutes after a judge rules. The list below covers the core duties at every district courthouse in the county.

• Accept and file pleadings, motions, petitions, answers and proposed orders.
• Maintain the case file, docket and minute orders for each active case.
• Issue summons, subpoenas, writs and other process when a party requests them.
• Collect filing fees, copy fees, certification fees and posted court costs.
• Issue certified copies of judgments, orders, decrees and other court records.
• Schedule hearings on the court calendar and route files to the right judicial department.
• Process e-filings submitted through the Odyssey eFileCA portal.
• Manage retention and storage under Government Code section 68152.

The court records retention statute is published at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

Government Code 68152 sets retention schedules. Many probate orders, wills, inventories and felony judgments are permanent.

Main Office and District Clerk Counters in San Bernardino County

The central clerk hub is the San Bernardino Justice Center. Probate, civil, criminal and most administrative requests pass through this building. Family law sits a few blocks over on Arrowhead Avenue. Outlying districts run their own counters for cases filed under their jurisdiction codes (RS Rancho Cucamonga, VS Victorville, BS Barstow, MS Joshua Tree, FS Fontana, and others).

• San Bernardino Justice Center / Probate. 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0212. 909-521-3388.
• San Bernardino Family Law. 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0245. 909-521-3136. Fax 909-521-3128.
• Appeals and Appellate Division. 8303 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730. 909-384-1888. Fax 909-521-3576.
• Barstow District. 235 East Mountain View Street, Barstow, CA 92311. Traffic 760-718-3700. Small claims and landlord tenant 760-718-3734.
• Big Bear District. 477 Summit Boulevard, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315.
• Fontana District. 17780 Arrow Boulevard, Fontana, CA 92335. 909-350-9322.
• Joshua Tree District. 6527 White Feather Road, Joshua Tree, CA 92252. 760-974-3047.

The Justice Center has a probate drop box on the south side of the building at the bottom of the stairs. Documents in the box before 4:00 p.m. are received the same day and processed the next business day. Parking in downtown San Bernardino is tight; the court describes it as at a premium. The administrative records office is on the 11th floor and is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

How to Request a Certified Copy of a San Bernardino County Court Record

Certified copies prove a court order to a third party. Banks, the DMV, federal agencies and out-of-state courts all may ask for one. A plain copy is fine for personal use. A certified copy carries the clerk's stamp and signature.

1. Identify the case number. Pre-1998 cases may not appear in CAP; for those, contact the district where the case was filed.
2. Pick the document you need: judgment, dissolution decree, order, minute order or the full case file.
3. Pull or fill out the clerk's copy request form. Plain copies of civil document images can be bought online through the legacy civil case information page.
4. Submit the form at the public counter, by mail to the right district, or through the document sales page where available.
5. Pay the per-page copy fee plus the certification fee. The court accepts payment at the counter and by mail per its instructions.
6. Pick up the certified copy in person or wait for the clerk to mail it back to the address on file.

Older paper files held at a district counter may require a few business days to pull. If the case is sealed under California Rule of Court 2.550 or 2.551, the clerk cannot release it without a court order.

San Bernardino County Court Records Request Form Fields

The court's judicial administrative records request form covers requests under California Rule of Court 10.500. It is not the form to use for case records, divorce records, traffic violations, probate records, name-change records or jury service questions. For case files, work with the clerk's case-specific copy request process at the right district. The administrative form field list below comes from the official fillable PDF.

The court's administrative records request portal sits at sb-court.org. The judicial branch's broader public records page is at courts.ca.gov.

San Bernardino County Court Clerk Fees

Fees vary by document type and source. The court charges per page for civil document images. The ARC charges different fees for official records and vital records. Both tables sit below. Confirm current fees at the clerk's counter before sending payment; statewide fee schedules change.

Older legacy court pages list the $0.50 per page rate with a $50 cap per document. Current pages still display the $0.50 per page rate. The court system maintenance window for online tools is 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. daily.

Records Held by the ARC (Not the Court Clerk)

The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk holds a different set of records. Vital records sit here: birth certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates. Official records sit here too: recorded deeds, deeds of trust, liens, releases and maps. So do marriage licenses, fictitious business name filings, notary oaths, professional photocopier registrations and process server registrations. For any of these, go to arc.sbcounty.gov, not the court clerk.

The ARC services index shows the assessor, recorder and clerk service links side by side. The court clerk is not on this list because the court runs its own counter.

For more on the split, see the site's marriage and divorce records page and the broader public records page. Divorce decrees and family law orders live with the court at the Family Law building on Arrowhead Avenue. Marriage license records and certified marriage certificates live with the ARC. Authorized solemnizers are listed under Family Code section 400.

Family Code 400 sets the list of people who can perform a marriage. The ARC records the license after the ceremony.

ARC Fee Schedule for Recorder-Clerk Copies

The ARC fee schedule below comes from the recorder-clerk copy request form. Vital records carry set state fees. Official records use a tiered per-page price.

The full vital records page is at arc.sbcounty.gov/vital-records/. The marriage license and ceremony page is at arc.sbcounty.gov/marriage/. Marriage certificate return after a ceremony is governed by Family Code section 359.

Online Filing and the CAP Portal for San Bernardino Court Records

The Superior Court accepts e-filing through Odyssey eFileCA. The court's civil eFiling requirements page sets the document standards. Civil unlimited cases must be e-filed in most situations. Family law and probate filings have their own e-filing rules.

Public case lookup runs through the Court Access Portal at cap.sb-court.org. Free case information is available without an account. Party searches and business searches require a login. Civil document images can be purchased online through the legacy case information and document sales page. Coverage is limited for cases filed before 1998; for those older cases, contact the district where the case was filed.

Case numbers carry jurisdiction codes that signal the filing district: SS, DS and JS San Bernardino; RS Rancho Cucamonga; VS Victorville; BS Barstow; MS Joshua Tree; NS Needles; CS Chino; FS Fontana; ES Redlands; PS Probate; HS Big Bear. A case number like RFL012345 has case type RFL and underlying number RS012345. Use the right district code when calling the clerk.

Processing Times for Court and ARC Records

Wait times vary by record type and request channel. Court counter requests for routine certified copies often process the same day if the file is on hand. Older files held off-site may need pull time. ARC processing times are posted on the office's own page at arc.sbcounty.gov/processing-times/.

• ARC birth, death and marriage certificates by mail: 3 to 4 weeks.
• Marriage license recording after ceremony: 2 to 3 weeks before a certified copy is ready.
• Official record copies online: 2 business days.
• Official record copies by mail: 2 to 5 business days.
• Document recording by mail: 7 to 10 business days.
• Document recording in person: same day if accepted.
• Court probate drop-box documents in by 4:00 p.m.: received same day, processed next business day.

For sealed records and juvenile case files, processing depends on the court order needed to unseal. Juvenile case files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Court records preservation rules sit at Government Code section 68150.

Related San Bernardino County Court Records Resources

For case search and the CAP portal, see court records. For divorce decrees and marriage records, see marriage and divorce records. For broader public records and CPRA requests, see public records. For estate filings, see probate records. For background on the court itself, see the Superior Court page.