How to Search San Bernardino County Court Records
The Superior Court runs the Court Access Portal at cap.sb-court.org. CAP is free for case lookup. It pulls from the same case management system the clerks use. A San Bernardino County court records search can start with just a case number, a citation, or a name. Document images cost extra to view or buy. The court keeps a system update window each day from 3:30 to 4:30 a.m., so the portal can be down for a short time then.
Before you start, have the case number ready if you can. The case number tells you which court district handled the file. The two letters after the case type code map to a court location. SS, DS, and JS point to San Bernardino. RS is Rancho Cucamonga. VS is Victorville. BS is Barstow. MS is Joshua Tree. NS is Needles. CS is Chino. FS is Fontana. ES is Redlands. PS is Probate. HS is Big Bear. For example, the case number RFL012345 has case type RFL and district code RS, so the file sits at Rancho Cucamonga.
- Open the CAP case search page and pick a search type: case number, citation, name, or business.
- Type in the value. Case numbers run 5 to 16 characters. Name searches need at least two letters in the first and last name fields.
- Pass the reCAPTCHA box if it shows. The portal asks for it when you are not logged in.
- Click Search. The portal returns matches with case number, case style, file date, and court site.
- Click a case to open the case template. Tabs show parties, events, hearings, charges, bonds, warrants, and documents.
- To buy a document image, follow the order link. Cost is $0.50 per page online.
The civil and document sales process for San Bernardino County court records can be reached at old.sb-court.org.
The same site lays out the jurisdiction codes used on every San Bernardino court case file.
CAP Search Fields for San Bernardino County Court Records
The CAP case search form changes based on the search type you pick. Some fields are required. Some need a login. Names take wildcards. The party search needs at least two letters and a star. Business search needs at least three letters and a star. The quick search bar at the top of CAP shows the placeholder text "CASE NUMBER / PERSON First Name Last Name / BUSINESS NAME" and lets you switch search modes with a radio button.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | Yes | Min 5, max 16 alpha-numeric. Buttons: Search, Clear. |
| Citation Number | Text | Yes | Full citation; 5 to 20 characters. |
| Use Name / Use AKA | Radio | Yes for party search | Login may be required when not signed in. |
| First Name | Text | Conditional | Min 2, max 20 characters. |
| Middle Name | Text | Optional | Min 2, max 20. |
| Last Name | Text | Conditional | Min 2, max 20. |
| AKA | Text | Conditional | Min 2, max 40 characters. |
| Date Of Birth | Date | Optional | 1900-01-01 to current date; only if the field is on. |
| Business Name | Text | Yes for business search | Min 3, max 100; login required when not signed in. |
| reCAPTCHA | Challenge | Conditional | Shown for guests when the portal asks for it. |
The full CAP case search page shows the live form for San Bernardino County court records lookups.
For more filters than the basic page offers, switch to CAP advanced search.
CAP Advanced Search for San Bernardino County Court Records
The CAP advanced search page splits filters into three tabs. The CASE INFO tab is the default. CROSS REFERENCE # lets you tie one case to another. FILING DATE pulls cases by file-date range. Each tab needs the file-date window set. Party Type, Person or Business, Case Category, Case Type, and Case Status all narrow the result list.
Case Category drops down to Any, Criminal, Civil, Family, or Probate / Mental Health. Case Status is a dynamic list. Party Type changes by case kind. Party DOB takes MM/DD/YYYY. The court also keeps the official advanced search instructions PDF for users who want the full field reference.
Eviction and small-claims real-property cases use a separate landlord-tenant search.
The CAP landlord-tenant search needs the plaintiff name, defendant name, and the full property address. The street, city, state, and ZIP are all required. The plaintiff and defendant can be set as Individual or Business. Names take 2 to 30 characters for people and up to 400 for a business.
Note: The landlord-tenant tool only returns cases that match all three address fields, so verify the property data first.
Types of Court Records in San Bernardino County
The Superior Court holds a wide mix of case files. Some files are open to anyone. Some are sealed by law. Civil and criminal cases make up the bulk of public San Bernardino County court records. Family, probate, and traffic files round out the rest. Many case types use their own forms, fees, and rules. The court site lists them on the civil division page and across the location pages.
- Civil cases: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, name changes, civil harassment, and unlimited or limited civil matters. Most are public unless sealed.
- Criminal cases: felony and misdemeanor complaints, arraignment minutes, plea entries, dispositions, sentencing, and probation. The CAP case template adds ARREST/CHARGES/DISPO. and BONDS/WARRANT tabs.
- Traffic and infraction cases: citations, fines, status, and DMV-reportable convictions. The traffic court records page covers payment and contest routes.
- Family law: dissolution, legal separation, custody, support, parentage, and domestic violence orders.
- Probate: estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships. The probate records page goes deeper.
- Small claims and landlord-tenant: unlawful detainer and money-claim cases.
- Juvenile: delinquency and dependency files; closed to the public under state law.
- Protective orders: civil harassment, domestic violence, elder abuse, and criminal protective orders.
Adoption and confidential marriage files are closed by default. Vital record changes that come out of a court order get sent to the state.
What a San Bernardino County Court Record Shows
When you open a case in CAP, the system loads a case-detail template. The header carries the case number, the case style, and any case flags such as a custody flag or a warrant flag. Tabs below the header break the file into parts. Each tab shows up only if the case has that kind of data. The full template comes from the live CAP case-details view.
The field set below is what a public viewer sees on a typical San Bernardino County court records page in CAP. Restricted fields, like a defendant's full date of birth, are masked unless the user has secured access.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique case ID with the case type and the district code (for example, FAMSS12345). |
| Case Style / Caption | The named parties, such as "People v. Smith" or "Doe v. Roe." |
| Case Type | The class of case, such as felony, civil unlimited, family law, or probate. |
| Filing Date | The day the complaint or petition was filed at the clerk's office. |
| Case Status | Active, closed, dismissed, on appeal, or another state-defined value. |
| Court Location | The district or justice center where the case sits. |
| Judicial Officer | The judge or commissioner now assigned to the case. |
| Next Hearing | The date, time, and room of the next set hearing. |
| Citation Number | Used on traffic cases tied to a CHP or local police citation. |
| Parties | Plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and counsel of record. |
| Events / Hearings | Past and future court dates, motions heard, and outcomes. |
| Charges / Causes | Counts charged, code sections, and the plea or finding on each. |
| Documents | Filings on record, with order links for image copies at $0.50 per page. |
| Bonds / Warrants | Bail set, surety, and any active bench or arrest warrant. |
| Financials | Fees, fines, and account balance, if the case has money on it. |
| Related Cases | Co-defendant case numbers and tied cross-reference cases. |
| DOB | Masked as XXXX-XX-XX in the public criminal view. |
Note: Race, sex, height, weight, driver license, and state or FBI ID fields are blocked from the public view and need a secured login.
Document Sales and Civil Case Information
Public viewing of San Bernardino County court records is free. Buying a copy of a document image costs money. The current court page sets the rate at $0.50 per page. The older legacy page also lists $0.50 per page, with a $50 max per document. Case files from before 1998 have limited online coverage. The court tells users to contact the right district office for older paper files.
Civil case images that the law lets the public view can be ordered through CAP and paid for by card. The system needs a few minutes to package each image. Daily downtime runs from 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. for system updates. Plan around that if you need a record at dawn.
The court runs warrants and bench warrant lookups on its own portal route.
For full warrant details and rules, the warrant records page covers active warrant lookup.
Public Access Laws for San Bernardino County Court Records
California uses three layers of public access law. Most case files in the Superior Court are open. Some are not. The California Public Records Act, Gov. Code section 7920.000, sets the baseline for agency records but does not control ordinary court case files. The judicial branch has its own rules instead.
For administrative court records, like budgets and policies, the rule is California Rule of Court 10.500. That rule sets a 10-day timeline to respond and lets the court charge fees. Case-file access falls under a separate set of rules. Sealing of a court file follows CRC 2.550 and the procedural steps in CRC 2.551. The judge must make written findings to seal a record.
Retention is set by statute. Gov. Code section 68150 lets trial courts keep records in paper or digital form. Gov. Code section 68152 sets the retention schedule. Probate orders and felony judgments are often kept for life. Many traffic files can be purged after a set term.
Note: Public access to San Bernardino County court records does not include juvenile, sealed, or confidential files, and the court can redact safety data on protective orders.
Restricted and Confidential San Bernardino County Court Records
Some San Bernardino County court records are closed by state law. Juvenile case files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Only named persons, named agencies, or a court order can open a juvenile file. Sealed records under CRC 2.550 and 2.551 stay out of the public view. Records sealed by court order do not show up on CAP.
Arrest sealing is a separate process. An eligible non-conviction arrest can be sealed under Penal Code section 851.91. Factual innocence sealing under Penal Code section 851.8 is harder to win but gives the strongest relief. Post-probation dismissal under Penal Code section 1203.4 reduces the impact of a conviction but does not destroy the file.
DOJ criminal history files are not on CAP. They are pulled under Penal Code section 11105, the dissemination statute. To get your own state record, file a Live Scan request through the California Department of Justice. The criminal records page walks through that step.
eFiling San Bernardino County Court Records
New civil filings in San Bernardino can be filed online. The court uses Odyssey eFileCA. The civil eFiling requirements page at sb-court.org lists what file types are accepted, the size cap, and the cover sheet rules. Filings are checked by a clerk before they hit the case. The court can reject a filing if the format is off.
Once a filing is accepted, it shows up on the CAP docket within a short window. Date stamps reflect the time the eFile was sent, not the time the clerk reviewed it. The full set of San Bernardino County court records open to the public can be tracked through CAP after eFile acceptance.
How to Request Older or Pre-1998 Records
Cases filed before 1998 may not show on CAP. Some paper files were moved to off-site storage. To get a pre-1998 file, contact the court district where the case was filed. The case number's two-letter code points to the district. For an SS or DS case, call San Bernardino. For RS, call Rancho Cucamonga. For VS, call Victorville. The clerk's office can pull paper records on request and may charge a search fee.
Long-retention files, like felony judgments and probate orders, are kept under Gov. Code section 68152. Other case files can be purged once the retention term ends. Always confirm the file is still on hand before paying for a search.
San Bernardino Justice Center
247 West Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210
909-521-3388
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.