Common Questions About San Bernardino County Court Records
The Q&A list below covers search, fees, hours, restricted files, and the split between the Superior Court and the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARC). Each box is short. Each links to the page that goes deeper.
Where do I search San Bernardino County court records?
Use the Court Access Portal (CAP) at cap.sb-court.org. CAP is the official public tool. It runs case search, calendars, payments, and document sales for civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic cases filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Free case data shows on screen. Civil document images sell for $0.50 a page when offered online. The portal is the same one used at the court counter. For a full walk through the search modes, see court records.
Is San Bernardino County case information free?
Yes. Case information is free on CAP. There is no charge to view party names, case numbers, hearing dates, calendars, or case status. Costs only kick in when a civil document image is bought. The court page lists $0.50 per page where images are available, with a $50 cap per document on the legacy page. Criminal document images are generally not sold online. For the full fee picture, see the Clerk of the Superior Court page.
Why can't I find an older San Bernardino case?
The court states that online coverage is limited for cases filed before 1998. Many pre-1998 files were created under the old municipal-court structure and never converted to the modern case-management system. Some were sent to off-site storage. Some were destroyed under the retention rules in Government Code section 68152. To get an older file, contact the district where it was filed. The case-number prefix points to the district. RS is Rancho Cucamonga, VS is Victorville, BS is Barstow, DS is San Bernardino civil. More guidance lives on the court records page.
When is the San Bernardino court portal offline?
The CAP site states the system is unavailable each morning from 3:30 to 4:30 a.m. for nightly updates. New filings, dispositions, and payment posts from the prior day are written into the public index during that hour. A search that fails between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. is almost always a maintenance hit, not a missing case. Try again after 4:30 a.m. Pacific. If the case still does not appear, check the spelling, drop the middle name, and use the wildcard rules. See court dockets for the full search walkthrough.
Can ARC give me a San Bernardino County divorce decree?
No. ARC, the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk under Josie Gonzales, says clearly on its vital-records page that divorce decrees are court records and must be requested from the court where the divorce was filed. ARC issues marriage, birth, and death certificates only. For a San Bernardino divorce, file the request with the Superior Court Family Law branch at 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0245, phone 909-521-3136. Full steps live on marriage and divorce records.
Who is the San Bernardino County Clerk?
Josie Gonzales. She was sworn in as Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk in January 2025 after winning the November 2024 special election to complete the late Bob Dutton's term. The ARC office, at 222 West Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino, handles assessor work, recorded documents and maps, marriage licenses, vital records, fictitious business names, and notary filings. It is not the court clerk. Court case files are kept by the Superior Court itself. See the Clerk of the Superior Court page for the court-side role.
Can I use wildcards in San Bernardino court search?
Yes. CAP rules say a party-name wildcard needs at least two characters plus the asterisk, so "Sm*" works for Smith, Smyth, Small. A business-name wildcard needs at least three characters plus the asterisk, like "Acm*". The wildcard saves time when a spelling is unsure or a name has a suffix. It does not work in the citation-number field. The full field-by-field guidance is on court records.
Where is San Bernardino County Probate handled?
The Probate Division sits at the San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0212. The probate line is 909-521-3388. Public counter hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with lobby doors open at 7:30 a.m. A drop box on the south side of the Justice Center accepts filings up to 4:00 p.m. Probate covers estates, wills, guardianships, and conservatorships. The dedicated probate records page has the search and fee details.
How do I find a San Bernardino County inmate?
Use the Sheriff's official locator at jimsnetil.shr.sbcounty.gov/bookingsearch.aspx. The locator covers all four main adult jails: Central Detention Center, Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, High Desert Detention Center, and West Valley Detention Center. Together they hold about 5,000 inmates a day. A search by booking number is the fastest route. A name search needs a date of birth or an approximate age, plus gender. Full guidance is on inmate records.
Does the San Bernardino inmate locator show releases?
Yes. The locator has an Out of Custody Search with daily release-date links. On a recent check the page showed 30 daily release lists. Each list can be sorted by release date. Inmate profile pages also show Release Date, Released To, and Release Notification, and link to VINELink so a victim or family member can sign up for alerts. The dedicated released inmates page lays out the release timing rules.
What if a San Bernardino inmate name does not appear?
The Sheriff's disclaimer says some names may be excluded by law. The old exemption sat under Government Code section 6254(f) and now lives in the recodified Public Records Act. Juvenile bookings and protected witness holds are common reasons a record does not show. The Sheriff directs callers to West Valley Detention Center at 909-350-2476 for case-by-case confirmation. The line also handles bail questions. More on this is on inmate records.
How do I schedule a San Bernardino jail visit?
Use the inmate locator first. Open the inmate profile, then click the schedule-visit link. Appointments must be made at least one day in advance. No same-day visits. The county also runs an appointment line at 909-887-0364 if the online path will not work. Check in 30 minutes before the visit. A valid photo ID is required. Cell phones, recording devices, weapons, and gang attire are banned at the gate. The inmate records page lists the dress code and the weekly visit cap.
How do I post bail in San Bernardino County?
The Sheriff accepts cash bail or surety bond 24 hours a day at any of the four county jail facilities, as set out in Penal Code section 1269b. Real-property bail is handled by the court, not the jail. The bail amount comes from the county bail schedule or the judge's order at first appearance. A "no bail" or "sentenced" flag on a charge can block release even if other bail is posted. The bail information line is 909-350-2476. Get the broader picture on warrant records.
How do I get a San Bernardino marriage certificate?
Request it from ARC. The marriage certificate fee is $19 per copy. Mail orders go to County Clerk, 222 W. Hospitality Lane, 1st Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0022. The Recorder-Clerk service line is 909-387-8306. Confidential marriage certificates can be issued only to the parties to the marriage, not to family members. Standard mail processing runs 3 to 4 weeks. Walk-ins are usually same day if the record is on file. See marriage and divorce records for the full request form.
Are San Bernardino juvenile records public?
No. Juvenile case files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Only listed parties, the child's attorney, the agency of record, and the court itself can view the file without a court order. A third party may petition the juvenile court for limited access, but the bar is high. This rule covers delinquency and dependency matters, including juvenile traffic infractions. The criminal records page covers the adult side.
How can a San Bernardino traffic ticket be paid or contested?
Two paths. To pay, use CAP Case Payment at cap.sb-court.org/payments or mail the bail amount to the district shown on the courtesy notice. To contest, file for an arraignment or request a Trial by Written Declaration under Vehicle Code section 40902. A written declaration is a paper trial. The driver writes a statement, the officer writes one back, the judge rules on the papers. A Trial De Novo is the next step if the driver loses. See traffic court records for the full step-by-step.
What federal court covers San Bernardino County?
The United States District Court for the Central District of California. The Central District is the largest federal court in the country by population and hears federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy cases for San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. Federal case search is run through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov, which is a separate paid system. San Bernardino state Superior Court files do not appear in PACER, and federal files do not appear in CAP. Background is on the Superior Court page.
Where do San Bernardino state prison inmates appear?
Not in the county jail locator. State prison inmates show in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation locator, known as CIRIS, at apps.cdcr.ca.gov/ciris. CDCR runs all 33 state prisons. A defendant moves from county jail to CDCR after sentencing on a felony with a state-prison commitment. Federal sentenced inmates show in the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator. The released inmates page lists each of these state and federal tools.
Still Have Questions?
For the right office, see Clerk of the Superior Court. For broader access rules, see public records. For records-by-topic, browse court records, criminal records, inmate records, warrant records, marriage and divorce, or probate.