San Francisco County Court Clerk Role
California runs one trial court per county. San Francisco's local trial court is the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The court clerk function lives inside that court. There is no elected Clerk of Court the way some states have. Day-to-day records work is led by the Court Executive Officer, Brandon E. Riley, who runs court operations under the Presiding Judge, Rochelle C. East. The clerk side is split across division offices. Civil, family, probate, and small claims files go through Civil Records in Room 103 at the Civic Center Courthouse. Criminal and traffic files go through the Hall of Justice clerk windows in Room 101 and Room 145.
The county-clerk function for non-court matters sits in a different office. The San Francisco County Clerk is part of the City Administrator's Office and works out of City Hall, Room 160. That office issues marriage licenses, public and confidential certificates, domestic partnerships, notary filings, City IDs, and fictitious business names. It does not hold court case files. Property deeds, recorded marriage certificates, liens, and maps go through the Assessor-Recorder under Joaquin Torres. Sorting out which office holds a record is the first step in any San Francisco records request.
Civil Records Department
Office: Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
400 McAllister Street, Room 103
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-551-3802
CCCRecordsDepartment@sftc.org
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed noon to 1:00 p.m.
Criminal Records (Hall of Justice)
Office: Criminal Division Records, windows 7 and 8
850 Bryant Street, Room 101
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-551-0651
Mail: Attn: Records Dept., 850 Bryant Street, Room 101
The civil clerk side runs out of Room 103 at the Civic Center Courthouse. The Civil Records page lists the Room 103 address, copy timing, and contact email.
Confirm hours on this page before walking up to the San Francisco County court clerk counter for a civil copy or file viewing.
What the Court Clerk Does
The clerk side of San Francisco Superior Court files pleadings, keeps the register of actions, issues court process, manages the case file, and collects court fees. It also handles copy and search requests. Each division has its own filing windows. Civil Records in Room 103 covers unlimited civil, limited civil, small claims, unlawful detainer, family law, probate, name and gender changes, civil restraining orders, and civil appeals. Probate filing happens at Room 103, windows 23, 24, and 25, phone 415-551-3892. Criminal Records at the Hall of Justice holds criminal infraction, misdemeanor, and felony files, plus warrant return records.
Beyond filing intake, the clerk's office runs the public viewing rooms, fills certified copy orders, runs name-based and case-number searches, and handles requests for older paper files. The court clerk also publishes the case calendar, posts tentative rulings, and supports e-filing where the case type allows it. For matters that cross over with other county offices, the clerk often redirects users to the County Clerk for marriage licenses or to the Assessor-Recorder for recorded documents.
- File and date-stamp civil, family, probate, small claims, and criminal pleadings.
- Maintain the register of actions and imaged case file for each case.
- Issue summons, subpoenas, writs, abstracts of judgment, and other court process.
- Collect filing fees, copy fees, certification fees, and process fee waiver requests.
- Pull case files for in-person public viewing in Room 103 and Room 101.
- Fill mail and walk-in requests for certified and plain copies of court documents.
Civil Records vs Criminal Records
San Francisco court files split across two buildings, and they do not share a counter. A request sent to the wrong office gets routed back, which adds days. The split is by case type, not by name. Civil, family, probate, and small claims sit at Civic Center. Criminal and traffic sit at the Hall of Justice. A user looking for a divorce judgment and an old misdemeanor file for the same person must make two requests at two desks.
| Item | Civil Records (Room 103) | Criminal Records (Room 101) |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Civic Center, 400 McAllister | Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant |
| Case types | Civil, family, probate, small claims, UD, name change | Infraction, misdemeanor, felony, warrant returns |
| Phone | 415-551-3802 | 415-551-0651 |
| CCCRecordsDepartment@sftc.org | Not listed; request by mail or in person | |
| Online images | Civil from 2001; small claims from 2008; probate estate/trust from 2001 | No criminal documents online |
| Request form | Civil Records Request Form | Criminal Records Request Form |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is a court-stamped copy that meets evidence rules for use in another court, with a state agency, or with a bank, insurer, or other third party. A plain copy is fine for personal review but is not accepted for legal proof. The clerk needs enough detail to pull the right case file, and case number is the fastest path. If only the party name is known, expect a search step and longer wait. Mail requests must include payment, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a clear list of what is being asked for.
- Find the case number through the Case Calendar & Query tool. Use the civil or criminal query based on case type. The query sits behind a captcha gate that must be cleared first.
- Pick the right form. Use the Civil Records Request Form for civil, family, probate, small claims, and UD files. Use the Criminal Records Request Form for misdemeanor and felony files.
- Fill in case number, party name, document type, and copy count. Mark plain, certified, or exemplified. Sign and date the form.
- Include payment by check or money order made out to the court. For mail requests, add a self-addressed stamped envelope. In person, the clerk takes cash, check, or money order at the records counter.
- Submit at the right desk. Drop off civil requests at Room 103. Drop off criminal requests at Room 101, windows 7 or 8. Or mail to Attn: Records Dept. at the matching address.
- Wait for processing. Five pages or fewer can be done while you wait at the counter. Six pages or more, plus exemplified copies, take 12 to 15 court days.
- Pick up the copy or wait for mail return. Bring photo ID for in-person pickup.
Records Request Form Fields
The court uses two separate request forms. The Civil form gathers case identifiers, copy type, and document detail. The Criminal form leans more on defendant name, case number, and arrest or citation data. Both ask for clear contact info so the clerk can call back if a file is not found or if more cost is owed. Filling out every known field cuts down on call-back delays.
| Field | Form | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Civil | Yes | Requestor contact section. |
| Agency, if applicable | Civil | No | For law firms or public agencies. |
| Mailing Address | Civil and Criminal | Yes for mail | Used for return mail. |
| Phone Number | Civil and Criminal | Strongly requested | Clerk follow-up line. |
| Date of Request | Civil | Yes | Date submitted. |
| Case Name | Civil | Requested | Short title or party names. |
| Case Number | Civil and Criminal | Requested if known | Cuts search time. |
| Judgment Book and Page Number | Civil | No | For judgment research. |
| Type of Record Requested | Civil | Yes | Civil, family, probate, small claims, UD, or specific document. |
| Plain Copies | Civil | No | $0.50 per page; page count line. |
| Certified Copies | Civil | No | Certification fee line. |
| Exemplified Copies | Civil | No | Longer processing, 12 to 15 court days. |
| Search/Viewing Only | Civil | No | For viewing without copies. |
| Date and Short Title of Document(s) | Civil | Important | Identify filings, orders, judgments, minute orders. |
| Requestor Signature | Civil and Criminal | Yes | Signed under request. |
| Defendant Name | Criminal | Yes if no case number | Full legal name. |
| Citation Number | Criminal | No | For citation-linked matters. |
| Search Warrant Number | Criminal | No | For warrant records. |
| Date of Arrest | Criminal | No | Narrows search. |
| Date of Birth | Criminal | For identification | Tells defendants apart. |
| Type of Copy/Record | Criminal | Yes | Viewing, copies, certified, docket/register, specific documents. |
| Payment | Criminal | Yes for copies | Check or money order for mail. |
San Francisco Court Clerk Fees
Copy and certification fees are set by court policy and statute. Plain copies are priced per page. Certified copies add a certification fee on top. The clerk takes payment by cash at the counter and by check or money order at the counter or by mail. For online recorded property documents, the Assessor-Recorder charges a flat self-service fee that is much lower than the older paper counter price. Public records requests under the California Public Records Act use direct duplication cost rules under Government Code section 7922.575 unless another statute sets a different fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Civil plain copy per page | $0.50 |
| Civil certified copy | Per Civil Records Request Form fee line |
| Exemplified copy | Per form; 12 to 15 court days |
| Certified copy of public marriage certificate (Assessor-Recorder) | $17 per copy |
| Recorder self-service online recorded document copy | $1.81 flat per document |
| Criminal records copies and certification | Per Criminal Records Request Form |
| CPRA duplication | Direct cost unless another statute applies |
Note: Court fee schedules can change, so confirm the certification and exemplification line on the latest Civil and Criminal forms before sending payment.
The court posts a local forms and fees index for San Francisco-specific charges. The local forms and fees page is the source for current line-item court fees.
Cross-check this page against the request-form fee line before sending payment for any San Francisco County court clerk copy.
File Viewing and ID Rules
The clerk allows public viewing of most civil case files in Room 103 at the Civic Center Courthouse. Files are pulled on a first-come, first-served basis, and they stay on the premises. A requester must leave a photo ID as a deposit while the file is in hand. The ID is returned when the file is given back. Confidential probate, sealed civil, family law, and juvenile files are not handed out at the public counter and need a court order or party status.
Online viewing only goes so far. The court's name query coverage PDF says civil imaged documents are online from 2001 to present, small claims images from 2008 to present, and probate estate and trust images from 2001 to present. Family law images are not viewable online at all. Guardianship, conservatorship, and elder abuse images are not viewable online. Mini-minutes are not viewable online either. For anything outside those bands, the public viewing room or a paid copy request is the only path.
The Separate San Francisco County Clerk
The phrase "county clerk" trips up a lot of records seekers. In San Francisco, the County Clerk is not part of the court. The office lives at City Hall, One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 160, phone 415-554-4950, with processing hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Its work covers marriage license intake, confidential marriage certificate copies, domestic partnerships, City IDs, notary filings, and fictitious business names. It does not file or hold court case records.
Recorded documents are held by another office again. The Office of the Assessor-Recorder, led by Joaquin Torres, holds public marriage certificates after recording, deeds of trust, liens, reconveyances, and maps. The office launched a free online viewing service for recorded documents from 1990 to present, covering more than 7 million unique records. So a person looking for a recorded property deed or a public marriage certificate uses the Assessor-Recorder, while a person looking for a divorce judgment, a civil judgment, or a criminal docket uses the court clerk. For more on the vital-record side of that split, see the marriage and divorce records page.
The Recorder side of City Hall has its own department page. The Assessor-Recorder department page shows the office's recording, mapping, and fee schedule links.
Use this page to confirm whether the file you want is a court-side record or a San Francisco County recorded document.
The Recorder publishes the full fee schedule on a dedicated city report page. The Recorder fee schedule page lists per-document recording, copy, and search fees.
Check current rates on this schedule before mailing payment to record a deed or pull a San Francisco County recorded marriage certificate.
Common Court Clerk Forms
The court posts request forms on its records pages. These are the two most common, plus the public-records pathways used when the matter is administrative rather than case-based.
- Civil Records Request Form - for civil, family, probate, small claims, and unlawful detainer files.
- Criminal Records Request Form - for criminal case files and warrant records.
- Superior Court Records Page - links to every record-type request path, including juvenile and adoption.
- Local Forms and Fees - the court's posted fee and local form index.
Mail, Phone, and Online Access
Mail is the standard remote option for certified copies. Civil mail requests go to the Civil Records Department, 400 McAllister Street, Room 103, San Francisco, CA 94102. Criminal mail requests go to Attn: Records Dept., 850 Bryant Street, Room 101, San Francisco, CA 94103. The civil records email at CCCRecordsDepartment@sftc.org is used for status questions and for sending in scanned forms when the department allows it. Phone lines for case-status questions are 415-551-3802 for civil and 415-551-0651 for criminal.
Online case lookup is run through sf.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-information. The civil query, criminal query, civil UD or rental debt query, and case calendar all sit behind a captcha gate. The court's technology page says a PDF reader is needed for document images, and pop-up blockers should be turned off. Online does not cover criminal documents at all, and family law imaged documents are also not online. For those, the paper request is the only route.