Status of a Case

Information about pending or recently concluded civil cases (excluding family law, probate, small claims, traffic, appeals, juvenile traffic, unlawful detainer cases under $25,000, and juvenile cases) can be obtained by viewing the case on the Court's Public Portal, calling the Civil Division at 925-608-1000 (option 2), sending a letter including appropriate fees to the Civil Correspondence Clerk, hiring a private agency to retrieve information, or going to Court Records. The Civil Unit is open Monday through Friday (except court holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and is located at 725 Court Street (P.O. Box 911), Martinez, CA 94553. Civil staff can answer questions about the status of documents, about upcoming scheduled hearings and events, and can tell you when certain documents are due to be filed according to Case Management Program guidelines. Civil staff are not permitted to give legal advice, or tell you how proceed in your case pursuant to Government Code section 68082.

Viewing or Copying Court Files

To obtain copies or certified copies of a civil file or document, you may print them out from the Court's Public Portal, hire a private agency to assist you, go to the Civil Records Unit in the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, or complete a Request for Copies of Civil Records and mail it with the appropriate fee(s) to the Civil Correspondence Clerk. To obtain certified copies of a civil file or document the court must provide a copy for certification (i.e. you cannot bring in a copy from home).

For cases and documents filed after November 13, 2007, all public documents may be viewed via the Court's Public Portal.

For cases and documents filed before November 13, 2007, you will need to view the physical case file. All physical civil files are kept at an off-site retention facility and take approximately 10 business days to be delivered to the main courthouse. If you plan to view one of these files, you will need to order it by coming to the Civil Records Unit or calling the Civil Records Unit at 925-874-7186. Most civil court files are public records and may be viewed by anyone. To see a court file you must present valid picture identification, such as a current driver's license.