How to Search Fresno County Court Records
The Superior Court of California, County of Fresno runs the main case search. California has unified superior courts, so all civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, and small claims matters for the county flow through one trial court. The search starts at fresno.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-information, which links to the live portal at publicportal.fresno.courts.ca.gov. The court calls it the online Case Management and Information System, and it shows only case data the public may view by law.
Get the case number or full legal name of a party before you start. For civil case numbers, the last three letters on a notice are judge initials, not part of the case ID. So 03CECG00001 SJK should be entered as 03CECG00001. Drop the SJK or the portal will not find the file.
A look at the Fresno Superior Court case information landing page shows the warnings and the link that opens the portal.
The landing page is the safest start because third-party sites do not always carry the same notices on sealed files, unlawful detainer holds, and certified copies.
- Start at fresno.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-information, not a third-party site.
- Read the public access warning. The system blocks nonpublic case data.
- Pick "View Case Information Now." The portal opens at publicportal.fresno.courts.ca.gov.
- Search by the most exact key. Case number works best. Strip trailing judge initials.
- For a name search, use a full legal name and narrow by case type or date when filters are exposed.
- For an unlawful detainer filed in the last 60 days, do not expect a hit.
- If the case is sealed, juvenile, adoption, or mental health, the portal will not show it.
- For a certified copy, ask the court in person or in writing. Do not rely on a portal print.
- For bulk needs, use the Case Index Order Form.
Fresno County Court Case Portal Fields
The portal is a dynamic web app. The court does name the Case ID field and gives a sample format, and the case index page lists the report fields the public can get. The table below is built from those court pages.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case ID / Case Number | Text | One key required | Sample: 03CECG00001. Remove trailing judge initials such as SJK. |
| Party Name | Text | One key required | Use full legal name. Business name for company parties. |
| Case Type | Dropdown | No | Civil, Family Law, Probate, Small Claims, and others. |
| Filing Date / Date Range | Date | No | Narrows wide name searches. |
| Search / Reset | Button | Yes to run | Runs or clears the public query. |
The court reminds the public that online data is not the official record. The dynamic case portal hosts the live search form.
The portal screen is where most name and case-number lookups happen.
Types of Fresno County Court Records
The court holds many kinds of records under one roof. Some are open on the portal. Some are open only at the courthouse. Some are sealed. The case type drives what you can see and how to ask. The civil, family, probate, criminal, and traffic divisions each produce a separate kind of file. Juvenile and adoption sit under strict confidentiality laws and are not part of the routine public search.
- Civil: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments. Limited civil is $35,000 or less.
- Small claims: plaintiff and defendant claims, service papers, hearing date, judgment.
- Unlawful detainer: not available online for 60 days after filing.
- Criminal: complaints, plea forms, minute orders, sentencing orders, and bail records.
- Traffic: citation, fine, traffic school eligibility, written declaration, and disposition.
- Family law: divorce, custody, support, restraining orders. Some data is sealed.
- Probate: wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and CARE Act matters.
- Juvenile and adoption: confidential by statute. Not on the public portal.
For a chronological list of hearings on one case, see court dockets. For arrest-side data, see criminal records. Traffic infractions have their own page at traffic court records.
What Fresno County Court Records Show
A Fresno case file holds far more than a single result line on the portal. The full file may run hundreds of pages, with motions, exhibits, transcripts, and orders. The court page on case index ordering lists the fields the public can get and the fields the law tells the court to exclude.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Internal case identifier. Civil numbers use a year/court/case-type prefix. |
| Case Style / Party Name | Plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or People v. defendant. |
| Filing Date | Date the first paper was filed. |
| Case Type | Civil, small claims, family, probate, criminal, traffic, juvenile, or appeal. |
| Offenses | Criminal and traffic indexes show the charged offense code section. |
| Status / Status Date | Pending, disposed, dismissed, closed, sealed, or stayed, plus the date set. |
| Register of Actions | Chronological docket of filings, hearings, minute orders, and rulings. |
| Hearing Information | Date, time, department, courtroom, judicial officer, hearing type. |
| Disposition | Outcome of the case or a single charge. |
| Excluded fields | SSN, financial, warrant, victim, witness, ethnicity, age, gender, government ID, driver's license, date of birth (Rule 2.507). |
Those exclusions explain why a name match on the portal may not give you a date of birth or driver's license to confirm identity. The data is blocked by rule, not missing by accident.
Public Access Laws for Court Records
California works on two layers. County and sheriff records sit under the California Public Records Act, now in Government Code section 7920.000 et seq. Court case records sit under the California Rules of Court and a set of statutes tied to the file type. The California Constitution, Article I, section 3(b), states the right of public access to public business, but it does not override specific confidentiality rules.
Anyone may ask the court for a record. There is no proof of citizenship, no need to state a reason, and no in-state residency rule. Fees apply for copies, search time, and certified work. Photo ID may be required at the courthouse to pull a paper file, and certified vital copies have stricter rules under Health and Safety Code section 103526.
Statute callout. Key California laws on court record access: Government Code 7920.000 (CPRA), 7922.000 (balancing), 7922.530 (court action to enforce), 7923.600 (law enforcement exemption), and Government Code sections 6200 and 6201 on the crime of altering or destroying public records.
If a CPRA request is denied and you think the call was wrong, section 7922.530 lets you ask a court to enforce the right. There is no statewide CPRA appeals board. The remedy is a court action.
Restricted and Confidential Records
Some Fresno court files are not open to the public at all. Juvenile case files are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Sealed juvenile files use Welfare and Institutions Code section 781. Adoption files are confidential under Family Code section 9200. Arrests with no conviction may be sealed under Penal Code section 851.91, automatically relieved under Penal Code section 851.93, or sealed and destroyed after a factual innocence finding under Penal Code section 851.8. Convictions that meet the rule may get dismissal relief under Penal Code section 1203.4.
To view a sealed record, you need a statutory right, a court order, or both. For a juvenile file, a petition under section 827 is filed in juvenile court and the judge decides who may inspect. Domestic violence, mental health, and CARE Act files may redact addresses, minor names, and medical content. The portal will not display these files. A walk-in trip to the clerk is the next step, with proof of status as a party, attorney, or guardian.
Certified Copies and Official Court Records
The Fresno Superior Court is clear that the online portal is not the official record. Portal screenshots and PDF prints work for a quick check but cannot be used in court or sent to most agencies as proof. For an official certified copy, ask the court in person or in writing for the specific document. The clerk will pull the file, copy it, certify the copy, and seal it. Fees are listed on the court fee schedule.
Mail requests should name the case number, the parties, the document title, and the date. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope plus a check for fees. For divorce or marriage matters, see the marriage and divorce records page since some marriage copies come from the Recorder. For the right counter to use, see clerk of court.
Bulk Case Indexes and the Case Index Order Form
If you need many cases at once, the portal is the wrong tool. The court sells a monthly case index report. Each report covers one case-management category and one month of data. The fee is $70 per report. PDF and a text data file are sent by email. Hard copy is offered at $0.50 per page plus mailing. Pay by check made out to Fresno County Superior Court. Mail the form to the Fresno County Superior Court Accounting Department, 4th Floor, 1100 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93724-0002. Email CaseIndexReports@fresno.courts.ca.gov with questions.
| Item | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case index report (PDF + text file) | $70 per month | One report covers one case-management report and one month. |
| Hard-copy case index | $0.50 per page + mailing | Added to the base $70 if you want paper. |
| Certified copy of a single document | See court fee schedule | Requested in person or by mail. |
| Search fee for a named record | See court fee schedule | Charged when the clerk must search the file. |
Index fields follow California Rules of Court 2.503 and 2.507. The court must exclude Social Security numbers, financial data, warrant info, victim and witness info, ethnicity, age, gender, government ID, driver's license, and date of birth.
See the case index ordering page for the current order form and payment rules.
The order page lists the report fields supplied for criminal and traffic indexes versus civil and small claims indexes.
Recent Changes: 2026 Case Management Upgrade
The court began a case management system upgrade on March 26, 2026. The change affects how the back-end stores case data and how the portal pulls it forward. Older search tips from the prior Court Connect system should be read with care. Field labels, filter options, and case type names may differ. The court page is the controlling source for current search language. Notices may add short windows when financial transactions or e-filing are paused. If a search returns no hit on a case you know exists, try the case number with and without judge initials, and try again later. A walk-in visit may also be needed for older files not yet migrated.
In-Person Court Record Requests
For walk-in service, the main counters are at the downtown courthouse on Van Ness Avenue and the B. F. Sisk Courthouse on O Street. Criminal files live downtown. Civil, family, probate, small claims, and unlawful detainer files live at B. F. Sisk. Traffic files are at M Street. Older files may sit at the Archives Facility on E Street. Bring photo ID, a case number, and payment.
Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
1100 Van Ness Avenue
Fresno, CA 93724-0002
(559) 457-2000
Clerk: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 4 PM