How to Access Sonoma County Court Records?

Incorporated in 1850, Sonoma County is a County in the U.S. State of California. As of the 2020 Census, its population was estimated to be 488,863. The County has a land area of 1,576 square miles, and its seat of government is Santa Rosa.

Courts in Sonoma County

The Sonoma County trial court system consists only of Superior Courts. These Courts have several Divisions, including Criminal, Civil, Family, and Juvenile Divisions. The Court’s Civil Division handles cases relating to breach of contract, personal injury, and enforcement of private rights.

The court’s Criminal Division has jurisdiction over infractions, misdemeanors, and felony cases. The Division also conducts trials, motions, arraignments, preliminary hearings, and other criminal proceedings.

The Court’s Family Division handles cases relating to child support and neglect, adoption, and divorce. The Juvenile Division, on the other hand, handles cases relating to juvenile delinquency, juvenile support, and so on.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Sonoma County

General court records are filed and archived by the Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. To access the records, interested members of the public can submit a request form to the Clerk’s Office. Alternatively, interested persons can access the records online through the Sonoma Superior Court’s Oddysey Portal.

Types of Public Court Records in Sonoma County

Public court records are documents emanating from court proceedings and made accessible to all interested members of the public. The following types of court records are regarded as public in Sonoma County:

• Criminal Records
• Civil Courts Records
• Family Court Records
• Traffic Court Records
• Probate Court Records

Confidential Court Records in Sonoma County

Court records designated as confidential in Sonoma County are not available to the members of the public. Only parties to the case and their attornies are granted access to such records. Some of these records include:

• Health Records
• Adoption Records
• Juvenile Records
• Probate Records
• Criminal Exhibit Records

Sonoma County is located in the state of California with a total of 504,217 residents and was established in 1850.

Sonoma county court records are public records that are available in most cases to the everyone. Some Sonoma courts are very busy with many different types of cases, and others see very few. It depends on the court structure and the number of residents. Many counties have court records posted online on their website for easy access in California. However, in some cases, you will have to visit a few different websites to find California court records.

Public court records for Sonoma County will include criminal cases (both felonies and misdemeanors), civil cases (like personal and business lawsuits), bankruptcies, marriages and divorces, liens, tax issues, small claims, traffic court cases, evictions, family law cases and more.

Since 2012, a total of 604,418 were filed in the county. As of 2018, 83% of the cases were criminal cases. The busiest courts in the county were Superior Court.

Finding Sonoma County court records is possible using the California court system website at https://www.courts.ca.gov/, and even easier through Sonoma County court records search tools like Infotracer. With just a name search, the user can review hundreds of available court records and cases from any Sonoma County court.

Sonoma County Court Caseload Data and Trends

Depending on the law enforcement practices, and political and economic climates, court case statistics will vary from year to year in specific areas of Sonoma County, CA.

The Sonoma County court system consists of 1 court type, Superior Court. In 2018, Superior Court recorded 63,622 filings, which indicates a decrease of 21% from 76,807 in 2017. Review the table below for number of cases in the county.

Most Popular Court Cases

You can tell a lot about an area by the types of court cases that appear in county courts.

Sonoma County court records data dates back to 2012. Some may date back further, but they started formally recording them since 2012. There was a total of 63,622 cases filed in the county for the year 2018. The most popular type of court case is criminal comprising 83% of the total filings. The next most popular types of court cases are civil and family law cases. Check out the table below to review the filing information for a specific court case type in county.

There are various options to search for a Sonoma County court case using someone’s name, the court type, the courthouse or county name, and other information.

Incorporated in 1850, Sonoma County is a County in the U.S. State of California. As of the 2020 Census, its population was estimated to be 488,863. The County has a land area of 1,576 square miles, and its seat of government is Santa Rosa.

Courts in Sonoma County

The Sonoma County trial court system consists only of Superior Courts. These Courts have several Divisions, including Criminal, Civil, Family, and Juvenile Divisions. The Court’s Civil Division handles cases relating to breach of contract, personal injury, and enforcement of private rights.

The court’s Criminal Division has jurisdiction over infractions, misdemeanors, and felony cases. The Division also conducts trials, motions, arraignments, preliminary hearings, and other criminal proceedings.

The Court’s Family Division handles cases relating to child support and neglect, adoption, and divorce. The Juvenile Division, on the other hand, handles cases relating to juvenile delinquency, juvenile support, and so on.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Sonoma County

General court records are filed and archived by the Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. To access the records, interested members of the public can submit a request form to the Clerk’s Office. Alternatively, interested persons can access the records online through the Sonoma Superior Court’s Oddysey Portal.

Types of Public Court Records in Sonoma County

Public court records are documents emanating from court proceedings and made accessible to all interested members of the public. The following types of court records are regarded as public in Sonoma County:

• Criminal Records
• Civil Courts Records
• Family Court Records
• Traffic Court Records
• Probate Court Records

Confidential Court Records in Sonoma County

Court records designated as confidential in Sonoma County are not available to the members of the public. Only parties to the case and their attornies are granted access to such records. Some of these records include:

• Health Records
• Adoption Records
• Juvenile Records
• Probate Records
• Criminal Exhibit Records

Juvenile Delinquency in Sonoma, CA

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Sonoma County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in California often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 821 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Sonoma County. Of that total, 66% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 541 court cases. Another 34% were dependency cases that accounted for 280 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Sonoma County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Sonoma County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Sonoma County, CA

https://www.ca.gov/

County Seat:	Santa Rosa
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1850
Total Square Miles:	1,768
2019 Population:	504,217
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00

Sonoma County, CA Courts