How to Access Ventura County Court Records?

Situated in the southern part of California, Ventura County covers a land area of 1,840.79 square miles as of 2020. Within the same period, the county had a population of 843,843 people. The county’s seat is the city of Ventura.

Courts in Ventura County

Cases arising from Ventura County are heard by the appropriate division of the Superior Court of California, which is located in the county.

The criminal division handles violations of criminal laws. The court hears both felony and misdemeanor offenses, excluding violation of traffic laws and juvenile matters. Traffic matters fall within the jurisdiction of the traffic division, while the juvenile division handles juvenile delinquency and dependency matters.   

The civil division adjudicates non-criminal matters such as claims to money or property, enforcement of contracts, and damages for personal injury. Civil claims may be limited or unlimited. While hearing limited civil cases, the jurisdiction of the court is restricted to claims of $35,000 or less. The civil division also offers alternative dispute resolution services to litigants. 

The small claim division also hears civil claims but with stricter jurisdictional limits. The limit depends on whether it is a natural person or a business entity that is instituting the action. A natural person can sue for up to $12,500, while a business entity or corporation can only sue for a maximum of $6,250. Another distinctive feature of the small claims division is its less formal procedures.

The family division has jurisdiction over family matters like divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, and spousal support. However, matters relating to trusts and wills, estate administration, and guardianship, fall within the jurisdiction of the probate division.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Ventura County

The Superior Court in Ventura has a Records Department, which is responsible for keeping records of all cases handled by the court.  Interested persons can request Ventura County public court records from the department in person, via e-mail, or in writing. Public court records are also accessible via public access computers at the courthouse where the records department is located. Each search request attracts a fee of $15, while copies of court records cost 50 cents per page. Note that a search request may have up to 15 names.

Types of Public Court Records in Ventura County

Unless made confidential or sealed by court order, most records of the Superior Court in Ventura are open to the public, including

• Civil case records
• Criminal case records
• Records of family cases
• Small claims records
• Traffic case records
• Probate records

Confidential Court Records in Ventura County

Court records can be protected from public viewing either by law or court order. Confidential court records in Ventura County include those pertaining to 

• Adoption
• Paternity
• Surrogacy
• Mental health
• Unlawful detainer

Confidential documents within court records are also protected from public access. Confidential court records in Ventura County may, however, be accessible by parties to the case to which the record relates. 

Ventura County is located in the state of California with a total of 854,223 residents and was established in 1872.

Ventura county court records are vital records that are available in most cases to the general public. Some Ventura courthouses are very busy with many different types of cases, and some courts see very few, some do not. It depends on the court structure and the number of homeowners. 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 search engines to find California court records.

Public vital records for Ventura 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 1,136,952 were filed in the county. As of 2018, 86% of the cases were criminal cases. The busiest courts in the county were Superior Court.

Finding Ventura County court records is possible using the California court system website at https://www.courts.ca.gov/, and even easier through Ventura 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 Ventura County court.

Ventura County Court Caseload Data and Trends

Depending on the local government practices, and political and economic climates, court case numbers will vary from year to year in specific areas of Ventura County, CA.

The Ventura County court system consists of 1 court type, Superior Court. In 2018, Superior Court recorded 150,288 filings, which indicates a decrease of 2% from 153,215 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 legal proceedings that appear in county courts.

Ventura 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 150,288 cases filed in the county for the year 2018. The most popular type of court case is criminal comprising 86% 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 choices to lookup for a Ventura County court case using someone’s name, the court type, the courthouse or county name, and other information.

Situated in the southern part of California, Ventura County covers a land area of 1,840.79 square miles as of 2020. Within the same period, the county had a population of 843,843 people. The county’s seat is the city of Ventura.

Courts in Ventura County

Cases arising from Ventura County are heard by the appropriate division of the Superior Court of California, which is located in the county.

The criminal division handles violations of criminal laws. The court hears both felony and misdemeanor offenses, excluding violation of traffic laws and juvenile matters. Traffic matters fall within the jurisdiction of the traffic division, while the juvenile division handles juvenile delinquency and dependency matters.   

The civil division adjudicates non-criminal matters such as claims to money or property, enforcement of contracts, and damages for personal injury. Civil claims may be limited or unlimited. While hearing limited civil cases, the jurisdiction of the court is restricted to claims of $35,000 or less. The civil division also offers alternative dispute resolution services to litigants. 

The small claim division also hears civil claims but with stricter jurisdictional limits. The limit depends on whether it is a natural person or a business entity that is instituting the action. A natural person can sue for up to $12,500, while a business entity or corporation can only sue for a maximum of $6,250. Another distinctive feature of the small claims division is its less formal procedures.

The family division has jurisdiction over family matters like divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, and spousal support. However, matters relating to trusts and wills, estate administration, and guardianship, fall within the jurisdiction of the probate division.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Ventura County

The Superior Court in Ventura has a Records Department, which is responsible for keeping records of all cases handled by the court.  Interested persons can request Ventura County public court records from the department in person, via e-mail, or in writing. Public court records are also accessible via public access computers at the courthouse where the records department is located. Each search request attracts a fee of $15, while copies of court records cost 50 cents per page. Note that a search request may have up to 15 names.

Types of Public Court Records in Ventura County

Unless made confidential or sealed by court order, most records of the Superior Court in Ventura are open to the public, including

• Civil case records
• Criminal case records
• Records of family cases
• Small claims records
• Traffic case records
• Probate records

Confidential Court Records in Ventura County

Court records can be protected from public viewing either by law or court order. Confidential court records in Ventura County include those pertaining to 

• Adoption
• Paternity
• Surrogacy
• Mental health
• Unlawful detainer

Confidential documents within court records are also protected from public access. Confidential court records in Ventura County may, however, be accessible by parties to the case to which the record relates. 

Juvenile Delinquency in Ventura, CA

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

In 2017, a total of 2 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Ventura County. Of that total, 50% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 1 court cases. Another 50% were dependency cases that accounted for 1 of the juvenile cases.

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

Government of Ventura County, CA

https://www.ca.gov/

County Seat:	Ventura
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1872
Total Square Miles:	2,208
2019 Population:	854,223
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00

Ventura County, CA Courts