Santa Barbara County Superior Court Case Search

Santa Barbara County Superior Court cases are publicly accessible documents maintained by the court clerk. The Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction, which means this court handles most major cases. These include civil cases with significant amounts, criminal cases involving felonies and serious misdemeanors, juvenile cases, probate matters, family law cases, and more.

The Superior Court provides access to the records of these cases through the clerk’s office. The public can search case records by submitting requests in person or mailing records requests to the clerk’s office. Records requests are valid when the details of the requester, details of the case, and any other required information are provided. Requesters generally do not pay for searches but will pay to obtain copies of records according to the fee schedule.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court case records can also be obtained online through the Case Information website. The clerk’s office generally does not require ID to access records except when restricted or sealed records are involved. These records are made available to the public for legal research, background checks, and access to information about ongoing court matters.

What Kinds of Cases Are Heard in the Santa Barbara Superior Court?

Santa Barbara Superior Court is a trial-level court that maintains general jurisdiction. As the court of first instance in the county, the court handles a wide range of legal matters. This court handles the following cases within all its divisions:

• Criminal Cases - Felony cases such as murder, robbery, assault, battery, burglary, rape, fraud, and more. Misdemeanors such as DUI< petty theft, simple assault, traffic violations, and more. This court also handles criminal appeals from lower courts such as the Magistrate Court or Traffic Court.
• Civil Cases - Contract disputes, property disputes, business litigation, professional malpractice, and more.
• Family Law Cases - Divorce, child support, child custody, paternity, and more.
• Probate Cases—These are handled by the Orphan’s Court. They involve Wills and estate administration.

The Superior Court of Santa Barbara has specialized court divisions, such as the Juvenile Court, that handle cases involving minors. The Drug Court handles cases where drug or substance abuse is a material fact and focuses on the rehabilitation of drug offenders. The Mental Health Court handles cases where offenders may need treatment for mental disorders. Other specialized court divisions are the Traffic Court for traffic violations, the Elder Abuse Court to handle cases of abuse against older individuals, and the Family Court for family law cases.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court

Santa Barbara County Superior Courts are the main trial courts where general criminal and civil jurisdiction is exercised. The court has a wide scope of subject matter that it can entertain, including criminal cases, probate cases, civil cases, family law cases, and more. The courthouse can be located at:

Santa Barbara County Superior Court
Anacapa Division
1100 Anacapa Street, P.O. Box 21107
Santa Barbara, California 93121
(805) 882-4520 - Phone
(805) 882-4519 - Fax

Cok Division
312-C East Cook Street
Santa Maria, California 93456
(805) 614-6416 - Phone
(805) 614-6616 - Fax

Figueroa Division
118 East Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
(805) 568-3959 - Phone
(805) 882-4647 - Fax

Lompoc Division
115 Civic Center Plaza
Lompoc, California 93436
(805) 737-7789 - Phone
(805) 737-5440 - Fax

Miller Division
312 East Cook Street, Building E
Santa Maria, California 93454
(805) 614-7550 - Phone
(805) 614-6591 - Fax

Santa Barbara Juvenile Court
1108 Santa Barbara Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
(805) 882-4576 - Phone

Santa Barbara County Case Lookup

A county-wide case lookup will give requesters access to case records from all courts and divisions in the county. This means all court documents from the county’s courthouses will be accessible.

For online access

Members of the public can remotely access Santa Barbara County case documents online through the Case Information platform. This website provides free access to case records without requiring users to create an account. You can load the website and choose between the Civil Portal and Public Portal for Civil, Criminal, Probate, Family Law, Small Claims, and Traffic cases. Click on the Smart Search or Hearings Search link and input the relevant case information. You may not have access to some case documents due to late uploads or restricted/sealed records.

For walk-in access

Residents can go to the courthouse to submit in-person requests at the Superior Court Clerk’s office. This request must be submitted with case details such as the names of parties, case numbers, or judicial officers in the case. The clerk’s office is open between 8 am and 4 pm from Monday to Friday to receive and process case requests. The courthouse also offers self-service through public access terminals, which can be used to search for case information. Records search can be done for free, but copies of records can be obtained for $34 for the first copy and $32 for subsequent copies.

For mail-in access

Mail-in requests involve sending a records request to the court clerk’s office with the case details via mail services. The request can be mailed to:

1100 Anacapa Street,
Santa Barbara,
California 93101.

The county’s mail-in requests are generally processed within 7 to 10 business days. If copies of records are to be sent by the clerk’s office, a self-addressed stamped envelope should be included in the request mail.

Santa Barbara Superior Court Case Search by Name

Name searches are common for accessing case records. You can use name searches to obtain case records through mail-in requests, in-person requests, and the Case Information website. Names of parties or attorneys on records are part of the case information, which you can provide with your records request for a name search. Ensure that you spell the names correctly and take note of specific variations. You can also include details like case number, filing date, or date of birth to narrow down name search results.

Santa Barbara Superior Court Docket Search

A court docket refers to a detailed log of case events from the beginning of the case till the end. It is a court document that contains a timeline of events during a case, such as court hearing schedules, court orders, judicial rulings, and the dates documents are filed. The public can use this document to track a case’s progress and for case preparation. Court dockets are publicly accessible at the county courthouse for in-person searches or through the public access terminals. You can also view court dockets online through the court’s Case Information website.

Lookup Santa Barbara County Superior Court Online

Santa Barbara County Superior Court records are available online and can be viewed through the Case Information platform. This website contains two records access links for Public Portal and Civil Portal. Santa Barbara Superior Court case records are also accessible through third-party websites like Californiacourtrecords.us. Requesters can access these websites for free using their devices and an internet connection. However, records from third-party platforms may lack accuracy compared to records from official sources.

Supreme Court vs. Superior Court

The Superior Court of Santa Barbara County is a trial-level court with wide jurisdiction over cases involving civil matters, criminal cases, probate, juvenile cases, and family law. The Superior Court’s decision will only apply in the county. This court functions as the first forum for settling disputes and enforcing the rule of law and personal rights. It is presided over by a judge who handles court trials and gives decisions based on the parties’ arguments and the position of the law.

The Supreme Court of California is the highest judicial authority in the state’s hierarchy. It is the final appellate court with jurisdiction over appeals from the Courts of Appeal. There are no trials at the Supreme Court as cases are reviewed based on the interpretation of state laws and the Constitution to affirm or correct the lower court’s decision. This court’s decision can also be appealed to the US Supreme Court, which has the final appellate authority at the national level.