Court Case Search

An Alameda County CA court case search can help you locate a case number, review court activity, identify future hearings, and obtain available documents. This article explains which records the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda provides through its public portal, how to search by case number or party name, what information to prepare, and when to contact Records Management or request criminal records through a separate process.

Alameda County Court Case Search

The Alameda eCourt Public Portal search page provides access to information and documents for civil, civil appeals, family, probate, mental health, and adoption cases. Its services include case number searches, paid name searches, court calendar searches, public filing reports, document downloads, and searches for outstanding case fees.

The portal does not include criminal, juvenile, or traffic case information. Choosing the correct system before searching prevents you from paying for a name search that does not cover the kind of case you need. Criminal court records have a separate request process, described later in this article.

Access to case information also differs from access to the documents filed in that case. A search may provide a case number, party information, and a register of actions without making every document available for public download. The portal limits downloads to nonconfidential, nonsealed documents when access is permitted under the California Rules of Court.

The Search Method That Fits

Your available information determines which portal service is most useful. A case number search is free and provides a direct route to a particular case. A name search requires an account and purchased search credits. A calendar search is useful when you are looking for court activity on a particular date at a particular location. Public filing reports identify nonconfidential cases filed on a selected day.

Before opening a search, gather the information that matches your purpose:

The court case number, if you have it.
A party’s full or partial name, or a business name, for a name search.
The hearing date, case type, court location, and department for a calendar search.
The filing date, location, and case type for a public filing report.
The document you want to obtain, if your goal is to purchase a download or request a copy.

Searching With a Case Number

A case number search allows you to review the parties, register of actions, minutes, and future hearing dates for a case covered by the portal. It also provides access to available document images. Searching for the case itself is free; purchasing documents is a separate transaction.

The court’s Public Portal Quick Reference Guide describes entering the case number, completing the “I’m not a robot” checkbox, and selecting Search. The result displays the case name, case number, case type, and type of action. Selecting the case hyperlink opens its information.

Case number formats vary according to the date and type of case. Enter the number from your court paperwork rather than trying to construct a number from a party’s name or filing year. After a result appears, compare the displayed case name and case type with the matter you intended to locate before opening documents or making a payment.

Reading the Case Information

The court’s reference guide identifies several tabs within a case record. The Summary tab contains the register of actions. The Participants tab lists the parties. Future Hearings identifies upcoming hearing information, and Minutes provides the court minutes available through the system. A Tentative Rulings tab provides access to a tentative ruling when one has been published.

These tabs serve different purposes. Use the register of actions to review recorded case activity, the Participants tab to confirm the parties, and Future Hearings to review upcoming dates. If you need the actual text of a filed document, proceed to the document download screen rather than relying only on the case summary.

The guide also describes access to confidential case information when the account email address is associated with the case. That account-based access is different from the public access available to someone conducting a general search. Creating an account alone does not establish that your email is associated with a particular case.

Name Searches and Search Credits

A name search returns available case numbers and filing dates matching the party name entered. You can search with a business name, a full name, or a partial name. The business name or last name must contain at least two characters.

The first 1,500 matching cases are displayed. Selecting a case number opens its register of actions. After locating a name, you may view up to 10 cases for that name before another name search is required. These limits matter when a common name or broad partial name produces many results.

Use the most specific supported name you have, then compare the resulting case information with the matter you are seeking. A matching name is a reason to examine the record; it should not replace checking the case number, parties, and case type.

Name Search Credit Prices

The portal publishes the following prices for name search credits:

$1 for one name search credit.
$4 for five name search credits.
$7 for 10 name search credits.
$45 for 75 name search credits.
$300 for unlimited name search credits over 30 consecutive days.

The unlimited option covers 30 consecutive days, rather than a calendar month. Purchased credits do not expire, but they cannot be transferred or refunded. Name search credits pay for name searches; document purchases are handled separately.

The court’s portal search and account guidance states that purchase fees are nonrefundable even if the desired information is not found. Confirm that the portal covers your case type before buying credits, and use the free case number search when you already have the number.

Accounts, Login, and Payment

An account is required to search by name or purchase documents. The court’s reference guide describes selecting Create an Account, choosing Public Users, and completing the required fields. Those fields include an email address, first and last name, and phone number. The registration form also includes fields for a bar number, when applicable, and a fax number.

After registration, the portal directs you to check your email for further instructions. The email link provides access to create a password. Your email address serves as your username, and the portal account login page asks for that email address and password.

For purchases of portal credits and documents, the court identifies Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and debit cards as accepted payment methods. Checks are not accepted for these online purchases. Your card is charged at the time of purchase.

Payment Profiles and Purchased Documents

The account area includes a payment profile and a My Paid Documents tab. The reference guide describes selecting your username, opening My Payment Profile, and choosing Manage Payment Profile to add payment information and a shipping address.

The court states that card information is stored only with your authorization when registering or updating your account. Saving a payment profile can populate payment information for later purchases, but it is separate from purchasing name search credits or selecting documents.

If purchased credits do not appear in your account, contact Records Management. For a forgotten password, the login error provides a route to enter your registered email address and receive reset instructions. The court states that the temporary password expires in 30 minutes. If you have forgotten which email address you used, its guidance directs you to create a new account.

Hearing Calendars and Filing Reports

The public calendar search includes fields for case type, date, and courtroom location and department. The portal describes calendar searching as a way to view department calendars at a selected court location. The reference guide identifies this search as free.

A calendar search is useful for reviewing scheduled court activity, while a case number search opens the record for a particular case. If your purpose is to read minutes or obtain filed documents, the case record provides the relevant route. The calendar page’s Print Page option prints the calendar page; it does not purchase case documents.

Recently Filed Public Cases

Public Reports, also called Filings Search, provides links to nonconfidential cases filed on a given day, organized by location and case type. This service is useful when the filing date is the information you have available.

Through this search, the initial case creation petition or filing can be viewed free during the first five days from the filing date. The free access is for viewing, not printing. It applies to the initial filing described by the portal, rather than providing free copies of every document subsequently filed in the case.

Document Downloads and Access Limits

You need a case number to download documents. The case information page provides a route to a list of documents available for download. The portal offers a free half-page preview, allowing you to examine part of a document before purchasing it.

The court’s reference guide describes selecting Add to Cart for a document purchase. After purchase, a receipt is emailed to the user, and the action button changes to Download. Selecting Download generates a PDF. Purchased documents can also be accessed through the My Paid Documents tab after logging in.

The portal search page and its account guidance publish different document pricing schedules and online access periods. Confirm the applicable charge and access period through Records Management before purchasing if those details affect your request. Once a purchased document is accessible, download it promptly rather than relying on continued online availability. The court’s account guidance identifies Adobe Acrobat Reader as required to view documents.

Fee Waivers for Case Parties

A party who has a fee waiver is exempt from document fees for that case. To receive that access, the party must create the portal account using the same email address associated with the case. The reference guide explains that using a different email address results in charges for document downloads.

The court also identifies certain users who may request exemption from portal fees: employees and judicial officers of California’s Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and Superior Courts; volunteer attorneys on the court’s appointed mediator or arbitrator panel for volunteer-related work; and court-appointed guardians ad litem. These exemptions are distinct from ordinary public account registration.

Certified Copies and Records Requests

A purchased portal download and a request for a certified copy are separate services. The portal directs certified-copy requests through the Civil Records Request form and Records Management. It describes submitting the form by drop box or U.S. Mail to the appropriate courthouse where the case is being heard, with payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The Civil Records Request form and instructions also identify a mail or in-person request route through Records Management at the George E. McDonald Hall of Justice. The form provides spaces for your contact information, case category, case number, filing year, party names, and requested document.

Select the item you need: a plain copy, certified copy, exemplification, or search only. Delivery selections include a call when available, viewing only, or mailing. For mailed delivery, provide a prepaid, self-addressed return envelope large enough for the records and with sufficient postage. The form specifies USPS or FedEx.

Copy Fees and Request Payments

The form publishes copy charges of $0.50 per page and a $15 search fee when no case number is provided. A certified divorce decree costs $15 plus the per-page copy charge. Certification of other documents costs $40 plus the per-page charge. Exemplification costs $50 plus the per-page charge, and retrieval from an off-site storage facility costs $10.

Mail requests accept a check or money order. In-person requests accept cash, credit card, check, or money order. These payment rules differ from online portal purchases, which do not accept checks.

For checks, the form instructs requesters to make payment payable to “Clerk of the Court” and ensure the check displays the requester’s name and address. Unless advised otherwise, leave the amount blank and write “NOT TO EXCEED $75” in the memo line. The court fills in the determined amount and mails a receipt with the request.

Incomplete Requests and Off-Site Files

Requests are not processed without prepayment, and any remaining balance must be paid before records are released. Incomplete requests are not processed. Provide a reachable phone number because difficulty contacting you may cause additional processing delays or fees.

Documents stored off-site are not available the same day for in-person requests. The form identifies Records Management request hours as 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It also states that files are held for 15 days from the date indicated on the form.

Criminal Court Records Requests

For criminal records, use the court’s Criminal Record Requests instructions. This process allows electronic requests for one or multiple defendants. You may choose documents from a list or enter the name of another document you want to request.

To access the system, provide the defendant’s first and last name and one of these combinations:

The docket or case number.
The defendant’s date of birth and date of arrest.
The defendant’s date of birth and date of conviction.

The Criminal Division sends email confirmation that it received the request. If the record is available, you receive an itemized bill by email. If the court cannot locate the record, you receive a notification that it is unavailable. Registered customers can use web payment, and an account is required to access all available features.

The criminal request system requires cookies, disabled pop-up blockers, and enabled JavaScript. Its identifying information and request process are separate from the civil portal’s paid name searches.

Portal Problems and Records Assistance

The eCourt Public Portal requires your browser to accept cookies and your pop-up blocker to be disabled. If a document window does not open or a portal feature does not work, review those settings before repeating a purchase.

The court’s Records Management contact page provides assistance for portal use and registration. When reporting a search problem, describe what you were trying to do, what happened, and any error message displayed. For questions about copy requests, payment amounts, or purchased credits that have not appeared, direct the question to Records Management so the issue can be reviewed.

Court Offices and Contact Information

Records Management
Phone: (510) 891-6000

Superior Court of California, County of Alameda — George E. McDonald Hall of Justice, Records Management
2233 Shoreline Drive
Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: (510) 891-6005

Court Case Search FAQs

How can I view or contest a tentative ruling?

Open your case record and select the Tentative Rulings tab. If the court has published a tentative ruling, select View to open its PDF. Read the ruling before deciding whether to contest it; the register of actions alone does not provide the ruling’s full text.

The court’s Public Portal Quick Reference Guide describes a “Click to Contest this Ruling” button. When that option is available, enter the name of the person contesting the ruling and the reason, then select Proceed. The guide explains the portal steps but does not establish a deadline for every case. Check the ruling and applicable department instructions for timing and appearance requirements.

Where can I find my department’s instructions?

Use the Direct Calendaring tab or link on the portal’s main page, then select the department or judge. The department page may provide Department Information, a List of Cases with links to individual records, and Department Documents available to the public. This is useful when you have located your case but still need information specific to the department handling it. For complex civil matters, the guide identifies a separate Civil Complex tab for department information.

How do I find a court reservation?

A reservation lookup uses different information from a case search. Under Court Reservations, enter your Reservation ID and the system-generated PIN emailed to the address on file. A case number alone is not the lookup information described in the court’s guide.

If you are making a reservation, review the selected reservation type, location, party, special conditions, and date before submitting. The portal displays a confirmation message and reservation number after submission. Keep that number and the emailed PIN so you can retrieve the reservation later.