Los Angeles County Clerk of the Superior Court

Clerk of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Court case records in Los Angeles County are held by the Clerk of the Superior Court. The clerk's office is part of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The clerk files pleadings, keeps the docket, issues court process, collects court fees, certifies copies, and manages the records that make up each case. Civil, criminal, family law, probate, juvenile, mental health, traffic, small claims, and appellate division case files all sit with the clerk.

For central civil, family, probate, and small claims record copies, the place to go is the Stanley Mosk Courthouse civil clerical office. The court directs the public to Room 112 for certifications and copies of court records. Filing windows, archives requests, and certified-copy pickups all run through that floor. The contact card below lists the address, phone, and hours.

California's Court Clerk Structure

California does not use the Texas-style split between a county clerk and a district clerk for court case files. There is one trial court in each county. In Los Angeles County, that one court is the Superior Court, and its clerk is the records custodian for every state trial-court case. The unified system goes back to a 1998 amendment to the California Constitution. Before that, counties had separate municipal and superior courts. The merger ended the split. Today there is no separate elected court clerk for any layer below the Superior Court.

This matters because many readers expect a "County Clerk" office that holds court files. In Los Angeles County, the office called the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk holds many records, but it does not hold court case files. The court clerk is part of the court, and its records desks are inside the courthouses.

Note: The "County Clerk" in the RR/CC name refers to the county clerk functions in vital records and business filings, not the court clerk role.

What the Court Clerk Does

The Clerk of the Superior Court runs the records side of every case. Filings come in through clerk windows or through the court's e-filing systems. The clerk stamps and dockets each paper. The clerk issues summons, writs, abstracts, subpoenas, and certified copies on request. The clerk collects filing fees and remits them under the court fee schedule. The clerk keeps the register of actions current and tracks every minute order, judgment, and notice. The clerk's records are the official record of the case.

• Accept and date-stamp pleadings, motions, and orders.
• Keep the register of actions and the case docket up to date.
• Issue process: summons, writs, abstracts of judgment, subpoenas.
• Certify copies of court records on request.
• Collect filing fees and process fee waiver applications.
• Send judgment abstracts and DMV notices required by statute.
• Archive old case files for later retrieval.

Document-image copies for civil, probate, family, and small claims cases are available online through PAOS where the case is in coverage. Paper copies are available at the courthouse where the case was filed. For older cases or for cases not on PAOS, the court directs the public to contact Archives or the courthouse handling the case.

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: A Separate County Office

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk is a county executive office. It is not part of the court. The RR/CC records real estate documents, issues vital records, issues marriage licenses, performs civil ceremonies, processes fictitious business names, files notary oaths, and administers elections. The RR/CC headquarters is at 12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650. The Recorder/County Clerk phone is (800) 201-8999.

The RR/CC site is the front door for vital records, real estate, and business filings. It is not the place to look for court case files. The page itself directs users to the Superior Court for divorce decrees and case records.

The site lists what the RR/CC handles and what it does not. Court judgments, criminal dispositions, divorce decrees, and probate orders all sit with the Superior Court clerk.

Dean C. Logan and RR/CC Scope

Dean C. Logan is the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. His official biography lays out the scope of the office and its scale. The county has more than 500 political districts and 5.2 million registered voters, making it the largest county election system in the country. Each year his office records more than 2 million real estate documents, issues 1 million certified copies of vital records, issues 59,000 marriage licenses, and processes more than 20,000 fictitious business name filings. Those numbers explain why the office is the busiest hub of county public records.

The biography page makes clear the office is a records and elections department, not a court clerk. None of the listed duties cover court dockets, criminal cases, civil judgments, or divorce decrees. Those files live with the Superior Court clerk.

RR/CC Branch Offices and Hours

The RR/CC operates a main office in Norwalk and several branch offices spread across the county. Some branches issue same-day vital record copies. Some accept marriage license appointments. The Beverly Hills branch issues marriage licenses but does not run same-day vital-record copy issuance the way Norwalk and East Los Angeles do. All branches require mail to go to the Norwalk headquarters, not to the branch.

• Norwalk Main Office: 12400 Imperial Hwy., Norwalk, CA 90650. Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Beverly Hills: 9355 Burton Way, 4th Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• East Los Angeles: 4716 E. Cesar Chavez Blvd., Building B, Los Angeles, CA 90022. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Lancaster: 44509 16th St. West, Suite 101, Lancaster, CA 93534. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• LAX / Courthouse: 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd., 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Van Nuys: 14340 W. Sylvan St., Van Nuys, CA 91401. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Florence / Firestone: 7807 Compton Ave., Room 102, Los Angeles, CA 90001. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The recorder landing page lists the service grid for vital records, real estate, military discharge, UCC, recording, fees, and forms. It is the best starting point for any RR/CC record request.

Court Records Copies at Stanley Mosk Courthouse

The Superior Court directs the public to Stanley Mosk Courthouse for central civil clerical operations. Certified and uncertified copies of court records are issued from Room 112. Civil filing happens at Room 102. Small Claims operates from Room 113. The Appellate Division and Civil Appeals sit on the upper floors. The same phone line, (213) 830-0803, covers civil clerical operations, copies, certifications, and small claims for Stanley Mosk.

The Stanley Mosk courthouse is at 111 North Hill Street, in the Civic Center area of downtown Los Angeles. Building hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Clerk's Office runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday except court holidays. Appointments are strongly encouraged for clerk's office and self-help services. Security screening applies at every Los Angeles Superior Court location, and the court lists prohibited items in its general order on court security.

Complex litigation paper filings exempt from e-filing are processed at the Spring Street Courthouse Clerk's Office, Room 255, at 312 North Spring Street. That detail trips up many filers who assume every central civil paper filing goes through Stanley Mosk.

PAOS Public Online Services

The court's Public Access Online Services system runs the online half of the clerk's records function. The PAOS guest information page explains the system. PAOS supports civil, family, probate, and small claims name searches; criminal defendant name searches; and document-image purchases. Name search results return litigant names, case type, filing date, filing location, and the number of available imaged documents. The site is updated daily.

PAOS document images cover civil, probate, family, and small claims cases within set date ranges. The criminal name search returns the case number, defendant name, filing date, and filing location. Traffic and infractions are not in PAOS criminal search. PAOS warns that sealed, confidential, and courtroom-filed documents may not appear in document images. The court directs users to contact Archives or the courthouse handling the case when a record falls outside online coverage.

Note: PAOS name-search results stay available for two hours after the transaction; purchased documents stay available for thirty days from the receipt date.

Fees for Court Record Copies

The court charges for online searches and for document images. The fee structure scales by user type. Registered users pay less per search than guests. Document image fees scale by page count. The schedule below comes from the LA Court PAOS pages.

Fees are authorized under California Rule of Court 2.503 for electronic access and Government Code section 68150 for trial court records.

Records Request Form Fields

The RR/CC is the closest analog to a county clerk records office in California. Its public marriage record request form gives a good window into what a county records office asks for on a paper or PDF request. The same fields show up on most certified-copy requests, including court copy requests. The table below comes from the official Public Marriage Record Request PDF used by the RR/CC.

A court records request uses a similar set of fields, with the case number and document type added.

How to Request a Certified Copy of a Court Record

Certified copies are required for many legal uses. They prove the document is a true and correct copy of the court file. Plain copies, including PAOS PDFs, are not certified. The steps below cover the standard path for civil, family, probate, and small claims case copies in Los Angeles County.

1. Find the case number. Use a PAOS name search if you do not know it. Civil and family name searches go back to 1983; small claims to 1992.
2. Confirm the filing location from PAOS results. Older cases may be at a different courthouse than current filings.
3. Visit Room 112 at Stanley Mosk Courthouse for central civil, family, probate, and small claims records, or visit the courthouse handling the case for cases filed elsewhere.
4. Fill out a records request form. Include the case number, party names, document type, number of copies, and whether you need plain or certified copies.
5. Pay the fee. Certified copies cost $25 plus a $0.50 per page copy fee under the state fee schedule.
6. Wait for the clerk to pull the file and prepare the certified copy. Same-day pickup is possible for many requests, but older or archived files take longer.
7. Pick up the copy or have it mailed. For mail-in requests, include a check, a return envelope, and the same form by mail to the courthouse address.

For criminal case copies, contact the criminal clerk at the courthouse handling the case. Felony cases may be at Clara Shortridge-Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Central Arraignment Courthouse, or a district criminal courthouse. The PAOS criminal index lists filing locations in result records.

Related Los Angeles County Resources

For court case files and PAOS walkthroughs, see court records. For docket and minute-order details, see court dockets. For estate and conservatorship files, see probate records. For marriage records held by the RR/CC and divorce decrees held by the court, see marriage and divorce records.