Court portal, certified copy fees, and expungement laws for California
In California, an eviction record lives in the Superior Court (Unlawful Detainer) of the county where the rental sits—and reaching it takes more legwork than most states. There is no statewide search tool. California has no unified online eviction database, so you cannot pull a tenant's history from a single site. Instead, every search runs through the local county clerk of the Superior Court that handled the case, county by county.
That fragmentation is paired with one of the strongest tenant-sealing rules in the country. Under California's masking statute, unlawful detainer files are shielded from public view by default for the first 60 days after filing, and stay sealed unless the landlord wins within that window. For landlords screening applicants and tenants checking their own exposure, that 60-day rule changes what is actually findable—and what is legal to act on. The sections below walk through where to look, how to read what you find, and how sealing works.
Eviction is handled as an unlawful detainer action in the Superior Court of the county where the property is located. Because California maintains no statewide portal, there is no single place to run a name. You search one county at a time, starting with the counties where the tenant has actually lived.
Each county Superior Court runs its own records access—some offer an online case index, others require an in-person or written request to the county clerk. Ask the clerk for the unlawful detainer (UD) case index by party name. Be aware that under CCP § 1161.2, the clerk may only release a UD file to the public after 60 days from filing, and only if a judgment for the landlord was entered. Copies run $0.50 per page, with certified copies at $25 to $40.
The single most common screening error is treating a court entry as proof a tenant was evicted. A filing is not a judgment. Many unlawful detainer cases are dismissed, settled, or decided for the tenant—yet the bare fact that a case was opened tells you nothing about the outcome.
Always read the disposition. Look for the final entry: judgment for plaintiff (the landlord), judgment for defendant (the tenant), dismissal, or stipulated settlement. In California this matters even more than elsewhere, because the masking rule means a publicly visible UD file generally already reflects a landlord win recorded within 60 days. A case that resolved in the tenant's favor, or was dismissed, should not appear as a public record at all—and should never be scored against an applicant.
California sealing is real and automatic in many cases. Under AB 2819 (2016), an unlawful detainer record is sealed 60 days after filing if the tenant prevails or the case is dismissed—the file is masked from public access from day one and only becomes public if the landlord wins within that 60-day window (CCP § 1161.2). On top of that, AB 832 made certain COVID-related UD filings sealed permanently (CCP § 1179.04).
For landlords, this carries a hard compliance line. Tenant-screening reports are governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and California's sealing law means a properly masked UD record should never surface in screening. Do not act on a sealed or masked record—relying on one to deny an applicant invites both FCRA exposure and a state-law problem.
If you are a tenant, California's rule works largely in your favor without you lifting a finger. Because UD files are masked for the first 60 days, a case you win or that gets dismissed should stay sealed by operation of CCP § 1161.2—no separate motion required. If you settled, confirm the stipulation preserved that masking.
Where a record has wrongly become public—say a case was dismissed but the index still shows your name—contact the county clerk of the Superior Court that heard the case and ask them to confirm the file is masked under the statute. For COVID-era filings, AB 832 sealing (CCP § 1179.04) is permanent. Keep your own copy of any dismissal or favorable judgment; at $0.50 per page (certified $25–$40), it is cheap insurance if a screening company ever reports the matter in error.
Landlords and screening companies may not use sealed or expunged eviction records as a basis for adverse tenant-screening decisions in California. Tenants who believe their records have been improperly used may have a civil claim under the applicable statute. If a tenant discloses an expunged eviction, you may ask for context but cannot deny housing based solely on the expunged record.
This page was prepared by the Eviction Risk Map research team using California's unlawful detainer masking statute (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1161.2, 1179.04, enacted via AB 2819 and AB 832) and public records procedures of the county Superior Courts administered under the Judicial Council of California. Last reviewed June 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; consult a licensed California attorney or your county Superior Court clerk for guidance on a specific case.
There is no statewide portal, so you search county by county. Identify the county where the rental was located, then contact that county's Superior Court clerk and request the unlawful detainer (UD) case index by party name. Some counties offer an online index; others require an in-person or written request. Note that under CCP § 1161.2 the clerk can only release a UD file 60 days after filing, and only if the landlord won the case.
Only partially. Unlawful detainer files in the Superior Court are masked from public access for the first 60 days after filing. After that, a file becomes public only if a judgment was entered for the landlord. Cases that the tenant wins, or that are dismissed, stay sealed under CCP § 1161.2—so a large share of eviction filings are never publicly available at all.
Yes. Sealing is one of California's strongest tenant protections. Under AB 2819, a UD record is sealed 60 days after filing if the tenant prevails or the case is dismissed (CCP § 1161.2), with no separate motion typically required. Certain COVID-related filings are sealed permanently under AB 832 (CCP § 1179.04). If a dismissed or tenant-favorable case has wrongly become public, contact the county Superior Court clerk to confirm masking.
Standard copies are $0.50 per page. A certified copy—the version you would use for official or legal purposes—runs roughly $25 to $40, depending on the county Superior Court. Fees are set locally, so confirm the exact amount with the clerk of the county where the case was filed before requesting copies.
Court portal information sourced from the California court administrative office official website. Expungement laws from published California statutes (see citations above). Last updated August 14, 2026. For informational purposes only, not legal advice.
