Records
Access to Court Records
Alpine County Superior Court does not currently offer online access to court records via a public portal, nor is there a public access terminal located at the Markleeville courthouse. All search/research requests and copy requests are performed by court staff.
The information below only relates to inspection and copying of documents filed with the court or court records in a particular case, such as pleadings, orders and judgments. If you are seeking access to information related to court administration, scroll down to the “Public Access to Judicial Administrative Records” section.
Requests may be made:
In Person
Individuals may come to the court to research records or request copies. Please contact the Court Clerk's Office to make an appointment and for records availability. Please note that files may only be viewed on the premises. Files may not be taken or removed from a designated area.
Requests can be mailed to:
Alpine County Superior Court
PO Box 518
Markleeville, CA 96120
Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your mailed in request, and the court will send the results back to you. If you have requested copies as well as a search request, be sure to include an appropriately sized envelope. If a return envelope is not included with the request, postage fees will be applied and must be paid prior to mailing.
Facsimile (Fax)
Requests can be faxed to:
(530) 694-2119
If your request was faxed, the results will be faxed back to an 800, or toll free, fax number provided on the search request. If you do not provide a reliable or accurate fax number, the court will not make multiple attempts to send your results to you.
The court will NOT process name search or copy requests submitted by email.
PLEASE NOTE: The Court does not confirm personal information about a party's identity over the phone or email. Personal information includes details such as date of birth, last four digits of a Social Security Number, address, or driver's license number. Individuals seeking personal information about a party may submit a name search request form through one of the above methods.
Name Search Request
A name search request is a request for the Court to attempt to match court records to a requested party’s information.
If you are a party to a case and you no longer have or know your case number, you may make a name search request to obtain basic case information to then make a request for copies from the court’s record.
A name search request requires:
- The person’s full legal name (and any aliases)
- Date of birth
Other fields on the records request form are optional, but helpful to court staff in processing your request.
The court will search back ten (10) years for name search requests unless otherwise specified.
If results are found for a criminal name search request, infraction violations are excluded from the results unless specifically requested.
Copy Request
A copy request is a request for documents copied from the court’s file.
The Alpine County Superior Court does not send out court files electronically (e.g., email). In addition, persons are not allowed to use cameras (including phones with cameras) to take pictures of the contents of a file.
Fees
Name Searches are charged a $15.00 Search Fee for searching records or files, for each search longer than 10 minutes per GC 70627(c).
E.g. If searching for John Doe, aka John Roger Does, you would pay $30.00.
The Search Fee is charged per name/ alias, not per case type.
For copies of documents, there is a $0.50 per page Copy Fee.
Other records related fees can be found in the Statewide Civil Fee Schedule.
Name search requests submitted at the Clerk’s Office counter are not charged a Search Fee. All other fees apply.
Payment
If you are mailing your request, enclose a check or money order for the search(es) requested.
If you are faxing your request, you may submit payment through the Online Payments page on our website.
- If paying by phone or through ACI Payment's website, the system will prompt you for a docket number. The Court recognizes "T234567" as a generic search request docket number.
- Once you have finished the payment process, the system will give you a confirmation number. Please include this confirmation number on your search request for faster processing.
Please note the court will NOT conduct a search for records until payment has been received for the search. Payment for copies is handled separately, and the court will provide the total amount for copy fees in a separate transaction.
More Information
Per California Government Code §70633(c), Alpine County Superior Court does not charge civil fees, including records related fees, for service to any municipality or county in the state, to the state government, nor to the United States of America or any of its officers acting in his or her official capacity.
Verification of identity is required by any employee before the court will proceed with the search. This can be accomplished by the search request being mailed or faxed on the agency's letterhead.
Because of limited space, many case files are stored at an off-site location after a certain amount of time. Requests that require the retrieval of cases from storage will require an additional 1-2 weeks for processing. There is no fee for storage retrieval.
The court purges court records pursuant to California Government Code § 68152. Documents from some court records may no longer be available for copying.
Court records may only be inspected by the public in the office of the clerk. Court records are presumed to be open to public inspection unless confidential by law or sealed. When a judge seals a record, the public is prevented from viewing specified files or documents without first obtaining a court order.
Examples of confidential records include, but are not limited to:
Juvenile Records:
All Juvenile Court records are confidential. The minor, his or her parents or legal guardian(s), and attorneys of record may obtain copies of court minutes and selected court documents by appearing at the appropriate counter with photo identification. The records will not be mailed.
Aside from parties or agencies granted access as provided by law, other individuals must file a Petition for Access to Juvenile Case File (JV-570). The completed form may be presented in person or by mail but must contain an original signature. If the petition is granted, viewing and/or obtaining copies may be done only by appearing in person with proper photo identification. Copies of records will not be mailed.
Adoption Records:
Documents related to an adoption proceeding are not open to the public. Only the parties, their attorneys, and the Department of Social Services may review the records.
Public Access to Judicial Administrative Records
California Rules of Court rule 10.500 sets forth comprehensive public access provisions applicable to judicial administrative records maintained by state trial and appellate courts, and the Judicial Council of California (the council).
The court will make identifiable judicial administrative records available upon request, unless the records are exempt from disclosure under Rule 10.500. Records may be subject to payment of a fee.
Requests should be made in writing and directed to:
Court Executive Officer
Alpine County Superior Court
Post Office Box 518
Markleeville, CA 96120
Fax: (530) 694-2119