Central District of California

Services Provided by the Records Department

The Records Department is not authorized to interpret the legal status of any case.

Copies of Court Documents

• Uncertified printouts of documents available at the Court’s public terminals are $0.10 per page and may be purchased from the Clerk's Office intake window from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Uncertified copies of physical documents are $0.50 per page and may be purchased from the Clerk's Office intake window from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 
• Certifications are charged at $12.00 per document and an additional $0.10 (printouts) or $0.50 (copies) per page.

Archive Records Request

• For retrieval of one box of records from the Federal Records Center, a $70.00 non-refundable fee is required. For retrievals involving multiple boxes, a $43.00 fee for each additional box is required.
• To determine if a case is archived, please contact the records department by email at:  [email protected].
• Effective October 1, 2015, once the clerk receives the files or documents you ordered from the Federal Records Center, you will be notified by telephone or email. After this notification takes place, you have thirty (30) calendar days to either come to the Clerk’s Office to review the files or documents you ordered or to order copies of them. If you do not review your order within the thirty-day period, the clerk will return the files or documents to the Federal Records Center and any fees previously collected by the clerk will be forfeited. If you wish to review the files or documents after the thirty-day period, you must initiate a new records request and pay any fees associated with your order

SmartScan Requests

• SmartScan refers to a Federal Records Center service that includes locating and pulling paper records, scanning them, performing quality control procedures, saving scanned copy in PDF format, and transmitting the file to the court via email.  This service is now available to the public through the District Court’s Records Department. 
• The cost for a SmartScan request is a base charge of $19.90, plus a $0.65 charge per PDF page.  Once the fees for the request are paid for, the Records Clerk will e-mail the document in PDF format to the e-mail address which you provide.

SmartScan FAQs

• Which documents are eligible for SmartScan?

All non-sealed/non-restricted case files in the custody of the FRC are eligible for SmartScan.

• Is there a limit on the volume of pages eligible for processing through SmartScan?

Yes. A SmartScan service request is limited to a maximum of 100 pages. A requirement cannot be parsed into multiple100-page requests. For example, a 175-page document cannot be processed by splitting the requirement into two separate orders, one for 100 pages and the other for 75.

• Does the SmartScan service fee replace the current $70 paper records retrieval fee?

No. The SmartScan service fee is a new alternative to the paper records retrieval fee.

• What is the anticipated turn-around time for this service?

According to the FRC the request may take one to seven business days.

• Can I request a file directly from a Federal Records Center?

No, the FRC will only accept requests from the Court.  You must contact the Court’s Records Department and place your order through the Clerk.

Name and Case Index 1992 to the Present (within the Central District of California only)

• A non-refundable fee of $34.00 will be charged for any name index searched.
• Please provide exact name to search, time frame; date of birth; Social Security Number, and case type/s (criminal and/or civil).
• A certificate of search will be provided upon completion of index. Form G-54.

Name and Case Index 1992 and Prior (within the Central District of California only)

• Please contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at (951) 956-2000, via email: [email protected] for further assistance.  

Exemplifications

• An exemplified copy of a document is an official certificate signed by a judge certifying that the document is a complete, true and correct copy of the original document.  An exemplified document can also be used as  an official document like a certified document.  When a document is exemplified, the correspondence clerk must complete an “Exemplification Certificate.”    Form G-07
• A non-refundable fee of $24.00 will be charged for any exemplifications, and an additional $0.10 (printouts) or $0.50 (copies) per page, and $12.00 for certification of the document if needed.

Apostilles

• Apostille services are only provided for court documents pertaining to the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• A non-refundable fee of $50.00 is required for the issuance of an apostille.

Transcripts

• For copies of transcripts, please contact the Court Reporter’s Office General Information Line: 213-894-3015.

The records department will not process your request until full payment is received.

*******The above quoted rates are established pursuant to Title 26, Section 1914 of the United States Code.*******

Exhibit Tags

• If counsel are required to use the court's exhibit tags, the tags can be obtained from the Clerk’s Office Records Department in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Riverside, or from the United States District Court Customer Service window at the 1st Street Courthouse.

Payment

• Please make remittance in the form of a cashier’s check, certified bank check, business or corporate check, or a money order drawn on a major American bank or the United States Postal Service, payable to "Clerk, U.S. District Court."  See a complete list of fees.
• Personal checks or checks drawn on non-business accounts will not be accepted.
• Credit card payments are only accepted in person at the Intake/Customer Service window located at the Roybal Courthouse, First Street Courthouse, Santa Ana Courthouse, and Riverside Courthouse.

Submitting a Request

• [email protected] (Western Division cases)
• [email protected] (Southern Division cases)
• [email protected] (Eastern Division cases)

Postal Mail:

Central District of California
Western Division

Los Angeles Courthouse
Attention Correspondence Clerk
255 East Temple Street, Suite TS-134
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Central District of California
Southern Division

Santa Ana Courthouse
411 West Fourth Street, Room 1053
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4516

Central District of California
Eastern Division

Riverside Courthouse
3470 Twelfth Street, Room 134
Riverside, CA 92501

Public Window

Office hours for all three divisions: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of federal holidays.

Viewing Court Records

Case Naming Conventions

PACER

We invite customers to take advantage of the “Public Access to Court Electronic Records” or PACER service. PACER is a browser based electronic retrieval system that provides criminal and civil summaries and docket information using a computer terminal.  PACER also provides access to scanned civil judgments, order and minute orders.  To establish a PACER account, contact the PACER Service Center at http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/ or 800-676-6856.

• If you are in the Los Angeles area, you are welcome to come into our offices at 255 East Temple Street, Suite 180 (corner of Temple and San Pedro), to search our public computer terminals for the information you are seeking. Once found, you may arrange for the copy service to prepare uncertified copies.