About the Marin County Clerk of the Superior Court
California does not elect a separate district clerk for the courts. The clerk function belongs to the Superior Court itself, and in Marin the court runs a centralized Court Records Division for that work. The division handles requests for active and disposed court records in non-confidential case types, including criminal, civil, family law, probate, and small claims. It sits in Room 113 at the Civic Center Hall of Justice. After California unified its trial courts in 1998, all of this work landed in the Superior Court, so there is no separate municipal court clerk to track down.
This is different from the county's other clerk. The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk keeps deeds, vital records, and business filings, while the Court Records Division keeps court case files. For the non-court office, see the County Clerk-Recorder page.
Court Records Division
Marin County Superior Court
3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 113
San Rafael, CA 94903
415-444-7080
courtrecords@marin.courts.ca.gov
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed noon to 1
What the Clerk Does in Marin County
The Court Records Division is the keeper of the court's files and the point of contact for copies. It accepts filings, maintains case records, produces copies and certified documents, and provides the register of actions for a case. There is one firm limit worth stating up front: the office does not give case information or conduct research over the phone or by email.
- Maintain active and disposed court case files.
- Process records requests for copies and certified copies.
- Provide the register of actions, the chronological case history.
- Handle confidential case requests under strict ID rules.
- Support the public viewing kiosk for public case documents.
Public Access Through the ePortal
Before you file a request, the ePortal may already answer your question. The court's online portal lets a registered public user search cases and calendars without coming to the courthouse. Public access shows the parties, the documents filed, and the past and future hearings for a case. It stops short of opening the document PDFs and the minute orders, which stay with parties and attorneys who hold verified access.
For the documents the portal will not open, the Clerk keeps a public viewing kiosk in Room 113. A member of the public can read public case documents there even when the same files are not available remotely. The kiosk and the records request form are the two ways the public reaches full documents, since remote access is limited by state court rules.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is the official version a court or agency will accept, stamped to show it came from the court. People need them for appeals, name changes, immigration, and many legal steps. An uncertified copy is fine for reading but not for proof. The steps below cover a typical request.
- Find the case number through the ePortal or a records request.
- Complete the court's records request form with the case details.
- Mark which documents need certification.
- Submit by mail, the drop box outside Room 113, or email the form.
- Pay the copy and certification fees, then wait for the copies.
For a confidential case, the rules tighten. A remote confidential request needs a notarized copy of photo ID submitted by mail, drop box, or in person, because the office cannot verify identity by phone or email.
Timing is the part people underestimate. Requests are worked in the order they arrive, and a complex request can take more than six weeks. If you have a court deadline or a closing date, build in that lead time rather than counting on a quick turnaround. A certified copy you need next week should have gone in weeks ago, so order early and keep the case number handy.
Records Request Form Fields
The court's records request form gathers everything the division needs to find a file. It asks for your contact details, the case identifiers, the case type, and exactly what you want. The field inventory below reflects the official form.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contact information | Yes | Name, email, phone, and mailing address |
| Case number | If known | Exact number speeds the search |
| Case name | Requested | Example: John Doe vs. Jane Doe |
| Case type | If known | Family, civil, criminal, probate, small claims, traffic |
| Request type | Yes | One document up to all documents in several cases |
| Documents requested | Conditional | Document name, filing party, and date if known |
The form also warns against duplicate requests and status calls, since both push your request further back in the queue.
Marin County Clerk Fees
Copy, search, and certification fees come from the state Government Code, so they match other California superior courts. Requests are processed in the order received and can take more than six weeks, so plan ahead for anything with a deadline.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $0.50 |
| Certification per document | $40.00 |
| File or name search per case | $15.00 |
| Estate search per case | $15.00 |
| Certified final judgment of dissolution | $15.00 |
| Exemplification | $50.00 plus $0.50 per page |
Note: a file stored off site adds a $5 retrieval charge, and transcripts run about $3 per page because the court reporter owns the transcript.
Common Clerk Forms and Resources
Most of what the public needs is on the court's forms and filing page, which links the fee schedule, the local forms, the Judicial Council forms, and the local rules. The records request form is the key document for copies.
- Forms and Filing - fee schedule, local forms, and local rules.
- Court Records & Exhibits - records request instructions and the request form.
- eCourt Online Portal - case and calendar search after you register.
Confidential Case Requests
Some case types are not open to the public, and the Clerk handles them under tighter rules. Juvenile, adoption, mental health, and sealed matters are confidential by law. The office can only release confidential case information to authorized parties, and it cannot confirm details by phone or email because it has no way to verify who is asking that way.
A remote request for a confidential record needs a notarized copy of the requester's photo ID, sent by mail, by the drop box, or delivered in person. That step protects the people in the case while still giving an authorized party a path to the record. If you are not sure whether a case is confidential, the safest move is to ask before you submit, since a confidential file follows a separate process from an open one.
Register of Actions and Transcripts
Two records often get confused with the case file. The register of actions is the chronological list of everything filed and every hearing in a case, and the Clerk can print one for a per-page fee. It is the fastest way to see a case at a glance without ordering every document.
A transcript is different. It is the word-for-word account of what was said in court, and the court reporter owns it. A transcript is requested through the reporter process rather than a plain copy from the file, and it costs more, around three dollars per page. Knowing which one you need keeps the request and the fee on track. For most people checking a case, the register of actions and a few certified documents are enough, and a full transcript is only needed when the exact words spoken in court matter.
Mail, Online, and eFiling
The court takes records requests by mail, by the drop box outside Room 113, and by email of the form, though it does not discuss cases or run research through those channels. For filing a case, the court has moved toward electronic filing. An administrative order requires eFiling in non-criminal cases, so civil, family, and probate filers should expect to file electronically unless an exception applies.
The ePortal handles the public-facing search side. After you create a free account, you can run case and calendar searches, while document PDFs and minute orders stay limited to verified parties and attorneys or the courthouse kiosk in Room 113.