Sheriff's Office Records

The public may bring in citations issued by the Sheriff's Office for signoff during normal business hours Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. You must pay the fee and obtain a receipt prior to the deputy checking for the necessary corrections. The deputy will only sign off on the citation if the information is validated. There are no refunds even if the citation is unable to be signed off by our Department.

​Fingerprints are required on criminal charges for court calendaring and for sending recordable charges to the Department of Justice and the FBI. Informal booking services are provided for criminal citations issued by the Sheriff's Office, CHP, and San Jose State University and for court-ordered bookings. Subjects should bring in any paperwork related to the booking and valid identification. Appointments are available Monday–Thursday, 08:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Ink fingerprint cards are available by appointment for a fee of $20.00. Our office provides an FBI FD-258 applicant fingerprint card; if you require a card other than an FD-258, you must supply your own.

We conduct applicant background checks for law enforcement agencies at no cost. A valid waiver signed by the applicant with complete name and date of birth is required. Requests must be on the law enforcement agency's letterhead and must specify the position being applied for and the complete name of the requestor. The request may be mailed or faxed. For additional information and our fax number, please call the Records Back Counter, 408-808-4705, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5.00 p.m.

Subjects may request a copy of their local criminal record for a fee. People living in Santa Clara County must come in person and show a valid ID before their request will be processed. They will be asked to provide relevant information to fill out the necessary paperwork and will be fingerprinted to verify that they match the subject of record. The Records division will mail their criminal record to them within four weeks. People living outside Santa Clara County, California are required to submit:

• A fingerprint card completed by a law enforcement agency.
• A notarized letter stating that you are requesting a copy of your criminal history for personal use. This letter must include:
  • Any aliases and other identifying information (such as a California driver's license number)
  • A return mailing address
  • A phone number and/or email address we can contact if we have any questions
• A copy of a valid photo ID or Passport
• A personal check or money order made payable to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in the amount of $25.00

The Security Clearance Information Act requires that criminal agencies provide criminal history record information to the Department of Defense, Office of Personnel Management, Central Intelligence Agency, and Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine the eligibility of an individual for access to classified information or assignment to sensitive national security duties. The Sheriff's Office conducts background checks for this purpose for a fee of $5.00 if no criminal records are found and $12.00 if criminal records are found. A valid signed waiver with the subject's name and date of birth is required.

Completed checks are released to the requestor/agent upon verification of identity and upon payment for this service. The Records division will provide a billing statement and receipt for the requestor's records. Requests may be faxed, mailed, or brought in person. Completed records must be picked up in person. For additional information and our fax number, please call the Records Back Counter, 408-808-4705, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Subjects who have been classified as Arson, Gang, Narcotics, or Sex Offenders are required by law to register with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over their place of residence. Registrants must call to make an appointment. The Records division will process registrants based on staffing availability, Monday–Thursday.

Victims of a crime may request a copy of an incident report investigated by the Sheriff’s Office pursuant to the California Government Code, Section 6254(f). These records will not be disclosed if the Sheriff’s Office determines the disclosure would endanger the safety of a witness or other person involved in the investigation or if its disclosure would endanger the successful completion of the investigation or a related investigation. Additionally, information (if released) may be redacted to protect confidential and protected information pursuant to the California Government Code, Sections 6254(c), (f), (k), 6255, and the California Constitution, Article I, Section 1. All requests are reviewed by the Detective Division and can only be released upon their approval.

Victims may fill out the request form linked below and submit it to the Sheriff’s Office for processing or come to the Sheriff’s Office in person to get a request form and submit it at the Records Division window. Proper identification is required. For people representing involved parties, they must bring a business card or a notarized letter of representation. No fee will be collected for the first copy of a crime reported requested by a victim or for reports fewer than 50 pages. Otherwise, a fee of 10 cents per page will be charged for reports of 50 pages or more.

Per VC 20012, Accident Reports may be released to the driver(s) of the vehicle(s) involved, guardian, conservator thereof, the parent of a minor driver, the authorized representative of a driver, or to any named person injured therein, the owners of vehicles or property damaged thereby, person who may incur civil liability.

Completed Accident Reports may be released to involved parties on the same day of the request. To request a copy of an accident report online, please visit LexisNexis Police Reports.​​

Legal owners needing a release of a vehicle for the purpose of repossession shall provide papers showing their "Intent to Repossess." You will need to fill out a Sheriff's Office form verifying repossession and provide proof of a valid driver's license. If you are representing the legal owner, you will need to produce a "Hold Harmless" letter verifying that you have been authorized to repossess the vehicle.

The Records division is the repository for all restraining orders issued by Santa Clara County Courts and is responsible for entering them into the Department of Justice's Restraining Order System for the use of law enforcement only. The Sheriff's Office does not release restraining order information to the public; the same applies to proofs of service on restraining orders. The public may obtain this information from the County Court that issued the order. Contact the Civil division for service of domestic violence restraining orders.

Fees are $189.00 for all stored vehicles, no fee for recovered stolen vehicles. Vehicles are released to the registered owner only, with certain exceptions:

• You must have a photo ID and a valid driver's license if the vehicle was towed for driving without a license or expired registration.
• Registered owners without a valid driver's license may authorize another person with a valid driver's license to sign the vehicle release form on their behalf.
• The vehicle must be currently registered before it is released (except for recovered stolen vehicles).

We provide clearance letters for the following situations:

1. If you require a visa to travel outside the US for employment, school, church, or adoption purposes.
2. If you have a letter from US INS specifying that a police clearance letter is needed to process your application.

You must provide proper photo ID like a driver's license or Passport and supply the mailing address of the relevant agency, consulate, and/or embassy. If the letter needs to be sent in care of another agency, both addresses must be provided. We provide clearance letters as a drop-off service, and we will notify you when the letter is ready for pick-up, or you can opt to receive the letter by mail.

Letters requiring notarization do not qualify for drop-off and require an appointment. You must bring your own notary at the time of the appointment. If a criminal record exists for a requestor, the processing time may take longer, and we will call you when it is ready.

For mail-in requests, you must provide the following:

• A notarized letter stating that you need a clearance letter and why you need one. Include the mailing address of the agency, consulate, and/or embassy.
• If you need a clearance letter for INS, include a copy of the document specifying that a police clearance letter is needed to process your application.
• A copy of a valid photo ID like a driver's license or Passport.
• Your descriptors: race, hair color, eye color, height, weight, current address.
• Any previous names and aliases you would like included in the letter.
• A return mailing address. (You may also appoint a designee to pick up the letter.)
• A personal check or money order made payable to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in the amount of $20.00.

Warrant information is available for anyone who requests it at the Records window. You will need to provide the name and date of birth of the subject of the warrant. If the warrant check is for someone else, we are only able to provide information on warrants held by our office.

If you are checking a warrant on yourself, then you must produce proper identification at the time of the request. A complete warrant check will be done and you will be advised on options to take care of the warrant. Options include making an appointment to sign up for a court date, post and forfeit bail, pay bail and get a court date, or post bond through a bails bondsman.

You do not need an appointment for a self-surrender to be booked at the Main Jail. For warrants with bail over $15,000.00, you will need to post bail in order to get a court date. For criminal warrants requiring fingerprinting, you will need to be fingerprinted before you leave with your "Notice to Appear" paperwork.