The Records Division is the repository and the Custodian of Records for all Sheriff's Office records.
The Records Division is located in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office Headquarters building in San Jose. The Records Division is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week (including Holidays).
The Records Division can be contacted by calling (408) 808-4705
The following is a list of services and the fees associated with the services (if any).
The public may bring in citations issued by the Sheriff’s Office for sign off during normal business hours Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. They must pay the fee at Records 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. Subjects may request a copy of their local criminal record for a fee. People living in Santa Clara County are required to come in person and show a valid ID before their request is processed. They will be asked to provide relevant information to fill out the necessary paperwork. They will be fingerprinted to verify that they match the subject of record. Their criminal record will be mailed to them within 4 weeks. People living out of Santa Clara County and outside this State are required to submit the following:
- Fingerprint card from a local police department
- Notarized letter including subject’s identifying information and contact information
- Personal check payable to Santa Clara County Sheriff (or abbreviate SCC S/O) in the amount of $25.00
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.
- For Registered Owners without a valid drivers’ license they 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:
- If you require a visa to travel outside the US for employment, school, church or adoption purposes.
- If you have a letter from US INS specifying that a police clearance letter is needed to process your application.
You need to have proper identification (photo ID, DL, Passport). You need to supply the mailing address of the agency, consulate or embassy the letter needs to be addressed to. In cases when the letter needs to be sent in care of another agency both addresses must be provided. Clearance letters are processed at the time of request and will be sealed and handed to you.
You must bring your own notary if you need the letter notarized. If a criminal record exists for a requestor the processing time may take longer, and you will be called when it is ready.
The Security Clearance Information Act requires that criminal agencies provide criminal history record information to Department of Defense, Office of Personnel Management, Central Intelligence Agency and the 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 for checks with no criminal records and $ 12.00 if a record has been found on an individual. A valid signed waiver with subject’s name and date of birth is required.
Completed checks are released to the requestor/agent upon verification of his identity and upon payment of this service. The requester is given a billing statement and receipt for his records. Requests may be faxed, mailed or brought in person. Completed records must be picked up in person. For additional information and fax number please call the Records Back Counter at (408) 808-4705 Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Fingerprints are required on criminal charges for court calendaring and for sending recordable charges to Department of Justice and the FBI. Subjects requiring such fingerprints may come in at any time to get this done and no appointments are required. Informal booking services are provided for criminal citations issued by the Sheriff’s Office, CHP, and San Jose State University or court ordered bookings. Subjects are to bring in any paperwork related to this booking and valid identification. The public may request a copy of an incident report taken by the Sheriff’s Office. They may fill out the request form online and bring it to the Sheriff’s Office for processing or come in and fill one at the Records window. They will need to indicate their involvement in the incident. For people representing involved parties they must bring a business card or a notarized letter of representation. All requests are reviewed by the Detective Division and can only be released upon their approval. There may be exceptions on non-injury accident reports where they may be released at the time of request. No fee will be collected for a copy of a crime report with fewer than 50 pages. A fee of 10 cents a page will be charged for reports of 50 pages or more. Sheriff Records Department is the repository for all Restraining Orders issued by Santa Clara County Courts and is responsible for entering them into Department of Justice’s Restraining Order System for law enforcement information only. The Sheriff’s Office does not release Restraining Order information to public; they are directed to obtain this information from the County Court that issued the order. The same applies to Proofs of Service on Restraining Orders by public. They need to submit Proofs of Service to the respective Court. For service of Domestic Violence Restraining Orders click on CIVIL DIVISION or navigate to the homepage. 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. You will also need to possess a valid driver’s license. If you are representing the legal owner, you need to produce a “Hold Harmless” letter verifying that you have been authorized to repossess the vehicle. 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 on whom the warrant check is being done. If the warrant check is for someone else, we are only able to provide information on warrants held by our office. If the warrant check is 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 how to take care of the warrant. Your options may be to sign up for a court date, post and forfeit bail, pay bail and get a court date, post bond through a bails bondsman or be booked at the main jail. For warrants over $5,000.00, you will need to post bail in order to get a court date. On criminal warrants requiring fingerprinting, you will need to be fingerprinted before you leave with your Notice To Appear paperwork.
We conduct applicant background checks for law enforcement agencies at no cost. A valid signed waiver of applicant with complete name and date of birth is required. Requests must be on the law enforcement agency’s letterhead specifying the position being applied for and complete name of requestor. The request may be mailed or faxed. For additional information and fax number please call the Records Back Counter at (408) 808-4705 Monday – Friday 8.00am – 5.00pm. Subjects who have been classified as an Arson, Gang, Narcotic or Sex Registrants are required by law to register with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over their place of residence. Registrants may come in at any time to update their registration information and must to do in compliance with the time frame established for each category. |
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