Court Document Retrieval Across California
We pull copies of filed documents and case files from courthouses throughout California, including certified copies. Choose a courthouse below to see the rate.
Court records statewide
Routine in 3 days
Urgent the same day
Superior, appellate, and federal courts in California
- 58California counties
- From $95for law firms
- Since 1961serving California
- All 58 California counties
- Same-day retrieval
- Certified copies on request
- 65+ years in California
Since 1961, Direct Legal Support has worked inside California's courthouses every business day, filing documents, delivering courtesy copies, and pulling records. Offices in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Santa Ana, San Diego, Palm Springs, Bakersfield, San Jose, and Fremont put our runners close to the courts. Tell us the case and the documents you need, and we bring back the copies.
What We Retrieve
- Complaints, answers, and cross-complaints
- Motions, oppositions, and orders
- Judgments and minute orders
- Certified copies for enforcement or out-of-state use
- Complete case files
- Probate and family law filings
- Archived and older case files
- Registers of actions and dockets
Some records, such as juvenile, sealed, and certain family law records, are restricted by law and available only to the parties or with a court order.
Document Retrieval Service Levels
Your rate depends on the courthouse and how fast you need the copies. Orders must reach us by the court's deadline shown in the lookup above.
Routine
We obtain your documents, or submit the request to the clerk, within 3 days.
Urgent Same-Day
We obtain your documents, or submit the request to the clerk, the same day when your order reaches us by the court's deadline.
Documents are not always available for purchase right away. Service levels are measured by the date we obtain the documents or, when the court cannot provide them right away, the date we submit the request to the court clerk. We typically email the documents the business day after we obtain them, unless your order says otherwise. Files stored offsite or in court archives can take longer, because the court must retrieve them first.
What Your Rate Includes
Retrieval rates depend on the courthouse and service level. Court copy and certification fees are charged by the court and are not included. Delivery times are based on orders received by the deadline shown for each court.
- Court fees. Copy and certification fees are set by the court and paid in addition to our rate.
- Timing. Service levels are measured by the date we obtain the documents or, when the court cannot provide them right away, the date we submit the request to the court clerk. We typically email the documents the business day after we obtain them, unless your order says otherwise.
- Outside California. Where available, retrieval outside California is $175 routine and $225 urgent for law firms and legal departments, and $250 and $300 for parties without an attorney.
- What to send us. The court, the case number and case name, and the documents you need, with filing dates if you have them.
- Rate changes. Prices may change without notice.
How Court Document Retrieval Works
Create your account
Register at DirectLegal.com in a few minutes. There are no setup fees or monthly minimums.
Tell us what you need
Give us the court, the case number, and the documents you want, and choose Routine or Urgent.
We pull the records
We request the copies from the clerk, including certified copies when you need them.
Get your copies
We typically email the documents the business day after we obtain them, and you can follow the order online.
Start an Order or call (800) 675-5376
Court Document Retrieval vs. Records Retrieval
Court document retrieval gets copies of documents already filed with a court. If you need medical, employment, or business records from a third party, that is records retrieval by subpoena, which our Records Retrieval Division handles from subpoena to production.
Courts We Retrieve From
- Superior Courts in all 58 California counties, including branch courthouses and family law and juvenile courts.
- The California Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of California.
- U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California.
- U.S. Bankruptcy Courts throughout California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena and San Francisco.
We also retrieve from court archives, including the Los Angeles County Archives. Choose any location in the lookup above to see its rate.
Document Retrieval Questions
How much does court document retrieval cost?
Document retrieval starts at $95 for law firms and legal departments and $150 for parties without an attorney, for routine 3-day retrieval at courthouses such as the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. Same-day urgent retrieval there is $125 and $200. Rates depend on the courthouse, and court copy and certification fees are not included.
How fast can you get court documents?
Routine retrieval is completed within 3 days, and Urgent retrieval the same day when your order reaches us by the court's deadline. Documents are not always available for purchase right away, so the service level is the date we obtain the documents or the date we submit the request to the court clerk. We typically email the documents the business day after we obtain them, unless your order says otherwise. Files stored offsite or in court archives can take longer, because the court must retrieve them first.
What information do you need to retrieve court documents?
The court, the case number and case name, and the documents you need, with filing dates if you have them. If you need the whole case file, let us know.
Can you get certified copies?
Yes. We can request certified copies from the clerk, for example when you need a certified copy of a judgment for enforcement or for use in another state. The court charges its own certification fee.
Can you retrieve court records outside California?
Yes, where available. Retrieval outside California is $175 routine and $225 urgent for law firms and legal departments, and $250 and $300 for parties without an attorney.
Is court document retrieval the same as records retrieval?
No. Court document retrieval gets copies of documents already filed with a court. Getting medical, employment, or business records from a third party is records retrieval by subpoena, which our Records Retrieval Division handles.
Can anyone get copies of court records?
Most civil court records are public. Some records, such as juvenile, sealed, and certain family law records, are restricted by law and available only to the parties or with a court order.
Need Court Documents?
Create a free account and submit your order in a few minutes. There are no setup fees. If you have a question first, call us or send a message.
Existing client? Log in to your portal