Palmdale Divorce Records Search

Palmdale is in the Antelope Valley area of Los Angeles County. Divorce records for Palmdale residents are filed and stored at Los Angeles County Superior Court. The main family law courthouse is the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 North Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. The Family Law Clerk Office is in Room 426 on the fourth floor. Call (213) 633-6363 for family law clerk questions. Family Law Files are on the first floor in Room 112. Call (213) 830-0803 for records. Hours are 8:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. The Antelope Valley Courthouse at 42011 4th Street West in Lancaster also handles some family law cases for the Palmdale and Lancaster area. Los Angeles County has several online portals for searching divorce cases. The Divorce Judgments portal is at lacourt.org/ldosv2. Basic searches are free but downloading documents costs money. A name search is $4.75 for guest users or one dollar for registered users. Document downloads cost one dollar per page for the first five pages and forty cents per page after that, with a max of forty dollars per document. In-person certified copies cost twenty-five dollars per document.

Los Angeles County Family Courts

Los Angeles County is the largest court system in California. The Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles is the main location for family law. This building at 111 North Hill Street has multiple family law offices. The Family Law Clerk Office is in Room 426 on the fourth floor. Call (213) 633-6363. Family Law Filing is (213) 830-0830. Family Law Files are in Room 112 on the first floor. Call (213) 830-0803. Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

For Palmdale residents, the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster is closer. This courthouse at 42011 4th Street West in Lancaster handles family law cases for the Antelope Valley region. Many Palmdale residents file and attend hearings at this location. The courthouse has clerks who can help with filing and general questions.

Los Angeles County also has an Archives and Records Center at 222 North Hill Street in Room 212. Call (213) 830-0803. This office stores older files. If you need a divorce record from many years ago, you may need to contact the Archives. The Certification Unit is at 111 North Hill Street in Room 112C. This is where you can get certified copies in person.

When you file for divorce in Palmdale, the case goes into the Los Angeles County system. You get a case number. The case may be assigned to Lancaster or another courthouse depending on where you live and the court schedule. All documents you file become part of the court record. The court keeps these files permanently.

Search Records Online

Los Angeles County has three main online portals for searching divorce cases. The Divorce Judgments portal at lacourt.org/ldosv2 is specifically for looking up divorce judgments. You can search by name or case number. The Online Services portal at lacourt.org/paos/v2public covers many case types including family law. LA Court Connect at lacc.lacourt.org is another option for searching cases.

The online system has family law cases from 1983 to the present. Document images are available starting May 1, 2000. You can search for free as a guest but there are fees for downloading documents. A name search costs $4.75 for guest users. If you register for an account, the first ten searches cost one dollar each. After that, searches cost more.

Document downloads have their own fees. One dollar per page for the first five pages. Forty cents per page for pages six and up. The max charge is forty dollars per document. This means a long divorce decree will not cost more than forty dollars to download even if it has many pages.

To search, enter the last name and first name of one party. If you have the case number, enter that instead. The system shows a list of matching cases. Click on a case to see details. The Register of Actions shows the timeline of the case. Some documents may be available for viewing or download. Family law cases have privacy rules. Financial forms and custody reports are usually not available to the public.

Request Certified Copies

A certified copy of a divorce decree has the court seal and clerk signature. You need this for official uses like remarriage or name changes. To get a certified copy in person in downtown Los Angeles, go to the Certification Unit at 111 North Hill Street in Room 112C. Bring the case number if you have it. If not, bring the names of both parties and the year the divorce was filed or finalized.

Tell the clerk you need a certified copy of the divorce decree. The clerk will look up the case and tell you the fee. In-person certified copies cost twenty-five dollars per document. This is higher than the standard fifteen dollar fee in many other counties. Pay at the counter with cash, check, or card. If the file is on-site, the clerk may be able to provide your copy the same day. If the file is archived, it may take longer.

For mail requests, write a letter with the case number or party names and approximate date. Say you want a certified copy of the divorce decree. Include a check or money order made out to Los Angeles Superior Court. The fee depends on whether you order online or by mail. Check the court website for current fees. Mail to: Los Angeles Superior Court, Archives and Records Center, 222 North Hill Street, Room 212, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Do not send cash. The court will process your request and mail the copy to you. Allow several weeks for processing.

Note: Los Angeles County has different fees than most other California counties. In-person certified copies cost twenty-five dollars instead of the standard fifteen dollars. Online downloads have per-page fees. Budget accordingly when requesting records.

California Divorce Laws

To file for divorce in California, one spouse must live in the state for six months. The same person must live in the county where they file for three months. Family Code Section 2320 sets this residency rule. If you just moved to Palmdale, wait until you meet the time requirement before filing in Los Angeles County.

California uses no-fault divorce. You do not need to prove your spouse did anything wrong. You just state there are irreconcilable differences. This means the marriage is broken and cannot be saved. Family Code Section 2310 lists the two grounds for divorce. Irreconcilable differences is what most people use. The other is incurable insanity, which is rarely used.

Once the court enters a judgment, you must wait six months before the divorce is final. The six months start from when the respondent was served with the divorce papers. After six months pass and the judge signs the judgment, the divorce is complete. Both parties are single and can remarry. Family Code Section 2339 explains the waiting period.

Divorce records are public in California. Anyone can request a copy of a divorce decree. Some documents may be sealed like financial disclosures or custody evaluations. But the basic fact of the divorce and the final judgment are open records.

How to File for Divorce

To start a divorce in Los Angeles County, file form FL-100, Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and form FL-110, Summons. You can get these forms at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/divorce-forms. All California courts use the same forms. Download and print them for free. The filing fee is around $435 to $450. If you cannot afford it, fill out form FW-001 to request a fee waiver. The court looks at your income and expenses and may waive all or part of the fee.

After you file, you must serve the other party. Someone over 18 who is not part of the case must deliver the papers. You can hire a process server or use the sheriff. The person who serves the papers fills out a Proof of Service form. You file this with the court to show that service happened. The other party has thirty days to respond. If they do not respond, you can ask for a default. If both parties agree, you can file a stipulated judgment. If you disagree, you may need mediation or a trial.

• FL-100 Petition form
• FL-110 Summons form
• FL-120 Response form
• Financial disclosure documents
• FL-180 Judgment form

Legal Help Resources

Los Angeles County has a Family Law Facilitator office that provides free help with child support and other family law issues. They can explain forms and procedures. They do not represent you in court. The court also has a self-help center where staff can answer questions about the process. They cannot give legal advice but they can guide you through forms and steps.

If you need a lawyer and cannot afford one, contact Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. They help low-income people with family law cases. Call to see if you qualify. The Los Angeles County Bar Association also offers a lawyer referral service. You can get connected with an attorney for a reduced-rate consultation.

Many people in California represent themselves in divorce cases. This is allowed by law. The court provides forms and instructions. You must follow all rules and deadlines. If you get stuck or have questions, ask the self-help center or consult a lawyer. Some lawyers offer limited scope services where they help with part of your case while you handle the rest yourself.