Santa Rosa Divorce Records Search
Santa Rosa residents file divorce cases through Sonoma County Superior Court. The main courthouse sits at 600 Administration Drive in Santa Rosa. This location handles most family law matters for the city and surrounding areas. Sonoma County keeps divorce records going back many decades. Cases filed before 1984 may be in archived storage. The court offers online record requests through a form on their website. You can also call, mail, or visit in person to get copies of divorce decrees and other court documents. Certified copies of divorce judgments cost $15 under California law. Regular copies are $0.50 per page. If you need to search for a case and the clerk has to spend more than a brief time looking, there is a $15 research fee. Processing times vary but most requests are completed within a few weeks.
Sonoma County Court System
Sonoma County Superior Court maintains all divorce records for Santa Rosa. The courthouse is at 600 Administration Drive, Room 110-J, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. Court hours are 8am to 3:30pm on weekdays. You can call 707-521-6670 with questions about records. The court clerk handles requests for copies of divorce decrees and other family law documents.
When you file for divorce in Santa Rosa, your case goes into the county system. All the forms you submit become part of the court file. This includes the petition, response, financial disclosures, settlement agreements, and the final judgment. The clerk keeps these files and makes them available to the public according to California law. Some documents may be sealed or confidential, but the basic divorce decree is a public record.
Sonoma County has an online request form for court records. You can fill it out at forms.office.com/g/98cj7Dr5U9. The form asks for the case number, party names, and what documents you need. Submit the form and the court will contact you with payment instructions and estimated processing time. This is faster than mailing a written request because the form goes directly to the records department.
If you prefer to mail your request, send it to Sonoma County Superior Court, 600 Administration Drive, Room 110-J, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. Include the case number or the names of both parties, your contact information, and what you need. The court will send you a bill for the fees. Once you pay, they will process your request and mail the documents to you.
How to Get a Divorce Decree
A certified copy of a divorce decree costs $15 in Sonoma County. This is the standard fee set by California law. The $15 includes the certificate and the pages of the judgment. If you need other documents from the case file, those cost $40 for certification plus $0.50 per page for copies. Search fees are $15 if the clerk has to spend time looking for the case.
To request a certified divorce decree, you need the case number or the names of both parties. If you have the case number, the search is quick. If you only have names, the clerk will search the index. Common names may take longer to locate. Providing the approximate year of the divorce helps narrow the search.
You can request copies online, by mail, or in person. Online requests go through the form at forms.office.com/g/98cj7Dr5U9. In-person requests are handled at the courthouse during business hours. Walk up to the clerk's window and tell them you need a certified copy of a divorce decree. Give them the case number or party names. If the file is on site, they can process your request fairly quickly. If the file is in storage, it will take longer.
Archived Records
Sonoma County archives divorce records that are older than a certain number of years. Cases filed before 1984 are likely in archived storage. Archived files are kept off-site and take extra time to retrieve. When you request an archived record, the court charges a $5 storage retrieval fee on top of the regular copy and certification fees.
Archived records are still available. You just need to allow more time. The court will pull the file from storage, make the copies you need, and certify them. The total cost for a certified divorce decree from an archived case would be $15 for the certification plus $5 for retrieval, so $20 total. Processing can take several weeks depending on how busy the archives staff is.
Divorce Filing Requirements
To file for divorce in Santa Rosa, you or your spouse must have lived in California for at least six months. You must also have lived in Sonoma County for at least three months. These residency requirements are set by California Family Code Section 2320. If you meet these requirements, you can file a petition for dissolution of marriage at the Sonoma County Superior Court.
California is a no-fault divorce state. You do not need to prove fault. The legal grounds for divorce are irreconcilable differences or incurable insanity. Almost all divorces are filed on the basis of irreconcilable differences. You file the petition and summons, serve your spouse, and wait for a response. Your spouse has 30 days to respond. After the response is filed, you exchange financial information and work toward a settlement.
California law requires a six-month waiting period before a divorce can be finalized. This period starts when your spouse is served with the petition. Even if you and your spouse agree on everything, the court cannot enter the final judgment until six months have passed. This waiting period is set by California Family Code Section 2339. Once the six months are up and all issues are resolved, the judge signs the judgment and the divorce is final.
What Information You Need
To request a divorce record from Santa Rosa, gather as much information as you can. The case number is the best thing to have. If you do not have the case number, you need at least one party's full name. Here is what helps:
- Full first and last name of one spouse
- Case number if available
- Approximate year of divorce
- Date of marriage if known
The more details you provide, the easier it is for the clerk to find the case. Common names can be hard to search without a year or case number. If you know the divorce happened around 2010, tell the clerk. They can search that time frame. If you have the exact case number, the search takes seconds.
Fees and Payment
Sonoma County charges the following fees for divorce records:
- Certified divorce decree: $15
- Other certified documents: $40 plus $0.50 per page
- Regular copies: $0.50 per page
- Research fee: $15 if search takes more than a brief time
- Storage retrieval: $5 for archived files
The court accepts checks, money orders, and credit cards. Make checks payable to Sonoma County Superior Court. If you mail a request, include a check for the estimated fees. The clerk will let you know if you owe more or if they need to refund you. Do not send cash through the mail.
If the court cannot find the record you requested, they will return your payment. If they find the case but it turns out to be confidential or sealed, they will notify you and explain what records are available.
Processing Times
Processing times depend on the age of the case and how busy the court is. Current cases with files on site can be processed quickly. If you request a certified copy of a recent divorce in person, the clerk may be able to do it while you wait. Mail requests and online requests take longer because they go into a queue. The court processes requests in the order they are received.
Archived cases take the longest. The court has to request the file from off-site storage, wait for it to arrive, pull the documents you need, make copies, and certify them. This can take several weeks. If you need records quickly, call the court first and ask if the case is archived. If it is, plan for a longer wait.
Privacy and Access
California law protects certain information in divorce files. The divorce decree itself is public. Anyone can request a copy. Other documents may have restrictions. Child custody evaluations are often confidential. Financial records may be sealed in some cases. Domestic violence restraining orders have special rules about who can access them.
When you request records, the court provides what is available under the law. If you are not a party to the case, you may not get everything in the file. If you are a party, you have more rights to access but you still cannot get sealed or confidential documents without a court order. The clerk can tell you what records are available when you make your request.
Legal Resources in Santa Rosa
If you need help with a divorce case, Sonoma County has resources. The court has a self-help center where you can get information about forms and procedures. Self-help staff cannot give legal advice but they can explain the process and point you to the right forms. Legal aid organizations in the area offer free or low-cost help to people who qualify based on income.
The California courts website at courts.ca.gov has a lot of information about family law. You can find forms, instructions, and answers to common questions. The Sonoma County court website at sonoma.courts.ca.gov has local information including court locations, contact numbers, and links to online services.
Contact Information
To contact Sonoma County Superior Court about divorce records, call 707-521-6670. Court hours are 8am to 3:30pm on weekdays. The courthouse is at 600 Administration Drive, Room 110-J, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. For online record requests, use the form at forms.office.com/g/98cj7Dr5U9. The court website is sonoma.courts.ca.gov.
Court staff can answer questions about how to get copies, what fees apply, and how long it will take. They cannot give legal advice. If you need legal help, contact a lawyer or a legal aid organization. The court can provide information about the records process but they cannot help you with your legal case.