Thousand Oaks Divorce Records

Thousand Oaks residents file divorce cases through Ventura County Superior Court. The county court system maintains all family law records for Thousand Oaks and other cities in the county. The main courthouse is the Hall of Justice at 800 South Victoria Avenue in Ventura. There is also a juvenile courthouse in Oxnard that handles some family law matters. You can search for divorce records online using the county case portal at ventura.ecourt.com/public-portal. The portal is free and shows basic case information going back to September 1991. You cannot view full documents online but you can see a list of filings in each case. To get certified copies of divorce decrees or other court papers, contact the court clerk by mail, phone, or in person. Certified divorce decrees cost $15 and include all pages of the judgment at no extra charge.

Ventura County Court System

Ventura County Superior Court keeps all divorce records for Thousand Oaks. The Hall of Justice at 800 South Victoria Avenue, Room 218, Ventura, CA 93009 is the main location for family law records. You can call (805) 289-8668 with questions. Court hours are 8am to 4pm on weekdays. The juvenile courthouse is at 4353 Vineyard Avenue, Room 122, in Oxnard. You can reach that location at (805) 289-8820.

When you file for divorce in Thousand Oaks, your case goes into the Ventura County court 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 according to California law. Some documents may be sealed or confidential, but the divorce decree is a public record.

Ventura County has a family law database going back to September 1, 1991. Cases filed before that date may still exist but they are not in the online system. For older records, contact the court clerk to see if the file is available. For cases from 1991 forward, use the online portal to search by party name or case number. The portal shows the filing date, case type, parties, and a register of actions listing every document filed.

Ventura County has a unique fee structure for divorce records. A certified copy of a divorce decree costs $15 and includes the entire judgment with no per-page fee. This is different from some counties that charge extra for each page. For other documents, certification is $40 plus $0.50 per page for copies. Search fees are $15 if you ask the clerk to search for a case and they have to look through more than 15 names.

How to Get a Divorce Decree

A certified copy of a divorce decree costs $15 in Ventura County. This flat fee includes the entire judgment regardless of how many pages it is. If you need other documents from the case file, those cost $40 for certification plus $0.50 per page for copies. Regular copies without certification are $0.50 per page.

You can request copies three ways. Mail a written request to Ventura County Superior Court, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Room 218, Ventura, CA 93009. Include the case number or the names of both parties, what documents you need, and your contact information. Send a check or money order for the fees. Make it payable to Ventura County Superior Court.

Call (805) 289-8668 during court hours to request copies over the phone. Tell the clerk you need a certified copy of a divorce decree. Give them the case number or the party names. They will tell you the fees and how to pay. Or visit the Hall of Justice in person during business hours. In-person requests can be done quickly if the file is on site. If the file is stored off-site, it will take longer.

Online Portal Search

The Ventura County case portal at ventura.ecourt.com/public-portal is free to use. You do not need to create an account. Go to the website and select how you want to search. You can search by party name, case number, or attorney name. Party name search is most common. Enter the last name of one spouse. You can add a first name to narrow results.

The search will return all matching cases. Look for cases with a family law case type. Click on a case to see the details. The case details page shows the parties, the filing date, the case status, and the register of actions. The register of actions lists every document filed in the case and when it was filed. You can see when the petition came in, when the response was filed, when hearings were held, and when the judgment was entered.

If you know the case number, use the case number search. This is the fastest way to find a specific case. Type in the full case number and hit search. The system will pull up that case right away. The portal does not show full documents for family law cases. You can see that a petition was filed and when, but you cannot view the petition itself online. To get copies of actual documents, you must contact the court clerk.

Divorce Filing Requirements

To file for divorce in Thousand Oaks, you must meet California residency requirements. You or your spouse must have lived in California for at least six months and in Ventura County for at least three months. If you meet these requirements, you can file a petition for dissolution of marriage at the Ventura County courthouse.

California uses no-fault divorce. You do not have to prove that anyone did anything wrong. The legal grounds are irreconcilable differences or incurable insanity. Most people file on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. You file the petition and summons, serve your spouse with the papers, and wait for a response. Your spouse has 30 days to file a response. After that, you exchange financial information and work toward a settlement or go to trial.

California law requires a six-month waiting period before a divorce can be finalized. This period starts the day 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. Once the waiting period is over and all issues are resolved, the judge signs the judgment. The divorce is then final. You can request a certified copy of the divorce decree from the court clerk.

What Information You Need

To find a divorce record from Thousand Oaks, you need at least one party's name. The case number is even better if you have it. Here is what helps:

• Full first and last name of one spouse
• Case number if available
• Year the divorce was filed
• Date of marriage if known

Common names can return many results. If you search for a name like Jennifer Martinez, you might get dozens of cases. Adding the year narrows it down. If you know the divorce was filed in 2019, filter your search to that year. The system will show only cases filed in 2019 with that name. If you have the case number, you do not need anything else. The case number will pull up the exact case.

Privacy and Access

California law protects certain information in divorce files. The divorce decree is a public record. Anyone can request a copy. Other documents may have restrictions. Child custody evaluations, mediation reports, and certain financial disclosures can be confidential. Domestic violence restraining orders have special access rules. When you request records, the court provides what is available under the law.

If you are a party to the divorce case, you have access to most of the file. You can get copies of all the documents you filed and most of what the other party filed. Some things may still be sealed even for parties. If you are not a party, you can get the divorce decree and some other public documents, but you cannot get sealed or confidential filings without a court order.

Records Before 1991

Ventura County's online family law database starts in September 1991. Cases filed before that date are not in the online system. If you need a divorce record from before 1991, contact the court clerk. They can search the old indexes and see if the file still exists. Very old files may be on microfilm or stored in archives. Processing times for older records can be longer because the clerk has to retrieve files from off-site storage.

To request an old record, call or mail the court with as much information as you have. Include the names of both parties, the approximate year of the divorce, and any other details. The clerk will search for the case and let you know if it is available. If they find it, you can order copies the same way you would for a newer case.

Fees Summary

Ventura County charges the following fees for divorce records:

• Certified divorce decree: $15 (includes all pages)
• Certified other documents: $40 plus $0.50 per page
• Regular copies: $0.50 per page
• Search fee: $15 (if search involves more than 15 names)

The $15 fee for a certified divorce decree is a flat rate. You get the complete judgment with certification for that one fee. There is no extra charge for the number of pages. This makes it easy to budget. For other documents like settlement agreements or financial disclosures, the court charges $40 for certification plus the per-page copy fee.

The court accepts checks, money orders, and credit cards. Make checks payable to Ventura County Superior Court. If you mail a request, include payment. If the court cannot find the record, they will return your payment. Do not send cash through the mail.

Processing Times

Processing times depend on several factors. In-person requests can be done quickly if the file is on site. Mail requests take longer because they go into a queue. The court processes requests in the order they are received. If the file is stored off-site, add extra time for retrieval. Older cases are more likely to be off-site.

Most requests are completed within a few weeks. If you need records urgently, call the court first. Explain your situation and ask how long it will take. The clerk can check if the file is on site and give you an estimate. For routine requests that are not urgent, just submit your request and wait for the court to contact you.

Contact Information

To contact Ventura County Superior Court about divorce records, call (805) 289-8668. This is the number for the Hall of Justice in Ventura. Court hours are 8am to 4pm on weekdays. The address is 800 South Victoria Avenue, Room 218, Ventura, CA 93009. For the juvenile courthouse in Oxnard, call (805) 289-8820. The Oxnard address is 4353 Vineyard Avenue, Room 122, Oxnard, CA 93036.

The court website is ventura.courts.ca.gov. The website has information about court locations, hours, and fees. You can find the records department page at ventura.courts.ca.gov/records.html. The online case portal is at ventura.ecourt.com/public-portal. Court staff can answer questions about how to get records but they cannot give legal advice. If you need legal help, contact a lawyer or a legal aid organization.