Divorce Records in El Dorado County

El Dorado County keeps all divorce records at two Superior Court locations. The main family law office is in Placerville at 2850 Fairlane Court. A second branch operates in South Lake Tahoe at 1354 Johnson Boulevard. Both sites handle dissolution cases, issue certified copies, and help people search for records. If you filed your divorce in El Dorado County, your papers are at one of these courthouses. The court clerk can pull files, make copies, and certify documents. You can search for basic case info online through the county portal. Cases filed after the year 2000 show up in the online index. Older cases from before 2000 are in paper files or older computer systems. To get those records, you must contact the clerk by phone or mail. El Dorado County sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills and includes the South Lake Tahoe area. The two court sites serve different parts of the county.

Superior Court Locations

The main family law office for El Dorado County is at 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville, CA 95667. Call them at 530-621-5047 for questions about divorce cases filed in the western part of the county. Most cases go through this office. It handles all the major family law work including divorces, custody disputes, and support orders. The Placerville site has the largest staff and the most complete records.

South Lake Tahoe has its own branch court at 1354 Johnson Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. The phone number is 530-573-3075. This branch serves people who live in the Tahoe basin area. You can file for divorce here if you live on the California side of Lake Tahoe. The South Lake Tahoe court handles some family law matters locally, but certain complex cases may get transferred to Placerville. Check with the clerk to see which site has your file if you are not sure.

The online case index is available at eldorado.courts.ca.gov. You can search for cases filed after 2000. Type in a party name or case number to find a case. The index shows basic info like the filing date and case type. It does not show full document images for most cases. If you need copies of documents, you must request them from the clerk. The court has a records request page where you can submit a formal request online or by mail.

Off-site retrieval applies to older files. If your case is from many years ago, the file may be in storage. The clerk charges a $10.00 retrieval fee and it takes about 15 business days to get the file. Let the clerk know if you think your case is archived. They can check and tell you how long it will take. Most people do not pay the retrieval fee if their case is recent. Cases from the last 10 years are usually on-site and ready to go.

Fees for Copies and Searches

A certified divorce decree costs $15.00 in El Dorado County. This fee is standard across California under Government Code Section 70674. The $15 covers the certified copy of the final judgment. If you need extra pages, those cost $0.50 each. Most divorce judgments are a few pages long, so the total cost stays under $20 for most people.

Other certified documents cost $40.00 plus the per-page copy fee. This applies to things like custody orders, restraining orders, or financial disclosures if the court certifies them. Regular copies without certification are $0.50 per page. You can get uncertified copies if you just need the info and do not need an official stamped document. Banks, government agencies, and legal matters usually require certified copies. For personal records or just reading the file, uncertified copies work fine.

Search fees apply when the clerk has to dig through many records. If your search takes more than 10 minutes, the fee is $15.00. Most searches are free because people provide a case number or clear details. If you ask for a search of all cases in a 20-year span with only a partial name, the clerk may charge the search fee. Give as much detail as you can to avoid this fee. The case number is the best way to skip the search charge. The online index is free to use and lets you search without paying anything.

Off-site retrieval is $10.00 for archived files. This fee covers the cost of going to the storage site and pulling the file. It takes 15 business days. If you need the file faster, ask the clerk if expedited retrieval is possible. Some counties offer rush service for an extra fee, but El Dorado does not list that option on their website. Budget at least three weeks if your case is old enough to be archived.

How to Request Divorce Records

Start by finding your case number. Use the online case index at eldorado.courts.ca.gov to search by name. Once you find your case, write down the case number. That number is the key to getting records fast. If you cannot find the case online because it is too old, call the court and ask them to search.

To order a certified divorce decree, send a written request to the court. Include the case number, the full names of both parties, and the date of filing if you know it. State clearly that you want a certified copy of the final judgment of dissolution. Enclose a check or money order for $15.00 made payable to El Dorado Superior Court. Add your mailing address and phone number. Mail the request to the Placerville or South Lake Tahoe address depending on where your case was filed. The clerk will process your request and mail the decree back to you.

In-person visits are also an option. Show up at the clerk counter with the case number and ask for a certified copy. The clerk can usually print and certify the decree while you wait if the file is on-site. Bring a form of payment. Some courthouses take cash, checks, or cards. Call ahead to confirm what payment methods they accept. In-person service is faster than mail. You walk out with your document the same day if the file is available.

If the file is off-site, you will have to wait. The clerk will tell you if the file needs retrieval. You pay the $10 retrieval fee plus the $15 for the certified copy, so $25 total. The clerk pulls the file from storage and contacts you when it is ready. This takes about 15 business days. Once the file is back at the courthouse, the clerk processes your request and mails the certified copy to you.

Searching Online Case Information

El Dorado County has an online case index for cases from 2000 onward. Visit the court website and look for the case search link. You do not need an account or login. Type in the first and last name of one party. The system shows all matching cases. Click on a case to see more details. You get the case number, filing date, case type, and party names. Some cases show a list of documents filed. Others just show basic info with no document list.

The online system does not provide full document downloads for most cases. Family law files often have confidential info like financial disclosures and child custody reports. The court does not make those available for remote viewing. If you need specific documents from the case file, contact the clerk and request copies. They can tell you what is available and how much it will cost.

Cases from before 2000 are not in the online index. If you filed for divorce in the 1980s or 1990s, you must call the clerk and ask them to search the older system. They may have microfiche or paper files. The search can take longer because they have to go through old records. Be patient and give them all the info you have. The more details you provide, the easier it is for them to find the file.

California Divorce Requirements

California law requires at least one spouse to live in the state for six months before filing for divorce. That spouse must also live in El Dorado County for three months. This rule is in California Family Code Section 2320. If you moved to El Dorado County recently, wait until you hit the three-month mark before filing. If you do not meet the residency rule, the court will reject your petition.

California is a no-fault state. You do not have to prove your spouse did something wrong. The legal ground for divorce is irreconcilable differences. This is covered in Family Code Section 2310. You state in your petition that you and your spouse have differences that cannot be fixed. The court does not ask for details about why the marriage failed. No-fault divorce makes the process simpler and less confrontational.

A six-month waiting period applies to all California divorces. After you serve the divorce papers on your spouse, you must wait six months before the court can finalize the divorce. This waiting period is required by Family Code Section 2339. Even if you and your spouse agree on everything, the court will not sign the final judgment until six months and one day after service. The earliest your divorce can be final is six months from the date the other party was served with the summons and petition.

Filing for Divorce

All California courts use the same divorce forms. The Judicial Council publishes these forms and updates them regularly. You start with form FL-100, the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. You also need form FL-110, the Summons. These forms are free to download at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/divorce-forms. The website has instructions that explain how to fill out each form step by step.

The filing fee in El Dorado County is around $435 to $450. This is the standard California filing fee set by state law. You pay this fee when you file your petition with the court clerk. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for a fee waiver using form FW-001. The court looks at your income and expenses to decide if you qualify. If approved, the court waives most or all of the fees. You still file the same forms. The waiver just means you do not pay the money up front.

After filing, you must serve the papers on your spouse. Someone over 18 who is not you must hand the papers to your spouse in person. This is called personal service. The person who serves the papers fills out a proof of service form and returns it to you. You file that proof of service with the court to show that service happened. Once service is done, the six-month waiting period starts. Your spouse has 30 days to respond. If they do not respond, you can request a default judgment.

Nearby Counties

El Dorado County borders several other counties. Placer County is to the west. Sacramento County is to the southwest. Alpine County sits to the south. Amador County is southeast. If you are not sure where your divorce was filed, check these neighboring counties. Each county has its own Superior Court. Divorce records are kept in the county where the case was filed, not where you live now. If you filed in Placer County, you need to contact Placer Superior Court for records. The same goes for the other counties.

Older Divorce Cases

El Dorado County has divorce records going back many decades. The court keeps all files, but storage methods have changed over time. Recent cases are digital. Older cases may be on microfiche or in paper files stored off-site. If your divorce is from the 1970s or 1980s, expect extra time for the clerk to retrieve the file. Off-site retrieval costs $10 and takes 15 business days.

The California Department of Public Health has limited records. CDPH kept divorce certificates from 1962 through June 1984. If your divorce happened during that time, you can request a Certificate of Record from CDPH. This certificate shows the names, filing date, county, and case number. It is not the actual divorce decree. For the full decree, you still need to contact El Dorado Superior Court. After June 1984, CDPH stopped collecting divorce data. All divorces after that date are only available from the county court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my divorce records online? You can search the online case index for cases filed after 2000. Full document downloads are not available for most family law cases. To get certified copies, contact the clerk by mail or in person.

How much does a certified divorce decree cost? The fee is $15.00 for the decree plus $0.50 per page for any extra pages. Most decrees are a few pages, so expect to pay $15 to $18 total.

What if my case is archived? The clerk charges a $10 retrieval fee and it takes about 15 business days to get the file back from storage. Add that time to the normal processing period.

Do I need the case number? The case number makes the process much faster. If you do not have it, you can search the online index by name or call the clerk and ask them to search. Provide as much info as you can to help them find the case.

Can anyone get a copy of my divorce decree? Yes. Divorce decrees are public records in California. Anyone can request a copy of the final judgment. Some parts of the case file may be confidential, but the decree itself is open to the public.