Riverside County Divorce Records

Riverside County maintains divorce records at the Superior Court. The main Family Law Courthouse is at 4175 Main Street in Riverside. The court also has branch locations in Banning, Blythe, Corona, Indio, Menifee, and Moreno Valley. If you need to search for a divorce case or obtain copies of divorce documents, you can use the online case portal or contact the court clerk directly. The online portal lets you search by name or case number and view basic case information. For copies of the actual divorce decree or other documents, you pay fees and request them through the clerk. Riverside County charges $15 for a certified divorce decree plus $0.50 per page for copies. The court also offers a name search service with fees starting at $1 per search.

Where to Find Divorce Files

The Riverside County Superior Court keeps all divorce records. The main Family Law Courthouse is located at 4175 Main Street in Riverside, California 92501. Phone is (951) 777-3147. The phone lines are open from 7:30am to 2:00pm Monday through Friday. This courthouse handles most family law filings for the county. If you need to visit in person, bring photo ID and be prepared to go through security screening at the entrance.

Riverside County is a large county with several branch courthouses. Other locations that handle family law cases include the courthouse in Indio at 46-200 Oasis Street and the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. The Banning, Blythe, Corona, Menifee, and Moreno Valley locations may also process family law filings. If you are not sure which courthouse has your divorce file, you can search the online case portal or call the main family law line in Riverside. The clerk can tell you where the file is located.

All divorce filings in Riverside County go into the court database. The database includes the petition, response, financial disclosures, and the final judgment. The clerk office maintains these files. Recent files are usually easy to access. Older files may be archived at an off-site storage facility. If your case is very old, the clerk may need extra time to retrieve the file. You can request records in person at any courthouse location, by phone, or by mail. In-person requests are often processed the same day if the file is on-site. Mail requests take longer.

Search Riverside County Cases Online

Riverside County has a public online case portal. The portal is at epublic-access.riverside.courts.ca.gov/public-portal. You can search by party name, case number, or attorney name. The system shows basic case information such as the filing date, case type, and a list of documents filed in the case. The portal is free to use for basic searches. You do not need to create an account. Just go to the site and enter your search terms.

For more detailed searches, Riverside County offers a name search service with fees. You can buy search credits online. The fees are $1.00 for one search, $3.50 for five searches, $5.00 for ten searches, $25.00 for 75 searches, or $250.00 for unlimited searches for 30 days. This service is useful if you need to search many names or if you plan to use the system regularly. The search results show case numbers and basic details, but you still cannot download full documents through the portal. For copies of documents, you must request them from the clerk and pay copy fees.

The online portal shows a docket for each case. The docket lists all the filings, hearings, and court orders in the case. This helps you see what happened in the divorce. For example, you can see when the petition was filed, when the response was filed, and when the final judgment was entered. Some documents in family law cases are confidential and will not be available online. These include child custody evaluations and financial disclosures. The portal will list these documents but will not let you view them. If you need access to sealed or confidential documents, you may need a court order or consent from the parties.

Fees for Divorce Records

A certified copy of a divorce decree costs $15 in Riverside County. This fee is set by California law under Government Code Section 70674. The $15 fee includes certification and the first page. Additional pages cost $0.50 each. If you need other documents from the case file certified, the fee is $40 plus $0.50 per page per Government Code Section 70626. Regular photocopies without certification cost $0.50 per page.

Riverside County also charges fees for online name searches if you use the paid search service. The fees range from $1 per search to $250 for unlimited searches for 30 days. These fees are separate from the copy fees. Searching the public portal is free, but downloading documents is not available. All document requests must go through the clerk.

Make checks payable to Riverside Superior Court. If ordering by mail, include the check with your request letter. If visiting in person, you can pay by cash, check, or credit card at the clerk window. Processing times vary depending on how you request the records. In-person requests can be completed the same day if the file is on-site. Mail requests usually take a few weeks. The clerk does not give exact timelines but most routine requests are processed within 10 to 20 business days.

Divorce Law in California

To file for divorce in Riverside County, at least one spouse must have lived in California for six months and in Riverside County for three months before filing. This residency requirement is in Family Code Section 2320. If you do not meet this requirement, you must file in a different county or wait until you do.

California is a no-fault divorce state. The legal grounds for divorce are irreconcilable differences or incurable insanity. Most divorces cite irreconcilable differences. This is covered in Family Code Section 2310. Once the divorce petition is filed and the other spouse is served, there is a mandatory six-month waiting period before the divorce can be finalized. This requirement is in Family Code Section 2339. The six months start on the date the other party is served with the summons and petition.

Divorce records are generally public in California. Anyone can request a copy of a divorce judgment. However, some documents in a divorce case are confidential. This includes child custody reports and some financial documents. Government Code Section 68152 requires courts to keep divorce judgments permanently. This means even very old divorce records should still exist in the court files.

Divorce Forms and Filing

All California courts use the same set of divorce forms. The Judicial Council creates these forms and updates them regularly. The main forms for a divorce are the Petition (FL-100), Summons (FL-110), and Response (FL-120). You can download these for free from the California Courts self-help website at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/divorce-forms. The site also has instructions for each form.

The filing fee to start a divorce in Riverside County is $435 to $450 depending on whether you have minor children. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for a fee waiver using form FW-001. The court will review your income and may waive the fee if you qualify. Riverside County has a Family Law Facilitator office that provides free help with divorce paperwork. Call the main family law line at (951) 777-3147 and ask for the facilitator.

Nearby Counties

Riverside County is in Southern California. It borders several other counties. To the west is Orange County and San Bernardino County. To the north is San Bernardino County. To the east is the state line with Arizona. To the south is San Diego County and Imperial County. If your divorce was filed in one of these counties, you need to contact that county court. Each county keeps its own divorce records. Riverside County cannot provide records from another county.