Search Shasta County Divorce Records

Shasta County Superior Court in Redding handles all divorce filings and maintains complete divorce case records for the county. When you need a copy of a divorce decree or want to look up case details, the court clerk's office at 1500 Court Street provides access to these records through in-person requests, mail orders, or online searches. The Records Department, located in Room 319 at 1515 Court Street, processes all record requests and can certify divorce judgments for a standard fee. Most divorce cases filed in Shasta County are available through the court's online case portal, though older records may take more time to locate and retrieve from storage.

Shasta Superior Court Records

The main courthouse sits at 1500 Court Street in Redding. You can reach them at 530-245-6789. Walk-ins are welcome during regular hours. The building houses both the clerk's office for new filings and the Records Department for past cases. If you go in person, bring a photo ID and know your case number or the full names of both parties in the divorce.

For certified copies of divorce decrees, the court charges fifteen dollars per judgment. This fee follows California Government Code Section 70674. The certification proves the document is an official court record. You need certified copies for things like name changes on licenses, property sales, or remarriage. Regular copies cost fifty cents per page. If the court needs to do a search when you don't have a case number, they may charge an extra fifteen dollars for search time over ten minutes.

Shasta County keeps divorce records going back many decades. Recent cases appear in the online portal. Older ones may be in archives. The Records Department at 1515 Court Street, Room 319, handles requests for archived files. Give them extra time if your divorce is from the 1980s or earlier. They may need a week or more to pull files from storage and make copies.

The court's website at shasta.courts.ca.gov has info on how to request records. You can also mail requests to the Records Department with a check or money order. Include the case number if you know it. If not, give both party names and the year the divorce was filed. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want copies mailed back to you.

Online Case Search Portal

Shasta County offers an online case portal where you can look up divorce cases by name or case number. The portal is at portal.shasta.courts.ca.gov. It shows case summaries, filing dates, and hearing schedules. Some records have document images you can view online. Others require a trip to the courthouse or a mail order to get copies.

To use the portal, select the case type as Family Law. Enter one party name. The system returns all matching cases. Click on a case number to see details. The portal is free to search. If you need official copies, you still have to pay the court's copy fees and request them through the clerk's office.

The online system works best for cases filed in the last twenty years. Older cases may not have full records scanned into the system yet. If your search turns up nothing, call the Records Department to ask if they have the file in storage. They can check manually even if it's not online.

How to Get Your Divorce Decree

Start by finding your case number. Check any old court papers you have. If you don't have the number, use the online portal or call the clerk's office with both party names and the approximate year of the divorce. Once you have the case number, you can request a certified copy of the final judgment.

In person, go to the Records Department during business hours. Fill out a request form. Pay the fee. Wait while they make the copy and add the certification. Most requests are ready the same day. By mail, send a written request with the case number, a check for fifteen dollars payable to Shasta Superior Court, and a stamped return envelope. Processing can take one to three weeks depending on how busy they are.

The court can only provide records for divorces filed in Shasta County. If your divorce was in another county, you must contact that county's Superior Court. California law lets you get a copy of any divorce record as long as it's not sealed. Most divorce cases are public record.

If the divorce involved children, the file might have some sealed documents related to custody evaluations or child welfare reports. The court won't release sealed parts without a court order. But the final judgment and most other filings are available to anyone who asks.

Fees and Wait Times

Here is what you pay at Shasta County Superior Court for divorce records:

• Certified copy of divorce decree: $15.00
• Regular copies: $0.50 per page
• Name search without case number: $15.00 (if over 10 minutes)
• Off-site retrieval for archived files: may apply, ask clerk

Processing time for in-person requests is usually same day. Mail requests take one to four weeks. Archived files can add more time. If your case is very old, call ahead to see if the Records Department needs extra days to find it. They'll tell you how long it might take.

The court accepts checks and money orders. Some offices take credit cards but call first to confirm. Do not mail cash. If you're paying by check, make it out to Shasta Superior Court. Write the case number on the memo line so they know which case you're requesting.

Other Divorce Record Sources

The California Department of Public Health keeps limited divorce records from 1962 through June 1984. These are not full divorce decrees but just certificates showing basic facts. The certificate lists both party names, the filing date, the county, and the case number. If your divorce falls in that time frame, you can order a Certificate of Record from CDPH Vital Records by mailing a request to P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. The fee is eighteen dollars. Processing takes several weeks, sometimes over six months for divorce records. For divorces after June 1984, CDPH has no records at all.

If you need legal help with a divorce case, the Shasta County Superior Court has a Family Law Facilitator who offers free help to self-represented parties. They can explain forms and procedures. Contact the court at 530-245-6789 to ask about the Facilitator's office hours and services. The California Courts self-help website at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov also has guides on divorce procedures and forms you can download.

Legal aid organizations serve low-income residents who need help with family law matters. Check with Legal Services of Northern California to see if you qualify. They have offices in Redding and can advise on divorce issues, custody disputes, and domestic violence restraining orders. You can reach them through their website or by calling their intake line.

California Divorce Laws

California follows no-fault divorce rules. You don't have to prove wrongdoing. The only grounds are irreconcilable differences or incurable insanity. This comes from California Family Code Section 2310. Most divorces cite irreconcilable differences.

Residency rules require one spouse to live in California for six months and in the county where you file for three months before filing. That's under Family Code Section 2320. Once you file and serve papers, there's a mandatory six-month waiting period before the court can finalize the divorce. This wait time is set by Family Code Section 2339.

Court records retention is governed by state law. Divorce judgments are kept permanently under California Government Code Section 68152. That means the court never destroys the final judgment. Some other case papers may be purged after a set number of years, but the judgment stays on file forever.

Fee amounts for certified copies come from Government Code Section 70674. This statute sets the fifteen-dollar fee for certified divorce decrees statewide. Counties cannot charge more or less for this service. The fifty-cent per page copy fee is in Government Code Section 70627.

Divorce Records in Shasta County Cities

Shasta County includes the city of Redding, which is also the county seat and home to the main courthouse. All divorce cases in Shasta County are filed and maintained at the Redding courthouse regardless of where the parties live within the county. Smaller communities like Anderson, Shasta Lake, and Red Bluff rely on the same court system. There are no separate city courts for divorce cases. Everyone goes through Shasta County Superior Court.

If you live in Redding or any other part of Shasta County and need divorce records, contact the court at 1500 Court Street in Redding. The Records Department handles requests from all residents. You can visit in person, call, or mail your request. The online portal works the same way for everyone in the county.