Criminal Records in San Mateo County
San Mateo County criminal records come from three main places. Arrest and booking files start at the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office or with a city police agency. Criminal case files start in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, Criminal Division, when the District Attorney files a complaint, information, or grand jury indictment. Conviction history at the state level lives with the California Department of Justice. Each file holds a slice of the story, and a full picture often calls for checking all three.
An arrest record is the paper trail of a booking event. It lists the date, the agency, the charge codes cited at arrest, bail, and the booking number. A criminal court record begins later, when the DA files charges, and it tracks the case from arraignment through plea, trial, and sentencing. A conviction record is a subset of the court record and only exists after a guilty plea, a no contest plea, or a verdict of guilty. Many San Mateo County arrests never end in conviction, and the law treats those files in a different way.
Records held by the Sheriff are listed under the California Public Records Act and the law-enforcement record rules at Government Code section 7923.610. Court case records sit under a separate framework set by the California Rules of Court.
How to Search San Mateo County Criminal Records
The court runs two public tools for case lookups, plus the Sheriff's Inmate Locator for in-custody status. The MIDX index at web.sanmateocourt.org/midx/ is the public case index for non-confidential appeals, civil, criminal, family law, probate, and small claims matters. The Odyssey Public Portal at odyportal-ext.sanmateocourt.org shows the register of actions and supports traffic payment. The Sheriff's Inmate Locator shows who is booked right now. For a sealed-record petition or a 1203.4 dismissal, the court's Criminal Division page is the right start.
- Open the MIDX case index or the Odyssey Public Portal and pick the case type. For most San Mateo County criminal records, choose criminal.
- Enter the party name, last name first. The court also accepts a case number if it is known. Native Odyssey case numbers use two digits for year, three letters for case type, and a sequence number.
- Review the result list. Hits show case number, file date, party names, and case status. Click a case to see the register of actions, charges, and hearings.
- For full documents or a certified copy, visit Records Management in person at the Hall of Justice and Records, 400 County Center, Redwood City, or mail a copy request with the case number and a fee check.
Note: MIDX and Odyssey return court case files only and do not list arrests that did not lead to a filed case.
Arrest Records vs Criminal Court Records
An arrest is one event. A criminal case is a process. A San Mateo County arrest happens when a peace officer takes a person into custody, brings them to a Sheriff facility, and books them. The booking event creates the arrest record. The Sheriff is the agency of record for arrests booked into Maguire Correctional Facility or Maple Street Correctional Center. City police agencies, such as Redwood City, Daly City, San Mateo, and Belmont police, also book through Sheriff facilities and feed into the same custody system.
A criminal court record is built later. After review, the District Attorney may file a complaint, an information after preliminary hearing, or an indictment from a grand jury. Once charges are on file, the case lives in the Superior Court Criminal Division. The court file holds all motions, orders, minutes, and the final disposition.
| Arrest Record | Criminal Court Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Sheriff or city police | Superior Court Criminal Division |
| Created When | Booking | Charges filed by the DA |
| Lookup Tool | Sheriff Inmate Locator | MIDX and Odyssey Public Portal |
| Contents | Booking date, charge codes, bail, facility | Pleadings, motions, plea, sentence, orders |
| Public Status | Public, with some names withheld by law | Public unless sealed by court order |
Fields in a San Mateo Criminal Case File
A criminal case file in the Superior Court holds a set list of fields. The same fields show up in the Odyssey register of actions for non-sealed cases. Knowing each field helps a user read a result page without guessing.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Year, case type code, and a sequence number. Pre-2016 converted cases use alpha prefixes. |
| Case Type | Criminal felony, criminal misdemeanor, or criminal infraction. |
| Filing Date | The date the DA filed the complaint or charging paper. |
| Parties | People of the State of California versus the named defendant. |
| Charges | Code section, code letter, count number, severity, and short text. |
| Judge or Department | The judge or court department now handling the case. |
| Hearings | Date, time, room, and result of each hearing. |
| Status | Open, disposed, dismissed, warrant active, on probation, sealed. |
| Register of Actions | Chronological docket of all filings and orders. |
| Financials | Fines, fees, bail, restitution, and any waivers. |
Note: Date of birth, driver license, financial account numbers, and victim address details are redacted under the California Rules of Court.
Charges vs Convictions
A charge is not proof of guilt. A San Mateo County criminal record may show a long list of charge codes from an arrest, and only a small set of them may end up as a conviction. The DA may decline to file. A court may dismiss. A jury may find the defendant not guilty. All of those outcomes still leave an arrest record, and many leave a court record, but none of them are convictions.
The standard of proof is the key split. At arrest and at filing, the bar is probable cause, which is a low bar. At trial, the bar is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Many San Mateo County arrest records show charges that never cleared the higher bar. Reading a criminal record means reading the disposition line, not just the top of the file.
| Charge | Conviction | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Accusation at arrest or filing | Plea, no contest, or verdict of guilty |
| Burden of Proof | Probable cause | Beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Who Decides | Officer, then DA | Judge or jury, or a plea |
| Public Record | Yes, unless sealed | Yes, unless dismissed under PEN 1203.4 |
| Effect on Rights | Limited and short term | Long term, may affect voting, firearms, jobs |
Sealed vs Expunged Records in California
California does not use the word expungement in its statutes. People still use the word in daily speech, but the legal terms are different. For an arrest that did not lead to a conviction, the path is sealing under Penal Code section 851.91 or automatic relief under Penal Code section 851.93. For a conviction that ended in probation success, the path is dismissal under Penal Code section 1203.4. None of these orders destroy the file. They change how the file may be used and who may see it.
A grant of sealing under 851.91 lets a person say the arrest did not happen, in most settings. The court self-help page at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/clean-your-record/arrest-no-conviction walks through Form CR-409 and the petition steps. A 1203.4 dismissal sets aside the plea, dismisses the case, and allows the person to answer no to most conviction questions. It still must be disclosed for some state licensing and peace officer hiring.
The California Courts self-help guide on sealing covers the rules in plain text. The lead-in image points to that page so users can read the source first hand. The guide describes who is eligible, when a court must grant relief, and which crimes are barred.
Background:
California Courts self-help guide on sealing an arrest record under Penal Code section 851.91 sets out the steps for filing CR-409. The screenshot below comes from that page.
That self-help page is the right starting point for a San Mateo County arrest sealing petition before any forms go to the Hall of Justice and Records.
| Sealed (PEN 851.91) | Dismissed (PEN 1203.4) | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies To | Arrests with no conviction | Convictions after probation success |
| What It Does | Removes arrest from most public view | Sets aside the plea or verdict |
| Public Access | Hidden from most searches | Case shows as dismissed, not as guilty |
| Law Enforcement | Still see for limited uses | Still see in full |
| Must Disclose | Peace officer hiring, public office, lottery | State licensing, some firearms questions |
| Court Form | CR-409 | CR-180 |
Note: California has no true expungement. The closest word is dismissal, and the file still exists in the court system.
Bail and Bond on San Mateo Arrests
Bail is set at booking by use of the county bail schedule unless a judge changes it later. The court posts the local schedule on its local bail schedules page. The schedule lists each charge code and the bail amount that goes with it. A defendant may post the full amount in cash, may use a bail bond, or may ask for release on own recognizance at first court.
Read more about the bail schedule the court uses for in-custody review:
San Mateo Superior Court local bail schedules page publishes the current schedule for felony and misdemeanor charges.
The bail schedule is one of the first things a defense attorney reads when a San Mateo County arrest record shows in the Sheriff's Inmate Locator.
Mugshots and Booking Photos
The Sheriff takes a booking photo at intake. The Inmate Locator at smc-inmatelocator.org may or may not display a mugshot. The inspected sample showed no mugshot in the public profile, and the public locator shows name, date of birth, gender, facility, case number, booking number, next court date, and bail. To get a booking photo for a specific San Mateo County arrest, a request to the Sheriff's records unit under the California Public Records Act is the right path.
California law limits what police agencies may publish about an arrest. Government Code section 7923.610 covers what must be released and what may be held back when an active investigation is open. The agency may keep a booking photo back if release would harm an investigation, a witness, or a victim. Booking photos for some non-violent misdemeanor arrests are also subject to release limits under separate state law.
Note: San Mateo County does not run a public mugshot website, and any third-party mugshot site is not an official source.
Statewide Criminal Records Search
A full California rap sheet does not come from San Mateo County alone. The California Department of Justice runs the statewide criminal history system. A person may ask for a copy of their own record under Penal Code section 11120 through the DOJ Record Review process. The request needs a Live Scan fingerprint at a certified site, a small fee, and a wait of a few weeks. The full rap sheet shows every arrest, every charge, every disposition, and every state custody term from any California county.
Third parties may not pull a DOJ rap sheet on someone else without a state law that lets them do so. Most private background checks use court files and county arrest records, not the DOJ system. For sex offender lookups, the DOJ runs Megan's Law at meganslaw.ca.gov under Penal Code section 290.46.
For federal crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California prosecutes cases that touch San Mateo County. The federal docket lives in PACER. The Bureau of Prisons inmate locator handles federal custody since 1982.
Background Check Considerations
A background check on a San Mateo County resident is not the same as a casual name search. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and California's own Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act set the rules for any check used for hiring, housing, credit, or insurance. A regulated check must use a licensed reporting agency, must give the subject written notice, and must follow strict rules on accuracy and on the use of arrest-only records. California limits the use of arrests that did not lead to conviction for most hiring choices.
The District Attorney's Office runs a Victim Services unit that helps victims of San Mateo County crime, not a background check service. For more on what the DA office does, the DA Victim Services page is a good source.
Source for the DA Victim Services screenshot below:
San Mateo County District Attorney Victim Services page lists support, claims, and court accompaniment.
Victim Services is a part of the criminal court process for many San Mateo County criminal records cases, and it is a free county service.
Important: This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA, and the search tools here may not be used to make any hiring, housing, credit, or licensing choice.
The Sheriff and the District Attorney
Kenneth Binder was sworn in as San Mateo County's 27th Sheriff on November 12, 2025. He came in after the October 14, 2025 removal of the prior sheriff, and he had a 27-year career with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office before the appointment. The Sheriff runs the Inmate Locator, the two jail facilities, and the records unit that holds arrest reports. The Sheriff's main office is at 400 County Center, Redwood City.
For the Sheriff's bio and contact details:
Sheriff Kenneth Binder official biography on the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office site gives his career, his role, and his goals for the office.
The Binder bio page is the source of record for the current Sheriff's name in any San Mateo County criminal records search.
The San Mateo County District Attorney, at smcgov.org/da, files all state-level criminal cases in the county. The DA reviews each arrest report from the Sheriff and from city police, decides whether to charge, and picks the charges. The DA office holds copies of every charging paper and is a public records source for any San Mateo County criminal records request that the court does not fill.
Restricted San Mateo County Criminal Records
Not every San Mateo County criminal record is open to the public. Juvenile files at the Juvenile Branch, 222 Paul Scannell Drive, are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Only listed people, such as the minor, the parents, the attorneys, and certain agencies, may view a juvenile file. A non-party must petition the court for access. The court tells callers to contact the Juvenile Clerk before any trip to view a juvenile file.
Other restricted record types include sealed cases under California Rules of Court rules 2.550 and 2.551, mental health cases, ongoing investigation records under the law enforcement record rules at Government Code section 7923.610, victim and witness identifiers under California Rules of Court rule 2.503, and grand jury proceedings before an indictment is public. Adoption records are also confidential, but they belong to the Family Code framework and rarely come up in criminal record searches.
An arrest that has been sealed under PEN 851.91, or one that got automatic relief under PEN 851.93, will not show up in a public San Mateo County arrest records search. The case file at the court will show a sealed status, and the record will not be released without a court order.