Kings County Criminal Records Search

Criminal records in Kings County are maintained by the Superior Court and the Sheriff's Department. Kings County is in the San Joaquin Valley with Hanford as the county seat. The county has around 152,000 residents. The Superior Court processes all felony and misdemeanor cases, and you can search criminal cases through a public online portal. The Sheriff's Department operates a jail facility and provides an online inmate locator. Kings County also has unique criminal justice considerations because of two state prisons located within its borders: Avenal State Prison and Corcoran State Prison. Federal cases from this area go through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Kings County Court Criminal Case Search

The Kings County Superior Court offers a public portal for searching court records at portal.kings.courts.ca.gov. The portal runs on a standard system that lets you search by party name, case number, or date range. Criminal cases show the defendant's name, charges, case status, and hearing dates. The system covers both felony and misdemeanor filings. You can view the register of actions for each case, which is a timeline of every event from filing to disposition.

Below is the Kings County Superior Court public portal where you can search criminal case records online.

The courthouse is at 1426 South Drive in Hanford. You can call (559) 582-1010 for questions about case lookups or copies. The clerk's office handles in-person record requests during business hours. Bring a case number if you have one. Copies cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies are $40. A record search that takes more than 10 minutes costs $15.

Kings County Sheriff Inmate Records

The Kings County Sheriff's Department runs an online inmate locator at inmatelocator.countyofkings.com. This tool lets you search for people currently in the Kings County Jail. Search by name or booking number. Results show the person's charges, bail amount, booking date, and housing location within the jail. The jail is in Hanford and holds inmates awaiting trial and those serving sentences of one year or less.

Keep in mind that Kings County has two state prisons within its borders. Avenal State Prison and Corcoran State Prison house inmates serving longer sentences from counties all over California. These inmates do not appear in the county sheriff's inmate locator. To search for state prison inmates, use the CDCR's CIRIS search tool. That statewide database covers everyone in state custody.

For jail information by phone, call the sheriff's non-emergency line. Staff can check booking records and provide custody status updates.

Note: The inmate locator only shows people currently in county custody. Once someone is released or transferred to state prison, they drop off the county system.

California Criminal Records in Kings County

The California Department of Justice maintains the statewide criminal history database. It includes arrests and dispositions from all 58 counties. Anyone living in Kings County can request their own RAP sheet through Live Scan fingerprinting. The DOJ charges $25 for processing. You also pay a rolling fee to the Live Scan operator, which varies by location. Find a Live Scan site near Hanford or Lemoore through the DOJ Live Scan locator.

If you have no criminal history, results usually come back in 48 to 72 hours. If a record exists, a DOJ technician must review it manually before sending it out, which takes longer. You can check the status of any background check at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov using your ATI number and date of birth.

The California sex offender registry at meganslaw.ca.gov is another tool for Kings County residents. Search by name, address, or zip code to see registered offenders in your area. The DOJ maintains this registry under Penal Code Section 290.46.

Clearing Records in Kings County

People with criminal records in Kings County can petition for relief under several California laws. Penal Code Section 1203.4 allows you to have a case dismissed after completing probation. You file the petition at the Kings County Superior Court. The case shows as dismissed on your RAP sheet afterward. This is not a full erasure. The record still exists, but the status changes. It can help with employment and housing.

If you were arrested but never convicted, Penal Code Section 851.87 lets you seal the arrest record. You do not need to prove innocence. Proposition 47 resentencing is available for qualifying nonviolent drug and theft felonies. Proposition 64 covers prior marijuana convictions. Both require a petition to the court. If you cannot afford a lawyer, legal aid organizations in the Central Valley may be able to help with the paperwork.

Note: Dismissal under PC 1203.4 does not erase the conviction from your DOJ record. It changes the notation to "dismissed" but the entry remains.

How to Get Kings County Criminal Records

Getting criminal records in Kings County depends on what you need. Court records come from the Superior Court. Jail records come from the sheriff. Police reports come from the city police departments in Hanford, Lemoore, Corcoran, and Avenal. Each agency has its own process for record requests.

• Online case search through the Kings County Superior Court public portal
• In-person at the clerk's office in Hanford at 1426 South Drive
• Copies at 50 cents per page, certified copies at $40
• Inmate search at inmatelocator.countyofkings.com
• Your own RAP sheet through Live Scan ($25 DOJ fee)
• State prison inmates through CDCR's CIRIS tool

For court documents, contact the clerk at (559) 582-1010. For jail booking records, contact the sheriff. For police reports, reach out to the specific city police department where the incident occurred. These are all separate agencies with separate records systems. You may need to contact more than one depending on what information you are after.

Nearby Counties

Criminal cases in the San Joaquin Valley sometimes involve neighboring counties. Check these pages for records from nearby jurisdictions.