Access Lassen County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Lassen County are managed by the Superior Court and the Sheriff's Office, both based in Susanville. The county has about 31,000 residents and sits in the northeastern corner of California. Susanville is the only incorporated city. The area is also home to two state prisons, which significantly shape the local landscape. The court handles criminal cases from across the county, while the sheriff runs the jail and patrol operations. State-level tools from the California DOJ and CDCR provide background checks, RAP sheet access, and inmate lookup services that are particularly useful in a rural county where local online options are limited.

Lassen Court Criminal Records

The Lassen County Superior Court is in Susanville. The court's website is at lassen.courts.ca.gov. All criminal cases in the county go through this courthouse. It handles felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions. The criminal caseload in Lassen County reflects a mix of local offenses and cases tied to the area's proximity to state correctional facilities.

To search for a criminal case, contact the court clerk. You can ask for a search by defendant name or case number. Having the case number makes the process much faster. If you only have a name and the search runs over 10 minutes, the clerk may charge a $15 search fee. This is standard across California courts. Document copies cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies run $40 each.

Lassen County is part of the Third Appellate District. Criminal appeals go to the appellate court in Sacramento. The county has no branch courthouses. Susanville is the single location for all court business, both criminal and civil.

Note: The population figure for Lassen County includes inmates at the state prison facilities. The county's actual residential population, minus incarcerated people, is quite a bit smaller than the official census count.

Lassen Sheriff and Jail

The Lassen County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail in Susanville and handles law enforcement across unincorporated areas. Reach the sheriff at (530) 251-8205. The jail books people arrested in Lassen County. Booking records show charges, bail amounts, and booking dates. To check if someone is currently in custody at the county jail, call the sheriff's office directly.

Lassen County does not have a public online inmate roster for the county jail. Phone calls are the main way to get booking information. The jail is small and typically holds a limited number of inmates at any time. Staff can usually give you a quick answer about whether someone is being held.

Susanville is home to two state correctional facilities: the California Correctional Center and High Desert State Prison. These are state-run facilities, not county operations. Inmates at these prisons come from all over California. If you are looking for someone at one of these facilities, use the CDCR's CIRIS inmate search rather than contacting the county sheriff. CIRIS covers all state prison inmates regardless of which county they were convicted in.

California State Records in Lassen

The California DOJ keeps the master criminal history database for the state. For Lassen County, where local online tools are minimal, the state system is especially important. You can request your own RAP sheet by going to a Live Scan provider and paying $25 to the DOJ. Susanville has Live Scan locations. Find one through the DOJ Live Scan locator. The DOJ usually processes the request in 48 to 72 hours when there is no criminal record to report. If a record is flagged, a technician reviews it manually, which takes more time.

Employers in Lassen County use the DOJ for background checks too. They must be authorized by the state before running any check. Track a pending background check at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov with your ATI number and date of birth. The DOJ cannot share results over the phone.

The sex offender registry at meganslaw.ca.gov covers Lassen County. Search by name or by a map of the area. Penal Code Section 290.46 governs what information is posted on the site. You can check any address in the county to see if a registered sex offender lives nearby.

Clearing Records in Lassen

California law gives people with criminal records several options for relief. Penal Code Section 1203.4 is the most commonly used. It allows a petition to dismiss a conviction after probation is done. You file this with the Lassen County Superior Court in Susanville. A granted petition means the conviction is marked dismissed on your RAP sheet. It stays on the record, but the status change helps with job and housing applications.

Arrest records without a conviction can be sealed under Penal Code Section 851.87. You do not need to prove innocence. For drug offenses, Proposition 47 lets people petition to reduce certain felonies to misdemeanors. Proposition 64 covers old marijuana convictions. All petitions go through the local court. Legal aid groups that serve the northeastern California region may provide free assistance if you qualify based on income. Given Lassen County's remote location, some of these organizations offer help by phone or video call.

Getting Lassen County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Lassen County come from three main sources. Which one you use depends on the type of record you need.

• Call the Superior Court clerk for criminal case records and filings
• Contact the sheriff at (530) 251-8205 for county jail booking data
• Use Live Scan to get your own RAP sheet from the DOJ
• Search CIRIS for state prison inmates at any California facility
• Check meganslaw.ca.gov for sex offender data by name or location

For police reports within Susanville city limits, contact the Susanville Police Department. The sheriff handles reports for everything outside the city. Remember that police reports and court records are not the same thing. A police report covers the arrest and investigation. Court records cover the legal proceedings that followed. You may need both to get the full picture of a case.

Note: Lassen County is about four hours from Sacramento by car. If you cannot visit in person, phone and mail requests are practical alternatives for getting records from the court and sheriff's office.

Nearby Counties

Lassen County is in the far northeast of California. These neighboring counties have their own criminal record systems and resources.