Modoc County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Modoc County are managed by a small court and sheriff's office in one of the least populated parts of California. Modoc sits in the far northeast corner of the state, with Alturas as the county seat. The Superior Court handles all felony and misdemeanor cases filed here. Because the county has roughly 9,000 residents, criminal case volume is low compared to most California counties. That can make record searches faster, but it also means fewer online tools exist at the local level. State databases from the California Department of Justice fill the gaps for background checks and criminal history requests.

Modoc County Court Records

The Modoc County Superior Court is based in Alturas. It is a single-courthouse county. All criminal cases in Modoc go through this one location, which makes the process simple in that sense. You can reach the court through its website at modoc.courts.ca.gov. The court does not have a full online case search portal like larger counties do. To look up a criminal case, you generally need to call the clerk or go in person.

Contact the court clerk to ask about a specific case. Provide the defendant's name and any case number you have. Under California law, criminal court records are public unless sealed by court order or made confidential by statute. Copies cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies are $40. If the clerk needs to spend more than 10 minutes searching, there is a $15 search fee. These fees are standard across all 58 California Superior Courts.

Because Modoc County is so small, the court staff can often locate a case quickly. Criminal filings here are far less common than in urban counties. That said, you still need basic info to run a search. A name alone may work, but a case number or date of birth helps narrow things down.

Modoc County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Modoc County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement across the county's unincorporated areas, which is nearly the entire county. The sheriff also runs the county jail in Alturas. You can call the sheriff at (530) 233-6516 to ask about booking records and current inmates. There is no public online inmate search for Modoc County, so phone and in-person requests are your main options for jail booking data.

Arrest records from the sheriff's office are separate from court records. An arrest record shows who was booked and on what charges. A court record shows what happened with the case after filing. If someone was arrested in Modoc County but the case was filed in a different jurisdiction, the court record would be in that other county. The sheriff only handles the arrest and booking side. For inmates who have been transferred to a California state prison, you will need to check the CDCR system.

Note: Modoc County's jail is small, so bookings may not stay in the local system long if someone is transferred or released quickly.

State Criminal Record Resources

For Modoc County residents who need a formal criminal background check, the California DOJ is the main source. The DOJ keeps the statewide criminal history database, which includes arrests and court outcomes from all 58 counties. You can get your own RAP sheet by going to a Live Scan location, filling out form BCIA 8016RR, and paying the $25 fee. Live Scan locations in rural northeast California are limited, so you may need to travel to a nearby town. The DOJ Live Scan locator can help you find the closest option.

Once your fingerprints are submitted, the DOJ processes the request. If no criminal history is found, results come back in 48 to 72 hours. A hit takes longer because a technician reviews it by hand. You can check the status of a pending background check at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov using your ATI number and date of birth.

The CDCR runs the CIRIS inmate search for people in state prison. This tool covers all inmates in California's prison system, not just those from Modoc County. You can also check the sex offender registry at meganslaw.ca.gov to search by name or zip code. In a county as small as Modoc, the registry results are typically limited.

Employers and licensing agencies in Modoc County who need background checks must be authorized by the DOJ before running them. The DOJ handles about 2 million state-level checks each year statewide.

Clearing Criminal Records

People with a criminal record in Modoc County have the same record relief options available under California law as residents of any other county. Penal Code Section 1203.4 allows someone who finished probation to petition the court for a dismissal. You file this petition with the Modoc County Superior Court. The conviction does not disappear from your record entirely, but it gets marked as dismissed. This can make a real difference for job searches and housing applications in a small community where opportunities are already limited.

Arrest records that did not lead to a conviction can be sealed under Penal Code Section 851.87. You do not need to show that you were innocent. Just that no conviction came from the arrest. Proposition 47 lets you petition to reduce certain nonviolent felony convictions to misdemeanors. Proposition 64 covers old marijuana charges. Legal aid in rural northeast California is limited, but groups serving the Shasta County region sometimes assist Modoc County residents with these filings.

How to Get Records in Modoc County

Getting criminal records from Modoc County depends on what you need and which agency holds it. Court records, arrest records, and statewide criminal history files each come from a different source. Here is a quick breakdown.

• Call the Modoc County Superior Court clerk for case records
• Contact the sheriff at (530) 233-6516 for arrest and jail records
• Use Live Scan to request your own RAP sheet from the DOJ for $25
• Search CIRIS for California state prison inmates
• Check meganslaw.ca.gov for registered sex offenders in the area

For court documents, you can visit the courthouse in Alturas or call ahead to see if they can mail copies. Copies are 50 cents per page. Certified copies cost $40. In a county this small, mailing might be the most practical option if you do not live near Alturas. The courthouse address is 205 South East Street, Alturas, CA 96101.

Note: Police departments within Modoc County are rare since the sheriff handles most law enforcement. If a city police department handled an arrest, contact that agency for the police report. Otherwise, the sheriff's office holds the report.

Nearby Counties

Cases sometimes cross county lines. These neighboring counties may have records related to Modoc County cases.