Find Nevada County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Nevada County are filed with the Superior Court in Nevada City and tracked by the Sheriff's Office at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility. This Sierra foothills county has about 102,000 residents and sits northeast of Sacramento. Despite sharing a name with the state of Nevada, this county is entirely in California. The court uses an eCourt portal for online case searches. The Sheriff handles jail custody records. State-level tools from the California DOJ provide access to broader criminal history data. Between these sources, you can track down most criminal record information connected to this county.

Nevada County Court Case Search

The Nevada County Superior Court provides an online case search through the eCourt portal at nevada-portal.ecourt.com. The portal lets you search by defendant name or case number. Results display the case type, filing date, charges, and hearing schedule. Criminal, traffic, and civil cases are all searchable. The eCourt system is built by Journal Technologies and is used by several California counties.

The courthouse is at 201 Church Street in Nevada City. This is a small town in the Gold Country foothills. All criminal cases in Nevada County are processed here. There is also a branch court in Truckee at 10075 Levon Avenue for the eastern side of the county near Lake Tahoe. Criminal matters from the Truckee area may be filed at that branch. If you are not sure which location has your case, call the clerk or check the eCourt portal first.

Standard copies of court documents cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies are $40. A search that runs past 10 minutes costs $15. The clerk's office in Nevada City handles walk-in requests during normal business hours. Having a case number on hand makes the process much faster than searching by name alone.

Note: The Truckee branch has limited hours compared to the Nevada City courthouse. Confirm the schedule before making the drive, especially during winter months when weather can affect operations.

Nevada County Sheriff Custody Records

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office operates the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility in Nevada City. This is the county jail. It holds people who are awaiting trial or serving short sentences. Call (530) 265-1291 for information about someone in custody. Staff can confirm whether a person is held at the facility, what charges they face, and what bail has been set.

The Wayne Brown facility is smaller than jails in urban California counties. Capacity is limited. People who are sentenced to more than one year typically transfer to state prison through the CDCR system. For those inmates, use the CIRIS inmate search to find their current location and status. The CIRIS tool covers all California state prisons.

Booking records at the county level reflect recent arrests and current custody. They do not show historical data on people who have already been released. If you need past booking information, you may need to submit a public records request to the Sheriff's Office. Each request is handled on a case-by-case basis.

California State Records for Nevada County

The California DOJ operates the central criminal history repository for the state. Arrests and court outcomes from Nevada County are reported into this system. To get your own RAP sheet, submit fingerprints through Live Scan and pay $25. The DOJ Live Scan locator lists providers near Nevada City and Grass Valley. The turnaround is 48 to 72 hours when no criminal history is found. A flagged record takes longer because a DOJ technician has to review it by hand.

Employment and licensing background checks in Nevada County run through the same DOJ database. Employers must have state authorization. Track your check at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov. The California sex offender registry is available at meganslaw.ca.gov for checking registered offenders in Nevada County or elsewhere in the state.

Clearing Records in Nevada County

If you have a conviction in Nevada County, California law provides options for record relief. Penal Code Section 1203.4 is the standard path for people who completed probation. You petition the Superior Court to withdraw your plea and dismiss the case. It stays on your RAP sheet but gets marked as dismissed. This is the closest thing to expungement that California offers for most cases. File the petition at the Nevada City courthouse.

Penal Code Section 851.87 allows arrest record sealing when there was no conviction. You do not need to prove factual innocence. Proposition 47 covers resentencing for certain nonviolent felonies. Proposition 64 applies to old marijuana convictions. All of these require petitions filed with the Nevada County court. The Sierra Nevada region has some legal aid resources. Check with Legal Services of Northern California for free help if you meet income limits.

Note: Record clearing does not happen automatically. You must file the petition and attend a hearing. Processing times in Nevada County vary but are generally faster than in major metro courts.

How to Get Nevada County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Nevada County come from different agencies depending on the record type. Court files are at the Superior Court. Jail data is at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility. Statewide criminal history is at the California DOJ. Police reports come from whichever law enforcement agency handled the incident.

• Search the eCourt portal at nevada-portal.ecourt.com for case details
• Visit the clerk at 201 Church Street, Nevada City for document copies
• Call Wayne Brown Correctional at (530) 265-1291 for jail records
• Submit Live Scan fingerprints for your own DOJ RAP sheet ($25)
• Use CIRIS for state prison inmate searches

The eCourt portal is the best starting point for anyone searching Nevada County criminal records. It is free, available around the clock, and covers current and recent cases. For older cases that may not be in the online system, contact the clerk by phone or visit in person. The Nevada City courthouse staff are used to handling records requests from people who are not familiar with the system and can walk you through the steps.

Nearby Counties

Nevada County borders a few other foothill and mountain counties. These pages cover criminal record resources in the area.