Plumas County Criminal Records Search

Criminal records in Plumas County are maintained by the Superior Court in Quincy and the county sheriff's office. Plumas is a mountain county in northeastern California with around 19,000 residents. The area is heavily forested and sparsely settled, which means criminal case volume is relatively low. Local record search tools are limited, but court records remain public under California law and can be accessed through the clerk. State-level databases from the California DOJ provide additional criminal history information for anyone with ties to this county or any other part of the state.

Plumas County Superior Court Records

The Plumas County Superior Court sits in Quincy, the county seat. This is where all criminal cases in the county are filed and heard. Visit the court's website at plumas.courts.ca.gov for general information about the court and its operations. Small counties like Plumas often lack a full online case lookup tool, so checking on a specific criminal case usually means calling the clerk's office or going to the courthouse.

Criminal court records are public records under California law. Anyone can request access unless a record has been sealed or is confidential by statute (like juvenile cases). The clerk can search by defendant name. A case number speeds up the process. Copies cost 50 cents per page. If you need a certified copy, that runs $40. These fees apply to every California Superior Court, not just Plumas. A clerk search that goes beyond 10 minutes will add a $15 fee.

Plumas County handles fewer criminal cases in a year than many urban courts handle in a week. This low volume can work in your favor when searching. The staff is more likely to remember notable cases or find records quickly.

Sheriff and Jail Records

Plumas County shares jail facilities with Sierra County. This shared arrangement reflects how small both counties are. The Plumas County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement in unincorporated areas and runs the local jail operations. Booking records and current custody information are available through the sheriff's office. There is no public online inmate search for Plumas County.

To check on someone in the Plumas County jail, call the sheriff's office. Provide the person's name. Staff can tell you if they are in custody, what the charges are, and whether bail has been set. Arrest reports are also held by the sheriff. These are separate from court filings. An arrest report covers what happened during the investigation, while court records document the legal proceedings that follow.

If someone has been transferred to state prison from Plumas County, the local jail will no longer have their record. Use the CDCR's CIRIS search to find inmates in the California state prison system. That tool is free and available online to anyone.

Note: The shared jail between Plumas and Sierra counties means booking records could appear under either county depending on where the person was physically held.

California Criminal History Resources

The California DOJ maintains the master criminal history database for the entire state. This database holds records from all 58 counties, including Plumas. You can request your own RAP sheet through a Live Scan fingerprint submission with a $25 fee to the DOJ. In rural areas like Plumas County, finding a Live Scan provider may take some effort. The DOJ Live Scan locator lists all certified providers statewide. You might need to drive to Chico in Butte County or another larger town if no local provider is available.

Processing takes 48 to 72 hours when no record is found. If there is a match, it takes longer. Check your status at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov with your ATI number. The DOJ does not offer an expedited process for any fee.

The sex offender registry at meganslaw.ca.gov lets Plumas County residents search for registered offenders by location. The DOJ maintains this under Penal Code Section 290.46. Results in rural mountain counties tend to be sparse.

Clearing Plumas County Records

If you have a criminal record from Plumas County, California law provides paths to clear or reduce it. The most common option is Penal Code Section 1203.4. This lets people who completed probation petition the Superior Court to have their conviction dismissed. The record still exists on your RAP sheet, but it shows as dismissed rather than a standing conviction. For many employers, that distinction matters.

Penal Code Section 851.87 covers arrest record sealing. If you were arrested but not convicted, you can petition to seal the arrest. No proof of innocence is needed. Proposition 47 allows certain felony convictions for nonviolent offenses to be reduced to misdemeanors. Proposition 64 provides relief for marijuana convictions that are no longer crimes. All petitions go through the Plumas County Superior Court.

Legal aid is hard to find in Plumas County. The Legal Services of Northern California may serve this region, but resources are stretched thin in rural areas. If you cannot afford a private attorney, check with the court clerk about self-help resources for filing a petition on your own.

Getting Plumas County Criminal Records

Different agencies hold different types of criminal records in Plumas County. Knowing which one to contact saves time. Court records, arrest records, and statewide criminal history data all come from separate sources.

• Contact the Plumas County Superior Court clerk in Quincy for case records
• Call the sheriff for arrest reports and jail booking information
• Submit fingerprints through Live Scan to get your own RAP sheet from the DOJ
• Search CIRIS online for California state prison inmates
• Check meganslaw.ca.gov for sex offender registry data
• Visit the courthouse at 520 Main Street, Quincy, CA 95971 for in-person requests

Mail requests work well in a county this remote. Call ahead to find out what the clerk needs. Typically you will need to send a written request with the defendant's name, any known case number, a check for the copy fees, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Processing time varies, but small courts often turn things around faster than large ones simply because they have fewer requests to handle.

Nearby Counties

Plumas County borders several other mountain and valley counties. Check these pages for criminal record resources in nearby areas.