Find San Diego People Records
San Diego people search gives you access to records for over 1.4 million residents in California's second largest city. People records in San Diego come from a mix of city and county sources. San Diego County runs the court system, property records, and vital records offices that serve the city. The San Diego City Clerk keeps its own set of public records too. You can look up court cases, find property owners, check jail rosters, and search business filings for people in San Diego. Most of these search tools are free or charge small fees. This guide walks through each San Diego people search option.
San Diego Quick Facts
San Diego City Public Records Search
The City of San Diego keeps public records through its City Clerk office at 202 C Street, San Diego, CA 92101. For people search in San Diego, the city uses a NextRequest portal at sandiego.nextrequest.com where you can file requests for city records. This covers permits, contracts, code enforcement files, and other documents that may list people by name. You submit a request online and the city sends back what they find. Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 7920.000), San Diego must respond within 10 days. Some records ship faster than that.
The San Diego NextRequest portal is one of the main tools for people search at the city level. You can see past requests others have filed, which saves time if someone already asked for what you need.
San Diego city records from the NextRequest portal show a range of public documents tied to people in the area. The screenshot below shows the search page for this system.
View the San Diego public records portal
The portal lets you filter by date and department. It is free to use for basic San Diego people search queries.
San Diego Police Records for People Search
The San Diego Police Department handles its own records requests. Call (619) 531-2846 or email sdpdreportrequests@pd.sandiego.gov to ask for police reports. San Diego PD uses LexisNexis for traffic crash reports. You can pull these reports online through the LexisNexis portal. Each report lists people involved in the incident, which makes this a useful people search tool for San Diego. Police reports show names, dates, and details about what happened.
For background checks and criminal records tied to people in San Diego, the county handles most of that work. But the city police keep their own call logs and arrest data. San Diego PD also runs tip lines and community alert systems. These are not direct people search tools, but they do create records with names in them that can be requested later.
San Diego County Court People Records
San Diego County runs the Superior Court system that serves the city. The court keeps civil, criminal, family, and probate case files. For people search in San Diego, you can look up cases by name through the court's online portal. The San Diego Superior Court has courthouses across the county, but the main one at 1100 Union Street downtown handles a big share of cases for San Diego city residents. Criminal cases, restraining orders, divorces, and civil lawsuits all show up in the court index when you search a name.
Property records are a strong people search option for San Diego. The county Assessor lets you look up who owns any parcel in the city. You can search by owner name or by address. This shows current ownership, sale dates, and assessed values. It is free to use and covers all property in San Diego. The county Recorder also keeps deeds, liens, and other documents filed against property. These records list people by name and are open to the public.
Note: San Diego County vital records including birth, death, and marriage certificates are handled by the County Recorder at (619) 237-0502.
Find People in San Diego Jails
The San Diego County Sheriff runs an inmate lookup tool on its website. You can search by name to find people held in San Diego County jails. The system shows booking date, charges, bail amount, and facility location. This is a free people search tool and it updates in near real time. The county also runs the "Who's In Jail" page that lists recent bookings. For people search in San Diego, this covers anyone booked into the county jail system.
For state prison inmates from San Diego, use the California CDCR search at ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov. CIRIS shows name, age, location, admission date, and parole info. California's Megan's Law site at meganslaw.ca.gov also covers San Diego and shows registered sex offenders in the city. Both of these are free people search tools that anyone can use.
The state voter registration check at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov can confirm if someone in San Diego is registered. It is another way to verify a person's information without paying a fee. Below is the state voter status check tool that covers San Diego residents.
Check the California voter status lookup
The voter check shows name, county, and registration status for people across California including San Diego.
California People Search Tools for San Diego
State-level tools add more ways to search for people in San Diego. The bizfile portal at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov has over 17 million California business records. You can find people in San Diego listed as officers, directors, or agents of businesses. The Department of Consumer Affairs license search at search.dca.ca.gov shows licensed professionals in San Diego, from contractors to nurses to real estate agents. Each listing has a name and status, making it a handy people search tool.
The State Bar attorney lookup at apps.calbar.ca.gov covers all lawyers in California. You can search by name to find attorneys in San Diego and check their status, discipline history, and bar number. The unclaimed property search at ucpi.sco.ca.gov may show San Diego people who have money or assets held by the state. This one is free and worth checking for any San Diego people search.
These state tools do not charge to search. They cover all of California but are very useful when looking for people in San Diego. The data comes straight from state agencies so it tends to be current and reliable.
Nearby California Cities
These cities are near San Diego and have their own people search pages. Some share the same county resources while others fall in different counties.