Los Angeles County Public Services

Finding a Los Angeles County office is not always the hard part. The harder question is often which office actually handles the task. Property assessment and property tax collection are handled separately. Court records belong to the Superior Court rather than a County department. Law enforcement, animal services, public works, and other local services can also depend on where the property or incident is located.

Use this site to identify the right starting point, understand which office handles the task, and see what information may be useful before contacting an agency, submitting a request, making a payment, or using an official government system.

Independent website: This site is not affiliated with Los Angeles County, the Superior Court of California, the State of California, or any federal agency. It does not collect government payments, issue official records, process applications, or make decisions about taxes, court cases, benefits, licenses, or eligibility.

Before You Contact an Office

Most people start with a task, not a department name. Matching that task to the correct office can save time and reduce unnecessary referrals.

Start With the Right Office

The table below shows where to start, why that office handles the task, and what information to have ready.

What you need	Where to start	Why	Useful information
Understand an assessed value or assessment question	Assessor	The Assessor handles assessed property values and assessment-related information.	Property address or Assessor Identification Number (AIN)
Look up parcel or property information	Property Search	Start here for parcel, ownership, and assessment-related property information.	Street address or AIN
Review or pay a property tax bill	Property Tax	Tax billing and collection are separate from the Assessor's valuation work.	AIN or information shown on the tax bill
Find a court case	Court Case Search	Case information is maintained through the Superior Court.	Case number, or the name of a party or defendant
Find someone in County custody	Inmate Search	The Sheriff's Department operates the County jail system and provides custody information.	Full legal name and booking number, if known
Order a birth record	Birth Certificate	Birth records follow specific vital-record procedures.	Name, date of birth, and place of birth if known
Marriage license or marriage record	Marriage License	Marriage licenses and marriage records follow their own request procedures.	Names, approximate date, and type of service needed
Apply for public assistance	Public Social Services	The Department of Public Social Services administers several major assistance programs.	Program needed and relevant household information

Common Los Angeles County Service Mix-Ups

Several offices have related responsibilities but are not interchangeable. Choosing the correct starting point can prevent an unnecessary referral.

Assessor or Tax Collector?

If the question is about how a property was assessed, its assessed value, parcel information, or another assessment-related matter, the Los Angeles County Assessor is generally the place to start.

If the question is about a property tax bill, payment, or delinquent taxes, the relevant office is the Treasurer and Tax Collector.

Use Property Search for parcel and assessment-related information and Property Tax for billing and payment topics. The key distinction is whether the question concerns the property's value or the tax bill based on that value.

County Records or Court Records?

A request for records from a County agency is not the same as a request for information from a court case. County offices maintain records connected with their own responsibilities, while Superior Court case information is handled through the court system.

If you are looking for a lawsuit, criminal case, family law matter, probate case, small claims case, or related hearing information, start with Court Case Search or Superior Court.

Sheriff or City Police?

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates County jail facilities and provides law enforcement services in areas it serves. Many incorporated cities have their own police departments, while others receive law enforcement services from the Sheriff's Department.

If the purpose is specifically to locate a person in the County jail system, begin with Inmate Search. For a local police matter, the correct law enforcement agency depends on where the incident occurred.

Before Looking Up a Court Case

The way you look up a Los Angeles County court case depends partly on the case type and the information you already have.

If you know the case number, it is usually the most direct way to identify the matter. If you do not, a name search may be needed. Civil, criminal, family law, probate, traffic, and other matters can also have different access rules and different information available online.

Before starting, it helps to know at least one of the following:

• The court case number
• The full name of a party or criminal defendant
• The general type of case
• The courthouse or approximate filing location, if known

The Court Case Search page focuses on locating case information, while Superior Court covers the broader court system and related services.

County, City, Court, or Another Agency?

Los Angeles County is both a geographic area and a County government. Those two meanings are not interchangeable when deciding who provides a service.

An address may be located within Los Angeles County while police, building permits, animal services, road maintenance, code enforcement, or other local functions are handled by an incorporated city. In other areas, County agencies may provide the service directly.

The Superior Court is another separate system. For a court case or hearing, use Superior Court or Court Case Search rather than assuming a County administrative office holds the information.

Animal and infrastructure services can also depend on location. See Animal Care and Control and Public Works for County-related services in those areas.

How Information Is Checked

Pages on this site are checked against information published by the public agencies responsible for each service. When several offices are involved, their roles are compared so users can see which office handles each part of the process.

Particular attention is given to jurisdiction, contact information, required identifiers, online access methods, and services that are commonly confused. Official applications, payments, record orders, court transactions, and benefit decisions remain with the responsible public agency.

Homepage last reviewed: September 2026