You may need to search or access court records at some point, such as to get a copy of a court order, figure out the last step that was taken in a lawsuit, or get the court number for a case you were involved in. There are different processes for searching each court in Alberta.
This guide is for searching court records in Alberta only. Each province has its own process and fees. You should contact the courthouse in the province where the documents are filed for more information.
Requesting a search of criminal records is not the same as a Criminal Record Check, a Police Information Check or a Vulnerable Sector Check. For these checks, you will need to contact your local police or RCMP detachment.
Court of Justice and Court of Appeal searches
You must fill out the correct search form, depending on what kind of case you’re requesting information about. Choose either the Civil form or the Criminal/Youth/Traffic form. Find copies of these forms at every courthouse. Or you can access fillable PDF forms on the Alberta Courts website – scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll have to save the form on your device before you can fill it out.
The court can search by name or file number, so it’s important to fill in as much information as you have. You must indicate which court you are searching in, either the Court of Appeal or the Court of Justice. You must also indicate what you are looking for in the “Request Type” section at the bottom of the form.
Take your completed form to the courthouse. For searches in the Court of Justice, go to any location in Alberta. For searches in the Court of Appeal, you must go to either Edmonton or Calgary.
If you are going to the courthouse in Edmonton or Calgary, you will need to go to the right clerk to have your request processed. There will be signs indicating where you should go or you can ask for directions at the information desk. If you are at a smaller courthouse, there may be only one clerk for the whole courthouse.
Depending on what your search request is and which courthouse you go to, the clerk may or may not be able to complete your search right away. The actual court file is kept at the courthouse where the case was heard. For example, if a case was heard at the Court of Justice in Red Deer, then the file will be at that court only. The courthouse in Edmonton will not have access to this file. Instead, the clerk in Edmonton will assist with the search by sending it to the courthouse in Red Deer. The court will mail you the results.
As well, the courthouse sometimes stores older files in a different location. If you are looking for a copy of a document in an old court file, it may take the court a few weeks to get the file from storage and have it available at the courthouse for you.
You can choose to pick-up the search results or have the court mail them to you. You must pay the search fees before the court will send you the search results. See the fees section below to learn more.
Court of King’s Bench searches
There are online web forms to search for civil cases or criminal cases in the Court of King’s Bench.
Results are not instant! You must pay the search fees before the Court will send you the search results. See the fees section below to learn more. If there are search results, the Court will email you the results. If there are no search results, the court will send you an email letting you know.
Use the civil online search form to request information about the following types of cases:
- civil
- family (that comply with Practice Note 10)
- divorce
- bankruptcy
- appeals
- surrogate (estates and represented adults)
Use the criminal online search form to request information about criminal cases in the Court of King’s Bench.
Fees for searches
There are different fees for different actions:
| Action | Fee |
| Search fee | $25.00 per search* |
| Fee to view a file | $25.00 per file |
| Photocopies of documents | $1.00 per page |
| Certified copies of documents | $10.00 per certified copy** |
*The fee is for one search for one party as either a plaintiff or respondent in one court. For example, it’s $25 to search for actions started by a party and another $25 to search for actions against the party. It’s also $25 to search for actions started by a party in the Court of Justice and another $25 to search for actions started by that party in the Court of King’s Bench.
**A certified copy of a document has a stamp on it saying it is a certified (true) copy of the original. It is signed by a court official. To be a certified copy, the document must have this original stamp and signature.
If you have more questions about searching court records, contact Court and Justice Services:
- Phone: 1.855.738.4747
- Website: www.alberta.ca/contact-court-and-justice-services
Last Reviewed: May 2025
