Find San Francisco Phone Directory

San Francisco phone directory searches work a bit differently from most California cities. San Francisco is both a city and a county at the same time. There is no separate county government. The city-county runs its own court system, clerk office, assessor, and sheriff all under one combined government. With a population around 870,000, San Francisco keeps a large volume of public records that you can search online. The city-county also runs a NextRequest portal for records requests. This page covers every tool and office you can use to find phone numbers, people, and contact details in San Francisco.

San Francisco City-County Phone Directory

San Francisco is one of only a few places in California where the city and county are the same entity. There is no separate county page for San Francisco because the city government handles everything. The Board of Supervisors acts as both the city council and the county board. This combined structure means all county-level records like court cases, property filings, vital records, and inmate data come from the same government that runs the city. For a San Francisco phone directory search, this simplifies things since you only deal with one set of offices.

The Office of the County Clerk sits in City Hall, Room 190, at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. Call (415) 554-4950 to reach the office. The county clerk handles marriage licenses, fictitious business names, and other vital records. If you need to look up a person tied to a business filing or a marriage record in San Francisco, this is the office to contact. The clerk processes requests under the California Public Records Act, so most records are available to anyone who asks.

The San Francisco Assessor-Recorder keeps property records for every parcel in the city-county. Property data ties a person's name to a specific address. This helps with San Francisco phone directory searches when you know where someone lives but need more details. The assessor office provides online tools for looking up assessed values and ownership data.

San Francisco Phone Directory Records Portal

San Francisco runs its public records requests through a NextRequest portal. This system lets you submit, track, and receive records from any city-county department. You can also browse past requests that other people have filed. This is useful for San Francisco phone directory research because someone may have already asked for the data you need. The system is free to use. You create an account, fill out what you want, and the relevant department responds by email or through the portal.

Past records requests are searchable by keyword, department, and date on the NextRequest system.

The NextRequest portal covers all city-county departments in San Francisco. That means police records, planning documents, public health data, and general government records all go through the same system. Each request gets a tracking number so you can follow its progress. Response times vary based on how complex the request is and how busy the department is. For a quick San Francisco phone directory lookup, start by searching the archive of past requests before you submit a new one.

Note: Check the archive of past requests first since your San Francisco phone directory data may already be available.

San Francisco Court Phone Directory Records

The San Francisco Superior Court handles all court cases in the city-county. You can search case records by name or case number through the court's online tools. Court records list the names and sometimes addresses of all parties in a case. For civil cases, you can find filings, judgments, and orders. Criminal cases show charges and case status. Family law cases cover divorce, custody, and support. The San Francisco court system is part of the California Courts network, so the Judicial Council public records page also applies. Copies cost about 10 cents per page through the Judicial Council. Contact PAJAR at (415) 865-7796 for administrative court records.

The California Department of Justice runs the Megan's Law registry, which covers San Francisco. You can search by name, city, county, or zip code. The database has data on more than 63,000 registered sex offenders statewide. Results include names, aliases, age, and physical description. Contact MegansLaw@doj.ca.gov or call (916) 210-3113. This is a specialized tool, but it adds to the San Francisco phone directory search options when you need safety-related information.

Phone Directory Laws in San Francisco

All public records in San Francisco fall under the California Public Records Act at Government Code Section 7920.000. The law says that access to government information is a basic right. San Francisco must respond to records requests within 10 days. There are exceptions for things like active investigations, personnel files, and certain law enforcement records. But the default rule is open access. San Francisco also has its own local sunshine ordinance that adds more transparency rules on top of state law.

Phone number privacy in San Francisco is covered by Public Utilities Code Section 2891.1. Phone companies cannot publish unlisted numbers. If a San Francisco resident has an unlisted line, it stays out of the phone directory. But if a number shows up in a court filing, business license, or other public record, that data is available through a records request.

Voter registration data for San Francisco residents can only be used for election, scholarly, journalistic, or governmental work under Elections Code Section 2194. Personal or commercial use is not allowed. Victims of domestic violence or stalking can keep their voter data confidential under Elections Code Section 2269.

State Databases for San Francisco Directory

The State Bar Attorney Search is especially useful for San Francisco since the State Bar headquarters sits in the city at 180 Howard Street. Call (415) 538-2000 for help. You can search by name, firm, city, or county to find any lawyer in San Francisco. Results show bar number, license status, and office address. San Francisco has one of the highest concentrations of lawyers in the state, so this tool returns a lot of results for the city.

The Department of Consumer Affairs license search covers more than 3.4 million professionals across California. Search by name to find licensed workers in San Francisco. Results show license status, practice location, and any disciplinary actions. The Secretary of State business search covers all registered companies in San Francisco. Each filing shows the agent for service of process, which is the person who accepts legal papers for the company. Their name and address are public.

Note: San Francisco's local sunshine ordinance adds transparency rules beyond the state Public Records Act.

Nearby San Francisco Directory Cities

These Bay Area cities are close to San Francisco. Each has its own phone directory page with local resources and contacts.