CA · State vital records

California Vital Records

Official birth, death, and marriage certificate request information for California, with a directory of all 58 counties and county-equivalents.

How California issues vital records

Statewide vital records in California are administered by the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records. The office maintains certified records of births and deaths from approximately 1905 onward and is the primary issuing authority for certified copies of those records anywhere in the state. California has maintained statewide vital records since July 1905. County recorders also issue certified copies for events that occurred in their county.

For events that pre-date statewide registration, or for marriage records in jurisdictions where the state office only maintains verifications, the official custodian is generally the county clerk, probate judge, register of deeds, or court that originally recorded the event. Use the county directory below to identify the right office for your request, then follow the certificate-specific guides for the documentation each county will require.

Fees and what to expect

  • Certified birth certificate: $28.00 per copy at the state office.
  • Certified death certificate: $24.00 per copy at the state office.
  • Certified marriage certificate: $17.00 per copy at the state office (county-issued copies may carry a separate fee).

Most counties in California accept requests in person, by mail, and increasingly online through a state-approved third-party processor. Mail-in requests typically include a completed application, a legible photocopy of a government-issued photo ID, the applicable fee paid by check or money order, and a self-addressed stamped return envelope. Counties may add their own service charge on top of the state base fee and may require notarized identification for restricted records.

Eligibility for restricted records

Birth and death records in California are not public during the restricted-access window that applies to most U.S. vital records. Certified copies are released only to the registrant, an immediate family member, a legal guardian, the surviving spouse, an executor or administrator of an estate, or an attorney representing one of the above. Genealogy researchers may obtain non-certified informational copies once a record is old enough to leave the restricted window, typically 75 years for births and 25–50 years for deaths depending on jurisdiction.

Browse counties in California

The directory below lists every county and county-equivalent in California recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau in its 2020 county codes file. Click through to a county for its certified copy request page, broken down by certificate type.