California Public Records

By Ben Kingsley


According to the Public Records Law, all state agencies and institutions are accountable for the citizenry. This is tantamount to the notion that vital records created and kept by the public entities are henceforth public and are available to any member of the state in need. In the State of California, everyone has the right to access public information maintained by local and state government agencies such as the Bureau of Vital Statistics - Department of Health, and the Department of Justice. California public records include vital documents and court registers.

However, California restricts access to certain records such as criminal and arrest records maintained by the Department of Justice to legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those persons named on the records only. Individuals have the right to access their own criminal history information for the purpose of reviewing such for accuracy and completeness. Requests from people whose purpose is neither any of these will not be catered. In case of background checks or genealogy research, an informational copy of the desire record may be provided by such offices.

When requesting for a copy of any public record, you have to secure an application form which can be downloaded online from the abovementioned agencies' websites. You must fill out the form in its entirety with all the important details required. For birth certificate requests, you have to provide the full name of the person, date of birth, and the name of the parents. For death record requests, you must input the complete and legal name of the deceased, gender, date of birth, date and county where the death took place, name of spouse and of the parents. For marriage and divorce record requests, you have to include the significant personal details of the couple, date and county where they tied the knot, date of the separation, and the county where the marriage license was issued or where the divorce was filed and affirmed. For criminal record requests, a live scan form must be filled out and must be submitted together with an image of your live scan fingerprints.

For birth record requests, you must provide the full name of the person, date of birth, place of birth, and the name of the parents. For death certificate requests, you have to input in the request form the complete legal name of the decedent, sex, date of birth, date and county where the death transpired, name of spouse and that of the parents. For marriage certificate requests, you have to provide all the personal details about the couple, date and county where they tied the knot, and the county where the marriage license was issued. For divorce decree requests, you must input the significant details of the husband and the wife, the date of the separation, and the county where the divorce was filed and approved. For criminal history information requests, you have to secure a live scan form from the Department of Justice, fill it out with your personal details, and submit it together with an image of your live scan fingerprints.

Payment must be through check or money order made payable to either the Department of Health or to the Department of Justice; and should be submitted along with the application or request form. A copy of a death certificate costs $20; a death certificate is worth $16; criminal record costs $25; a public marriage certificate costs $14 while a divorce certificate costs $13. Birth and death records that date back to 1905 take approximately 7 weeks to be processed; whereas those recorded from 1969 to present only take 4 weeks. For marriage and divorce records, on the other hand, the processing time can exceed 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way to hasten this as the Office of the Vital Statistics cannot accommodate expedited requests.

Government records can actually be obtained over the web. Several online record providers proffer the same services such as record reviews for only a minimal fee. Some record providers do not require a fee though. However, if you are the kind of person who wishes not only to cut costs but also ensures quality of the results, you can choose the independent service provider that charges a minimal fee but yields accurate and comprehensive records.




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