Pursuant to California's Public Records Act, any Californian has the right to access public information maintained by local and state government agencies, including the Department of Justice. In California, vital records are housed in the Office of the Vital Statistics which operates under the Department of Health. California public records include documents of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, deaths, and even criminal and arrest records.
Conversely, there are certain records in California that cannot just be obtained by anyone who wishes to. Criminal records and arrest, for instance, can only be accessed by legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those individuals who personally own the criminal history information. In case of background checks, certified copies of criminal or arrest records may not be available as request from third parties for such records will not be processed. Thus, for genealogical purposes and background checks, one may have to settle for an informational copy instead.
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, essential details needed are the complete name of the person, date and place of birth, and the complete names of the parents. For death certificate requests, you have to input the legal name of the deceased, gender, date of birth, date and county of death, and the name of spouse and of the parents. For marriage and divorce records, please indicate the county where the marriage license was issued or where the divorce was filed and ratified. Vital records requests should be referred to the Vital Records Division, Department of Health. For criminal history information requests, a live scan form must be filled out with your significant personal details. Such form must then be submitted to the Department of Justice together with the copy of an image of your live scan fingerprints.
Payment for the processing of your requests should be submitted along with the application form you have filled out. For certified copies of birth certificates, you have to pay a processing fee of $20. For death certificates, a fee of $16 is required. For public marriage certificates, $14 is requisite. For dissolution or marriage certificate, $13 is required. For criminal record requests, the processing fee is $25. Usually in California, the turnaround time for record requests takes weeks to several months. For births and deaths recorded from 1905 to 1992, the processing take is 7 weeks. Those that were recorded from 1969 to present will take 4 weeks to be processed. On the other hand, marriage and divorce records will take more than 6 months of processing time. Such estimated turnaround times may occasionally increase depending on the volume of requests received in their office. Unfortunately, the Vital Records Division does not 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.
Conversely, there are certain records in California that cannot just be obtained by anyone who wishes to. Criminal records and arrest, for instance, can only be accessed by legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those individuals who personally own the criminal history information. In case of background checks, certified copies of criminal or arrest records may not be available as request from third parties for such records will not be processed. Thus, for genealogical purposes and background checks, one may have to settle for an informational copy instead.
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, essential details needed are the complete name of the person, date and place of birth, and the complete names of the parents. For death certificate requests, you have to input the legal name of the deceased, gender, date of birth, date and county of death, and the name of spouse and of the parents. For marriage and divorce records, please indicate the county where the marriage license was issued or where the divorce was filed and ratified. Vital records requests should be referred to the Vital Records Division, Department of Health. For criminal history information requests, a live scan form must be filled out with your significant personal details. Such form must then be submitted to the Department of Justice together with the copy of an image of your live scan fingerprints.
Payment for the processing of your requests should be submitted along with the application form you have filled out. For certified copies of birth certificates, you have to pay a processing fee of $20. For death certificates, a fee of $16 is required. For public marriage certificates, $14 is requisite. For dissolution or marriage certificate, $13 is required. For criminal record requests, the processing fee is $25. Usually in California, the turnaround time for record requests takes weeks to several months. For births and deaths recorded from 1905 to 1992, the processing take is 7 weeks. Those that were recorded from 1969 to present will take 4 weeks to be processed. On the other hand, marriage and divorce records will take more than 6 months of processing time. Such estimated turnaround times may occasionally increase depending on the volume of requests received in their office. Unfortunately, the Vital Records Division does not 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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