California Marriage, Death, Birth Records

Vital records in California have been kept by the state registrar of vital statistics since 1 July 1905. Earlier vital records are entered in the county where the event took place. Pre-1905 records in the counties may be quite slim. In Sacramento County, for example, only three births were entered for the period 1858–74, and only forty-three deaths for 1858–64. Marriages, on the other hand, seem to have been recorded more regularly. Some court-ordered delayed birth certificates have been registered by the state registrar. For all vital records, write to the Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Department of Health Services, 304 “S” Street, Sacramento, California 95814. There is no state-wide index which includes the pre-1905 records held by counties. Service is only by mail. In-person access is no longer available.

The California Room at the California State Library in Sacramento (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies) has a hard-bound index to deaths 1905–39 and marriages 1949–59. Photocopying of this index is not permitted and only on-site examination is allowed. Also at the California State Library, and in other libraries as well, are microfiche indexes to deaths 1940–88 and marriages 1960–85. Microfiche indexes can be purchased from the Department of Health Services. Unlike the book indexes of deaths for 1905–39, the fiche indexes do not include the age at death, but they do show the decedent's Social Security number.

There is also an index to births 1956–88 at the Vital Statistics Office, which can be examined by appointment. It shows the name of the person, the date and county of birth, and the mother's maiden name.

Divorce records are available in the office of the clerk of the superior court in the county in which the proceedings were conducted.

Throughout the missions system of the Catholic church, many vital records were entered in parish church books and are available either from the Catholic church archives, libraries, or museums (see Church Records).

Choose A County in California

   California Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records, MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410; (916) 445-2684. They have the following records:

• Birth & Death Certificates: The state of California began issuing certificates for births and Deaths in July 1905. Birth and death records for current year events and one year prior are available from the county health department; records for all years are maintained by the county recorder. If not, you should submit your request to the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the birth or death took place or order the birth / death certificate online through VitalChek. 
  • Cost: $14.00 per birth certificate & $12.00 per death certificate.
  • Processing Time: 12-14 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Birth or Death Certificate) or 2-5 Days when you order online
• Marriage Certificates: The state of California began issuing certificates for marriages since July 1905, except for 1987 to 1995 (The state does not have indexes for the years 1987-1995 so you must request these from the county). Certified copies of public marriage records are available from both the California Office of Vital Records and the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the public marriage license was issued.  However, the Office of Vital Records is limited in its ability to search the records, and it can take up to 2-3 years to obtain a certified copy from thier office.  Therefore, we recommend that certified copies of public marriage records be requested directly from the County Recorder’s Office or online. 
  • Cost: $13.00 per certificate.
  • Processing Time: 2-3 years when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order online
• Divorce Certificates: Certified copies are not available from State Health Department. Certified copies of actual divorce decrees are only available from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed.  The Office of Vital Records issues a Certificate of Record that includes only the names of the parties to the divorce, the county where the divorce was filed, and the court case number – it is not a certified copy of the divorce decree and does not indicate whether the divorce was ever finalized in court.  The Office of Vital Records only has information for divorces that were filed with the court between 1962 and June 1984, and our processing times can take up to 2-3 years or Online with VitalChek. 
  • Cost: $12.00 per certificate. Fee is for search and identification of county where certified copy can be obtained.
  • Processing Time: 2-3 years when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order online

PLEASE READ!! A certified copy fee must accompany all requests for copies of vital records. Requests received without the appropriate fee will be returned to the sender. Make your check or money order payable to the Office of Vital Records. Checks must be drawn on a United States bank. Money orders must be drawn on a United States bank or issued by the United States Postal Service. Do not send cash. If no record is found, they will issue a Certificate of No Public Record and retain the fee for the search according to State law. Before submitting your application to the Office of Vital Records, please view the processing times to make sure they are acceptable for your needs.

Order On-Line:  To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek

Click Here to Search California Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for California Vital Records.

• California Birth Index, 1905-1995: This database is an index to over 24.5 million births occurring in California between 1905 and 1995.
• California Death Index, 1940-1997: his database is an index to the death records in State of California, USA, from 1940 through 1997. The database provides such valuable information as first, last and middle names of the descendants, birth dates, mother's maiden name, father's last name, sex, birth place, death place, residence at time of death, death date, social security number (when available), and the age of the individual when they died.
• California Divorce Index, 1966-1984: This database is an index to over 3.5 million divorces that were filed in California (U.S.A.) from 1966-1984. Information that may be found in this database includes spouses' names, divorce date, and divorce county or city.
• California Marriage Index, 1960-1985: This database contains a statewide index to over 4.8 million marriages that were performed in California between 1960 and 1985. Information that may be found in this database includes the bride's and groom's names, their ages, the marriage county, and the marriage date.
• California Marriages, 1850-1877: This database contains information on individuals who were married in select areas of California between 1850 and 1960. Note that not all counties are included in this index and within the counties that are included not all years within the date range...
• California Death Index 1940-1997
• Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Search U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Search Obituary Collection
• Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE