California Public Records

Use this guide to connect the official sources in the directory above. It explains which identifiers to carry from one search to the next, where statewide coverage stops, and how to request the underlying document when an online result gives you only an index entry. For a search devoted entirely to one subject, use the linked California topic page rather than restarting at a statewide homepage.

Choose a starting point by the result you need

Resolve the county and city before searching an address

Start with the county containing the property or event, then determine whether the address falls within an incorporated city or an unincorporated area. A mailing address is a useful search clue, but it does not settle which planning or building department keeps the file. County assessment records and local geographic information systems can help you establish that jurisdiction.

The Board of Equalization's county contacts separates assessors, auditors, assessment appeals contacts and tax collectors. That separation matters: a question about assessed value belongs with the assessor, while a question about a payment belongs with the collecting office. For recorded instruments, follow the county's recorder service. For a permit, follow the city or county department that issued it.

Keep the assessor's parcel number, the address as displayed by the agency, and any older address found in the file. Apartment numbers, parcel subdivisions and changed street names can produce different search results. If the building sits on more than one parcel, record each parcel number. Use our California county directory to continue into the appropriate local offices without treating a statewide search as complete local coverage.

Read a property file as several connected records

An assessor record is a practical starting point for parcel identification and assessment information. The recorder's index takes you to recorded deeds, deeds of trust, releases and other instruments. A tax collector's account answers a separate payment question. A planning or building file may identify permit applications, approvals and inspections. Save the record from each office under its own date and identifier so that an older document does not silently become your description of the property's current condition.

When a recorder search returns multiple instruments, open the actual images. Look for the named parties, legal description, recording information and references to earlier documents. A release may refer to an older recorded obligation; a later document may correct an earlier one. An index label alone will not explain that sequence. Where images are unavailable online, the instrument number makes a copy request substantially more precise than an address alone.

For a manufactured home, check whether the question concerns the land or the home. The Department of Housing and Community Development's registration and titling service is an additional route for covered homes. A county parcel search should not be treated as a complete substitute for that system. Our California asset-records guide provides the separate research paths for ownership, liens and related financial records.

Use business filings and license records together

Search bizfile Online for the legal entity, then save its entity number before looking elsewhere. Compare the legal name and filing history with the name shown on a contract or invoice. A person listed as an agent for service of process has a particular role in the filing; that listing alone does not establish that the person owns the business.

Next identify the regulator for the activity. The Department of Consumer Affairs license search covers participating boards and bureaus. Construction licensing has its own CSLB search, and attorneys have the State Bar licensee search. An entity filing and a professional license are different records. Match the license holder, business identity and classification instead of assuming that a business registration authorizes every service it advertises.

For financial-services research, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation's regulated-entities information identifies its licensing areas. Its actions and orders provide a separate documentary trail. Read the order itself, including the parties and date, before connecting it to a similarly named company. A later order or changed license status may be relevant to the same search.

If the question concerns a financing statement rather than a corporation's existence, use the Secretary of State's Uniform Commercial Code records. Keep the debtor name and filing number distinct from the business entity number. A UCC filing is a notice concerning a secured transaction, not a statement of the debtor's current bank balance or a complete valuation of the business.

Understand why court information may stop at an index

The superior court directory leads to trial courts. The appellate case search covers a different stage of litigation. A search in one is not a substitute for the other. If an appeal identifies a lower-court case number, use that number when returning to the trial court for the original proceedings.

Separate three things as you search: a listing showing that a case exists, a register of actions describing filed events, and an image of a particular document. Access to one does not mean the others can be read on a screen. The Judicial Branch explains how to obtain a court record, including requests for records that are not available through a website.

A useful copy request identifies the court, case number, document title and filing date. If you need proof for an outside agency, ask that recipient whether it requires a certified copy. A screen capture of a case result and a clerk-certified judgment serve different purposes. Continue with our California court-records page for court-specific access, and the California record-clearing page when the issue concerns relief from a criminal record.

Check the certificate's year and issuing office before paying

California's statewide marriage-copy service has important gaps. On the CDPH marriage page checked for this guide, certified public marriage records were available for 1905 through 1999, 2001, and 2008 through 2025. The page directs requests for 2000 and 2002 through 2007 to the county recorder where the license was issued. Because the state adds indexed years, use the current marriage-record instructions before mailing an application.

Confidential marriage records follow a different route through the county clerk. Divorce decrees come from the superior court where the decree was granted. CDPH's county office directory distinguishes these services. Choosing the correct document first avoids paying for a certificate when the receiving organization actually needs the court's decree.

The CDPH fee schedule lists $31 for a certified birth copy, $26 for a death copy and $19 for a marriage copy. These are CDPH charges checked on October 31, 2026; confirm the total with the office or ordering channel you choose. CDPH's October 19, 2026 notice announces that birth-certificate fees will decrease by $2 on January 1, 2027, when the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program fee ends. That decrease is scheduled; it does not change the current $31 amount listed above. The state retains its search fee when it cannot locate a record. Our California vital-records guide explains the distinction between authorized and informational copies.

Choose the criminal-justice record that matches the question

A recent booking, a state-prison location, a criminal case and a person's own DOJ history are separate searches. The California Incarcerated Records and Information Search concerns people in the CDCR system. Local jail information comes through the local custodial agency. Court disposition records come from the court handling the case. None of those sources should be described as a universal search of every arrest and every result.

When following an event through multiple systems, carry forward the booking or case identifier when one is available. A matching name by itself is not enough to connect two entries. Look for consistent dates, the responsible agency and the case information that the official source makes public. A booking is an event; the final court outcome may come later and must be checked separately.

The personal-record instructions below explain how to request your own DOJ record. For a narrower starting point, use our California criminal-records directory or California custody-search directory. The DOJ visa and immigration process is distinct from personal record review, so choose the process matching the receiving authority's requirements.

Find the environmental documents behind a map symbol

California offers several environmental systems with different coverage. DTSC explains EnviroStor as a source for cleanup, permitting, enforcement and investigation records. The State Water Board's database directory describes GeoTracker's groundwater-related site and facility information. Use both when the question crosses agency responsibilities.

Begin with the address, then expand to the surrounding area if the site is recorded under a former business name or adjoining parcel. Save the site's official identifier. Open the documents behind the map result and distinguish an initial investigation from a later closure or land-use restriction. The location of a map marker is a search aid; the actual reports describe the affected area, findings and regulatory decisions.

The Central Valley Water Board's cleanup guidance notes that many investigation and remediation documents created before 2000 may not be in GeoTracker. Missing online documents therefore call for a request to the responsible office, using the site identifier and date range. They do not establish that no file exists.

Research a proposed development through its lead agency

For an environmental review of a proposed project, use the State Clearinghouse's CEQAnet guidance. Its records can identify the project title, lead agency, location and document type. Those fields help even when you already know a street address, because the planning file may use a subdivision name or project number instead.

The Clearinghouse explains that CEQAnet includes full documents and notices submitted from March 2019 onward, while older original documents should be sought from the lead agency. It also states that CEQAnet is not a complete inventory of every CEQA or NEPA document in California. If your search is empty, follow the local planning file and ask the lead agency about the relevant environmental determination.

Build a simple project chronology: application, environmental document, public hearing, approval and later amendments. Keep a proposed plan separate from an approved plan. Meeting minutes and staff reports may explain a decision, while a permit or adopted resolution records the resulting action. Request the specific missing item rather than asking a department to reconstruct the entire history for you.

Follow a state purchase from solicitation to award

Cal eProcure brings together advertised opportunities, procurement records, business certification searches and statewide purchasing agreements. Choose the part of the system that fits the question. A bid announcement concerns a proposed purchase; an award or executed agreement concerns a later decision.

The Department of General Services explains the distinction between the State Contract and Procurement Registration System and the California State Contracts Register. Search by the vendor and department, then preserve the contract identifier and fiscal year. Use the awarding department for questions about a particular agreement or for supporting records outside the public search.

When comparing contracts, check whether a displayed amount is an initial award, a maximum authorized amount or a revised total. A contract amount is not necessarily the amount paid. If the question is actual spending, ask for the corresponding payment or invoice records, identifying the contract and period. A focused request might seek the executed agreement and amendments first, followed by payment records for that same agreement.

Use school and crime statistics at the right level

DataQuest and the California School Dashboard help answer questions about schools and districts. Before comparing results, match the school, school year, indicator and student group. A district total is not the same unit as a single campus. Keep the source's explanations for suppressed values or missing data with your notes.

For crime trends, begin with the DOJ's criminal-justice statistics and OpenJustice publications. Record the reporting period and agency coverage. An arrest count, reported-offense count and conviction count describe different events. These datasets support community research; they do not identify the outcome of an individual's case.

If a chart raises a specific question, use it to identify the underlying agency and records. For example, a school facilities question may lead to board agendas, construction contracts and inspection records rather than student-level files. An aggregate dataset is often the starting map for a documentary search, not its final evidence.

Move from the web to an archive without losing the trail

The California State Archives and the State Library's government publications collection serve different research needs. An agency's original transferred files belong to an archival record series; a published annual report may be found through a library catalog. Record the producing agency, date and title before deciding which institution to contact.

For local history, first ask whether the county or city still keeps the material. Older deeds, board minutes and court files may remain local even when the State Archives has other records about the same place. Catalog descriptions can identify a collection without supplying every page online. Our California genealogy directory provides a separate route for family-history collections.

Turn an incomplete result into a focused records request

Once you know the custodian, describe the records already identified: the contract number, permit number, parcel, project title or case reference. Add a sensible date range and the desired format. The Secretary of State's Public Records Act FAQ explains that an agency is not required to conduct new research or create a record it does not maintain. Ask for the existing document or dataset that would answer your question.

For example, a focused request could seek the executed landscaping contract for a named public facility, all amendments to that contract, and invoices approved during a specified fiscal year. That is more actionable than asking why maintenance costs increased. The records may help you answer the second question after the agency supplies the first set.

Keep your request, submission receipt, agency correspondence and any cost estimate together. If only part of a document is released, note the explanation for the withheld portion. If the office does not hold it, ask whether the record was transferred or is maintained by another department. The Public Records Act section below sets out the legal response framework; a court case, vital certificate or personal criminal-history request still follows its own access route.