Santa Clara County, California Public Records

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in Santa Clara County. Ask that agency for its record. Under Penal Code 13665, a police department or sheriff's office may not share on social media the booking photos of a person arrested on suspicion of a nonviolent crime unless an exception applies, and must remove booking photos it shared on social media within 14 days unless an exception still applies.

The California criminal history record comes from the California Department of Justice. Record Review of your own record only: submit fingerprint images through Live Scan and follow the DOJ Record Review instructions. Fee: $25 processing fee to the DOJ, plus the Live Scan agency's fingerprint fee; a fee waiver may be available.

Search the California Megan's Law Website (Department of Justice), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Register with the county elections official (county elections office or registrar of voters) or through the California Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. The deadline to register is 15 days before Election Day; after that, same day (conditional) registration and voting is available at the county elections office.

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Santa Clara County are kept by the Santa Clara County Recorder. Property values are set by the County Assessor, and tax bills come from the County Tax Collector. Source: official state page.

Certified birth and death certificates for California come from the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH VR). Copies may be obtained in person at the county office (County Registrar or Recorder) where the birth was registered, for events in that county. By mail with form VS 111 to California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410, or in person at the county office where the event was registered; since July 1, 2026 CDPH VR no longer accepts applications sent through online third party vendors. Fee: $31 for each certified copy of a birth record.

Business entity filings are searched with the California Secretary of State (bizfile Online). Most California cities and counties require a business license, permits or registration to do business within their limits.

The recorder's research instructions say addresses and assessor parcel numbers are not searchable there. First identify a document reference through assessment information or other recorded-party information.

The office directs researchers to in-person document viewing and says it does not perform title searches. Carry names, document numbers or older book-and-page references to the visit.

The local schedule lists $4 for the first page, $2 for each later page and an additional $2 certification per document. That is a copy calculation, separate from recording fees.

No. Registration and availability describe when a new event reaches the recorder. The mail-order estimate describes processing after an application, and should be labeled separately.

The published online terms state a 4 to 6 week processing range and a $7 vendor fee. The service does not describe extra shipping charges as expedited production.

Use the Superior Court's family-copy form for the filed dissolution judgment or other identified documents. The Clerk-Recorder's marriage-certificate service holds a different record.

The town's Sheriff service information identifies the Santa Clara County Sheriff's West Valley Division. Route a report inquiry according to the agency that created it.

The Registrar's application instructions describe legal limits on recipients and uses. Request the specific permitted product and follow the listed application process.