California, vital records
The California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, issues certified birth, death and marriage records for events in California. County recorders issue them too, and divorce decrees come from the Superior Court.
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Vital records
How to order an authorized or informational copy of a California birth certificate by mail from CDPH Vital Records, online, or in person at the county where it was registered.
Open official site California birth certificates, CDPHProperty records
County directory. Recent births and deaths are at the county health department, older ones and public marriages at the county recorder, and divorce decrees at the Superior Court.
Open official site California county registrars and recordersVital records
CDPH Vital Records takes every birth record amendment by mail. The page helps you pick the right form, such as the affidavit to amend a record.
Open official site Amending a California birth recordVital records
The county clerk issues public and confidential marriage licenses. Public marriages are registered and kept by the county recorder, confidential ones by the county clerk.
Open official site California marriage license and registrationVital records
Certified fetal death and stillbirth certificates go to the mother or father only, by mail with form VS 12/13E. Copies cost $23 and $28.
Open official site California fetal death and stillbirth certificatesState agencies
An informational copy is stamped as not valid to establish identity and cannot be used for ID. Only people named in the law may get an authorized copy.
Open official site California authorized and informational copiesState agencies
Inventory of county and city records held by the California State Archives. The Archives suggests also contacting the county clerk or recorder where a record was filed.
Open official site California State Archives, county and city recordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics links to every state and territory vital records office, with fees and mailing addresses. The federal government itself issues no certificates.
Open official site CDC, Where to Write for Vital RecordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics data on births and deaths in the United States, such as leading causes of death and life tables. It publishes statistics, not copies of records.
Open official site CDC, National Vital Statistics SystemVital records
The state office that issues certified copies of California vital records and registers and amends them, with its current fees and processing times.
Open official site California Department of Public Health, Vital RecordsFederal
Social Security Administration form to apply for an original or replacement card or to correct your record. It generally asks for your birth certificate as proof of age.
Open official site SSA, Form SS-5, Social Security card applicationGuide
The California Department of Public Health Vital Records office states that it maintains birth, death, fetal death, marriage and divorce records for California, and what it can issue for a divorce is a Certificate of Record rather than a copy of the judgment, and only for divorces from 1962 to June 1984. The judgment, with its property division and support terms, is obtained from the superior court where the dissolution was filed, where it is viewed at the courthouse under rule 2.503(c). The Department's page is at cdph.ca.gov.
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Record guide
At a glance
More California records on this site: California public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
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No. The CDC is explicit: 'The Federal Government does not maintain files or indexes of these records.' Every U.S. vital record is kept by the state where the event occurred.
A certified copy has a raised seal and is accepted by SSA, passport offices, and courts. An informational copy is marked 'Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity' and cannot be used for legal ID.
It varies by state, but a mail order to a state vital records office is typically 4, 8 weeks. Walk-in county clerk requests can be same-day. Online orders through VitalChek add a separate processing time on top of the state's.
Most states limit certified copies to the registrant, immediate family, and legal representatives. Informational copies are generally available to anyone after a waiting period defined by state law.
You should have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, form FS-240). Replacements come from the U.S. Department of State, not from a state vital records office.
All states
Every state page lists that state's official vital record sources, each opened and verified.