Home ›› Genealogy ›› Vital Records ›› California Marriage & Divorce Vital Records

Find Vital Records Instantly!

First Name

Last Name (Required)

State

Record Type: All Vital Records Birth Death Marriage Divorce

California Marriage & Divorce Vital Records

Capitol: Sacramento
Most Populous City: Los Angeles
Total Area: 163,700 sq mi
Total Population (2010): 37253956
Website: http://www.ca.gov
Source: Wikipedia

California vital records regarding marriage and divorce are highly decentralized, with certificates only available from the Office of Vital Records for unions between 1949 and 1986, and 1998-1999, while divorces are on file there from 1962 to 1984. Otherwise, divorce certificates can be obtained from the Clerk of Superior Court in the relevant county, while public marriages were filed with the County Recorder, and confidential marriages with the County Clerk. In addition, California divorce records purchased in Sacramento for $13 will not detail whether the divorce was finalized--only the parties involved and the county where it was filed. California marriage records cost a dollar more, and are not available if the marriage was secret. California's economy is highly diversified and the single largest in the country, even counting as the eighth largest in the world if the states are recorded separately.

For more information on California vital records, visit California Birth & Death Vital Records

California Vital Records Offices

Record Type: Marriage Certificates, Divorce Certificates
State Department of Health Svcs
Office of Vital Records - MS 5103
PO Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
Phone: 916-445-2684
Website

Business Hours: 8AM-noon
Note: It can take from 6 months to 2 years for this agency to process requests. Plus the divorce record index at the location has only 1962 through June 1984. Therefore it is strongly urged to search at the county level.
Records Available: Statewide Court Records
Administration Office of Courts
Office of Communications
455 Golden Gate Ave
San Francisco, CA 94102-3660
Phone: 415-865-4200
Fax: 415-865-4334
Website

Business Hours: 8AM-5PM
Note: All trial court record access must be done at the local level. Email questions to [email protected].

Records Available: Criminal Records
Department of Justice
Records Security Section
PO Box 903417
Sacramento, CA 94203-4170
Phone: 916-227-3460
Fax: 916-227-4815
Website

Business Hours: 8AM-5PM
Note: Penal Code Sec. 11105.3 limits access to searches involving child care, the elderly, the handicapped and mentally impaired. The subject can obtain their own copy, but the record cannot be used for employment or licensing.
Record Access Requirements: Entities must be authorized before records can be requested. 99% of arrest records are fingerprint supported, entered from final disposition.
Search Note: Those entities authorized to obtain records must submit a completed fingerprint card, a letter explaining why the record is needed, and address of the authorized agency where record will be sent.

Records Available: Incarceration Records
Dept of Corrections
Corrections & Rehabilitation ID Unit
PO Box 942883
Sacramento, CA 94283-0001
Phone: 916-557-5933
Fax: 916-327-1988
Website

Business Hours: 8AM-4:45PM
Note: The state provides no online searching, however a private company offers free web access to some county DOC records at www.vinelink.com/index.jsp.
Search Note: Location, conviction and sentencing information, and county of conviction are released. Agency prefers to return results via fax.