Research Guides

Vital Records in California

California Department of Public Health

Vital Records – M.S. 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
(916) 445-2684

Availability of California records (all counties):

  • Births and deaths July 1905 to present (15 business days to process).
  • Marriages 1998-1999 and 2010 to present (1 month to process).
  • For marriages that took place 1949-1986, processing can take longer than 6 months, so it is recommended that you request these records from Los Angeles County (see below).
  • The CDPH no longer processes requests for marriages that took place 1905-1948, 1987-1997, and 2000-2009 (you must go to Los Angeles County for these).
  • Divorces 1962-June 1984; this is only a limited abstract of the divorce, and it can take over 6 months to process (it is recommended that you also go to Los Angeles County for these).

All records you get from CDPH are considered “Certified,” but you can choose between an “Authorized” copy and an “Informational” copy (they contain the same information, but Authorized has restrictions on who can obtain one; Informational is easier if you don’t need the record for official purposes). Get as much information as you can find from the following resources before you make your request:

FamilySearch.org

The Family History Library has been digitizing vital records, and several for Los Angeles County are available online for free. For persons you find in the California Birth Index and California Death Index 1940-1997, you can order a copy of the death certificate via ancestry.com for a fee. Just go to Ancestry.com and find your person by using keywords (name) and other info you have. Then navigate to “Order Original Document from VitalChek” on the left side of the record.

Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk

12400 Imperial Highway
Norwalk, CA 90650
(562) 462-2137 or (800) 201-8999

Availability of Los Angeles County records:

  • Births 1866 to present
  • Deaths 1877 to present
  • Marriage 1852 to present

In 1971, confidential marriages became an option in addition to conventional marriages. Confidential marriage records are available only to the spouses or by court order and cannot be searched using the marriage indexes.

There are several County Clerk offices where you can place your order in person, but only the Norwalk office (above) has records available for viewing.

Birth records for persons who were adopted or had a name change are only available from the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento (contact info at the top of this handout). Adoption Records 

For county-level divorce information:

  • Available at the Los Angeles Superior Court, where the divorce was filed. If the Superior Court location is not known, information can be obtained at the County Courthouse by calling (213) 830-0803 or by visiting 111 North Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Try the California Divorce Index.
  • Divorce filings in the Central Los Angeles area are transferred to the County Record Center (Archives) within 2 to 3 years of the filing.  The Archives can be contacted by phone at (213) 830-0803 or in person at 222 North Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
  • Divorce filings outside the Central Los Angeles area can take 5 or more years to be transferred to the Archives. Records are transferred to the Archives when storage space at the courthouses becomes limited. 

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