How to Obtain and Use Information in California Divorce Records

High costs are taking a toll on the State of California’s ability to be helpful. When you want to locate, retrieve and possess California divorce records, the state can no longer give you the open-handed services it once did.

California is not at all unusual in this case. High costs are making it difficult for many state and county offices to provide many of the services they once provided free of cost. They are now either cutting back on the services, levying a fee, or raising it.

The good news is that you can still obtain the divorce records in the state just like before when you ask for it. However, the charges have gone up across the country.

Like most states, California also has its vital records computerized at the county level, and these are networked to its central vital records offices. The office to contact for California divorce records is the Office of Vital Records, Department of Health Services, MS: 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. Of course you can also call (916) 445-1719 or (916) 445-2684 for information of any kind.

Your request for divorce records have to be submitted by mail, and a fee of $13.00 is levied for search and identification of the county where certified copies of California divorce records can be obtained, but only for the years 1962 through June 1984. This fee is payable by a personal check or money order made out to the Office of Vital Records. It covers a 10-year period search (if necessary) for the record requested.

You can also fax your request to (800) 858-5553. For this, you have to pay an additional fee of $7.00, and this is payable by a MC, Visa, AmEx or Discover card. If this is how you will request the records, then do not forget to mention the card number and expiration date with your request.

In all copies of the request letter, you should remember to clearly state your daytime telephone number and return address where you want the document to be mailed. Do also remember that the certified copies are not available from the State Health Department. They must be obtained from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. In other words, the Sacramento office will only tell you which county to contact. This means that if you already know the relevant county, you should simply apply, along with the fee, to that county directly.

Here Is a ‘Must Do’ List If You Apply for California Divorce Records:

To obtain a certified copy of records from July 1st, 2003, the State of California requires you to complete a sworn statement which you will find included with the certificate application form. You will have to sign that statement under penalty of perjury.

If you mail your request, you must send a sworn, notarized statement. If by any chance you fail to do this, your request will be rejected and returned without being processed. As you will have already paid your $13 or $20, it’s not something you want to forget!

California does not promise anything like same-day service or anywhere close to it. So if you have any expectations of a short wait, it is better that you know this when you are submitting you request. The reason for this is a shortage of staff. In some cases, the state may even take 15 to 20 weeks to process your request.

A far better option for you may be conducting your search through the Internet. Not through the official California website, which gives you only California records, but a reliable private search website that has data compiled from the official websites of all the states. In most cases, you can use these sites to save time and hassles too. You can get the information you want and there is no notarized request to submit.