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California Death Records
Requesting death cerificates and other genealogy certificates from the State can take a long time,
often 15 weeks or more.
Need your certificate quickly?
Because of the large volume of requests that are processed at the
state level, most of the county offices can provide a faster processing time than the State office
(often within one week). Also, many of the county offices will accept requests
(using a credit card) by phone, fax, or on-line.
If you know the county of occurrence for the Death Certificates then
contact the County Recorder's Office in the county where the death took place. If you do not know
the address or contact number of the county office then
Click here for California County Offices Addresses and Phone Numbers .
New Law Effective July 1, 2003
In an attempt to stop the illegal use of birth and death certificates, and as part of the
effort to reduce identity theft, there has been a change in law and the way that certified
copies of birth and death certificates are obtained.
Effective July 1, 2003, there are two types of certified copies of birth and death records.
- The first type is a regular certified copy identical to those issued prior to July 1, 2003.
These will be issued only to authorized individuals as defined by California Health and Safety
Code Section 103526.
- The second type is also a regular certified copy; however, it will have a
legend across the face with the statement "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY."
Both of these documents are certified copies of the original document on file with our office.
With the exception of the "legend," they are exactly the same and contain exactly the same information.
The new law describes an authorized person as:
- The registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant.
- A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a
licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements
of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code.
- A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency,
as provided by law, who is conducting official business.
- A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.
- An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency
empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's
estate.
State Records Office:
Office of Vital Records
304 'S' Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-1719 or
(916) 445-2684
Fax: (800) 858-5553
California Death Records
Interesting Links to California Death Records:
Don't know the County? But know the town? Search for County Name
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