California - How to obtain a Birth Certificate

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Procedure

California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

CDPH Vital Records only accepts orders submitted by mail. Complete and send the application form along with a Notarized sworn statement (if applicable) and check or money order for the certified copy fee to:

California Department of Public Health

Vital Records - MS 5103

P.O. Box 997410

Sacramento, CA 95899-7410

If using a courier service that requires a physical address for delivery, please use the following address:

California Department of Public Health

Vital Records - MS 5103

1501 Capitol Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95814

Notes:

• Fill out a separate application for each record requested.
• Make sure that you have completed all items required on the application, and provide as much information as possible to help locate the record, otherwise your request may be returned to you for correction.
• Fees are payable to CDPH Vital Records via check or money order. International money orders for out-ofcountry requests should be payable in U.S. dollars. Fees are also nonrefundable per state law.
• If the CDPH cannot locate the record based on the information you provided, California Health and Safety Code authorizes CDPH to maintain the fee for the search itself, and a Certificate of No Public Record (CNPR) will be issued.
• You must have your sworn statement notarized if ordering an authorized copy. Having your sworn statement notarized is not necessary if you are ordering an informational copy. However, unless an informational copy is indicated on the application form, applications received without a notarized sworn statement will be returned to the sender.
• A certified copy fee must accompany all requests for copies of vital records.

Applying Online - VitalCheck

Go online and simply follow the steps to place an order. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted.

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Required Documents

• Completed Application Form
• Notarized sworn statement (if applicable).

Office Locations & Contacts

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Vital Records does not currently have a public counter. However, you may contact them by mail:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410

Customer Service:
Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:00am to 4:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time)
Phone: (916) 445-2684
Email: [email protected]

County Recorder Offices
CDPH Website

Certificates may also be obtained from your local county office. Use the contact information below to inquire.

Alameda County : 1106 Madison St; Rm 101 Oakland, CA 94607
Phone: 510-272-6362

Alpine County : 99 Water St PO Box 158 Markleeville, CA 96120
Phone: 530-694-2287

Amador County : 500 Argonaut Lane Jackson, CA 95642
Phone: 209-223-6468

Butte County : 25 County Center Dr; Oroville, CA 95965
Phone: 530-538-7691

Calaveras County : 891 Mountain Ranch Rd; San Andreas, CA 95249
Phone: 209-754-6376

Colusa County : 546 Jay St; Colusa, CA 95932-2443
Phone: 530-458-0500

Contra Costa County : 730 Las Juntas St; PO Box 350; Martinez, CA 94553
Phone: 925-646-2360

Del Norte County : 981 H St; Crescent City, CA 95531
Phone: 707-464-7204

El Dorado County : 360 Fair Ln; Placerville, CA 95667
Phone: 530-621-5490

Fresno County : 2221 Kern St. Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-488-3003

Glenn County : 526 W Sycamore St PO Box 391 Willows, CA 95988
Phone: 530-934-6419

Humboldt County : 825 5th St; Eureka, CA 95501
Phone: 707-476-2384

Imperial County : 940 W Main St; El Centro, CA 92243
Phone: 760-482-4220

Inyo County : 168 N Edwards St PO Box F Independence, CA 93526
Phone: 760-878-0218

Kern County : 1655 Chester Ave Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: 661-868-6440

Kings County : 1400 W Lacey Blvd Hanford, CA 93230
Phone: 559-582-3211

Lake County : 255 N Forbes St; Lakeport, CA 95453
Phone: 707-263-2368

Lassen County : 2610 Riverside Drive Susanville, CA 96130
Phone: 530-251-8216

Los Angeles County : 12400 E Imperial Hwy PO Box 1024 Norwalk, CA 90650
Phone: 562-462-2137

Madera County : 209 W Yosemite Ave. Madera, CA 93637
Phone: 559-675-7700

Marin County : 3501 Civic Center Dr San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: 415-499-6094

Mariposa County : 5100 Bullion St PO Box 35 Maripose, CA 95338
Phone: 209-966-5719

Mendocino County : 501 Lo

Eligibility

Authorized Copy

Individuals who can obtain an authorized copy of a birth certificate as stated by California law:

• The registrant (person listed on the certificate) or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant. A child, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister, spouse, or domestic partner 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 California 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. (Companies representing a government agency must provide authorization from the government agency.)
• 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. (If you are requesting a Certified Copy under a power of attorney, please include a copy of the power of attorney with the application form.)
• Any agent or employee of a funeral establishment who acts within the course and scope of his or her employment and who orders certified copies of a death certificate on behalf of an individual specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 7100 of the Health and Safety Code.

Informational Copy

If you cannot obtain an authorized copy under California law, you may request for an informational copy instead. An informational copy contains the same information as an authorized copy, but will have a legend across the face with the statement "Informational, not a valid document to establish identity."

Note: Authorized and informational copies are both certified copies.

Fees

For requests submitted to CDPH: $25.00 fee per copy requested

• Fees are payable to CDPH Vital Records via check or money order. Checks must be drawn on a United States bank. Money orders must be drawn on a United States bank or issued by the United States Postal Service. International money orders for out-of country requests should be payable in U.S. dollars. Fees are also nonrefundable per state law.
• Do not send cash by mail. CDPH cannot be held responsible for fees paid that are lost, misdirected, or undelivered.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Application For Certified Copy of Birth Record

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

The amount of time needed to process your request may occasionally increase as volume of applications being processed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) increases. The County Recorder Offices can sometimes process requests faster than the CDPH.

Following are processing time for birth record amendments and issuance of a certified copy of the amended record (if you paid for a copy):

• Birth Record From 1969 to Present: 4 Weeks*
• Birth Record From 1905 to 1968: 7 Weeks

Note: * Requests for more recent birth records have shorter processing times, as the records have been imaged for quicker retrieval.

Instructions

You may obtain your certificate either from the CDPH (only accepts orders submitted by mail) or from your local County Recorder Office (in person or by mail).

Before birth certificates are registered in CDPH's state database and are made available for processing copies, they are first registered in the county where the birth took place. This process is administered through the local county health department (registration) and local county recorders office (where the record is maintained).

Because of the time it takes the county offices to send the records to CDPH and to get them registered in CDPH's system, CDPH encourages individuals requesting certified copies of birth certificates to send their applications to the county recorders office, if they need to obtain a copy of the certificate within the first three months after the date of event.

Applicants must be aware that, in case you choose to send your request to CDPH within the first three months after the date of event, and the Department do not have the record in their system yet, they will issue you a Certificate of No Public Record (CNPR) and retain the fee for the search, as stated in California law.

Required Information

• Full name of the person on the birth certificate (please provide your maiden name or your name at birth)
• Date of birth
• Fathers full name
• Mothers full name, to include her maiden name
• County or city of Birth
• Requesters relationship to the person named on the certificate
• Requesters reason for requesting the certificate

Need for the Document

If you want to obtain your birth certificate or if you would like to have an additional copy of your birth certificate you can obtain one with following the procedure given below.