California public records: who holds what

In California, deeds are recorded by the County Recorder, birth and death certificates come from the County Recorder / Local Registrar of Births and Deaths / CDPH-Vital Records and requests for other government records fall under the California Public Records Act. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

Who holds what in California
Public records law in California
Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
Counties in California
Official copies vs look-alike sites
Official directories
Sources

Who holds what in California

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

Record	Who holds it	Copy fee
Deeds	County Recorder in each of the 58 counties (office often combined as Clerk-Recorder, Assessor-Recorder, or Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk)¹	—
Property records	County Assessor (58 counties) sets assessed value; Prop 13 base-year value on change of ownership or new construction²	—
Court records	Unified state trial court system: one Superior Court per county (58), unified as of February 2001³	Statewide civil fee schedule (eff. Jan. 1, 2026): copy $0.50/page (GC 70627(a)); certification $40 (GC 70626(a)(4)); search >10 min $15 (GC 70627(c)); comparison $1/page; exemplification $50⁴
Marriage records	Public marriages: County Recorder of the county where the license was issued; confidential marriages: County Clerk only⁵	$19 per copy (CDPH-VR, VS 113A)⁶
Divorce records	Superior Court (clerk) of the county where the divorce was granted⁷	$18 per copy (CDPH VS 113B Certificate of Record)⁷
Birth certificates	CDPH-Vital Records (statewide, since July 1905) and the County Recorder of the county of birth; local health department registrar for current and prior year⁵	$31 per certified copy at CDPH-VR (effective Jan. 1, 2026); county fees may differ⁶
Death certificates	CDPH-Vital Records (since July 1905) and County Recorder of the county of death; local health dept for current and prior year⁸	$26 per certified copy at CDPH-VR (effective Jan. 1, 2026)⁶
Probate and wills	Superior Court of the county where the estate is administered (probate division/clerk)⁹	—

Public records law in California

California Public Records Act (Gov. Code § 7920.000 et seq. (recodified; operative Jan. 1, 2023)) Read the law¹⁰

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask: Any person ('every person has a right to inspect')¹¹
Response time: 10 days to determine whether records are disclosable; extension of up to 14 days in unusual circumstances¹²
Copy fees: Direct costs of duplication, or a statutory fee if applicable; no charge to inspect¹³
If a request is refused: No administrative appeal; judicial remedies in superior court (Gov. Code §§ 7923.000-7923.500); the Attorney General generally has no enforcement role¹⁰
What is exempt: Exempt categories include personnel records, investigative records, drafts, confidential legal advice, litigation records, and records made confidential by other state/federal law; segregable non-exempt portions must be released¹⁴
Official guide: Summary of the California Public Records Act (California Attorney General's Office, August 2004) - dated; cites pre-2023 section numbers¹⁵

More on the California Public Records Act

Definition: Public records = any writing relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency¹⁶
Inspection fee: No charge for inspecting records (CPRA has no inspection-fee provision)¹⁵

How to write a public records request

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository: California Department of Justice (Bureau of Criminal Identification and Analysis); access restricted to law enforcement and authorized applicant agencies; individuals may get only their own record¹⁷
Fee: $25 DOJ processing fee (plus Live Scan rolling fee set by the site); fee waiver available¹⁷
Who may order: Only the subject of the record; third-party requests are refused¹⁷
How to request: Live Scan fingerprints using form BCIA 8016RR marked 'Record Review' (in CA); FD-258 card + BCIA 8705 from outside CA¹⁷
Public alternative: Public may inspect court case records at the superior court where the case was filed⁹

Sex offender registry

Official registry: California Megan's Law website, operated by the CA Department of Justice (Pen. Code § 290.46)¹⁸
Limits: Not all registrants are publicly disclosed¹⁹

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons: CDCR California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS): ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov; CDCR Identification Unit (916) 445-6713²⁰
State disclaimer: CIRIS is informational, not an official record²⁰

Voter records

Public or restricted: Restricted: voter registration information is confidential and not routinely available to the public; available only for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes and to candidates/ballot committees²¹
Eligible requesters: Candidates; ballot-measure committees; any person for election, scholarly, journalistic, or political purposes; governmental purposes²²
How to request: Apply to the Secretary of State (statewide file or up to 10 specific voters) or to the county elections official (county file)²²
Fee: SOS statewide file: $100 application fee; specific voter records: $30 per record up to $100 (max 10 records); county fees vary²²
Fee specific: 30²²

More about voter records

Commercial use: Personal, private or commercial use prohibited²¹

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA): Fictitious business name (DBA) statements are filed with the County Clerk of the county of the principal place of business (within 40 days of starting business)²³
Companies and LLCs: Corporations, LLCs, LPs, etc.: Secretary of State Business Entities; online at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov²⁴

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings: Secretary of State is central UCC filing office; also files judgment liens, attachment liens, federal tax liens and state tax liens²⁵
Online search: UCC Connect (uccconnect.sos.ca.gov): standard debtor-name search $5.00; non-standard (wild card) search no fee; image view $1.00 per document²⁶

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal: California State Geoportal, gis.data.ca.gov (state-entity data)²⁷

Historical and genealogy records

State archives: California State Archives (Secretary of State), Sacramento; research room Mon-Fri 9:30-4:00; limited mail/email reference (2-4 weeks); catalog: Minerva²⁸
Remote research: Reference staff do limited research only²⁸
Vital history: State birth and death files begin July 1905; county recorders hold birth and death records for all years of events in their county²⁹

Counties in California

40 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 58 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.³⁰

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any California office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 32 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Gov. Code § 27201 (recorder accepts instruments for recordation)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Assessment AppealsCalifornia State Board of Equalization
Superior CourtsJudicial Council of California
Superior Court of California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026)Judicial Council of California
County Registrar and Recorder DirectoryCalifornia Department of Public Health - Vital Records
Vital Records FeesCalifornia Department of Public Health - Vital Records
Obtaining Copies of Divorce RecordsCalifornia Department of Public Health - Vital Records
Obtaining Certified Copies of Death CertificatesCalifornia Department of Public Health - Vital Records
Public RecordsJudicial Council of California
Frequently Asked Questions - Public RecordsCalifornia Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
Gov. Code § 7922.525 (right to inspect)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Gov. Code § 7922.535 (10-day determination)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Gov. Code § 7922.530 (copies; fees)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Public Records (DOJ)California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
Summary of the California Public Records Act 2004California Attorney General's Office
Gov. Code § 7920.530 (definition of public records)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Criminal Records - Request Your OwnCalifornia Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
Penal Code § 290.46 (Megan's Law website)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
California Megan's Law Website - DisclaimerCalifornia Department of Justice
California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS)California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Elections Code § 2194 (voter registration information confidentiality)California Legislature (Legislative Counsel)
Voter Registration Information File RequestCalifornia Secretary of State
Business Entities FAQsCalifornia Secretary of State
Business EntitiesCalifornia Secretary of State
Uniform Commercial CodeCalifornia Secretary of State
UCC Forms & FeesCalifornia Secretary of State
California State Geoportal FAQsState of California (gis.data.ca.gov)
California State ArchivesCalifornia Secretary of State - State Archives
Obtaining Certified Copies of Birth CertificatesCalifornia Department of Public Health - Vital Records
Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
County Elections OfficesCalifornia Secretary of State
Listing of County Assessors, Auditors and Auditor-Controllers, Clerks of the Board, and Tax CollectorsCalifornia State Board of Equalization