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Orange County, California public records

In Orange County, deeds are recorded by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department; property values come from the Orange County Assessor Department; court files are kept by the Superior Court of California, County of Orange.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Where to get each record
  2. Deeds and land records
  3. Property values, owners and tax bills
  4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
  5. Marriage records
  6. Divorce records
  7. Birth certificates
  8. Death certificates
  9. Probate records and wills
  10. Business names (DBA)
  11. Voter records
  12. Historical records
  13. Good to know about Orange County records
  14. Office addresses, phones and hours
  15. Records that are not online: public records requests
  16. Questions people ask
  17. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  18. Sources

Where to get each record

RecordOfficeSearch onlineFee
Deeds and land recordsOrange County Clerk-Recorder Department4Search deeds2$1.00 per page3
Property values and ownersOrange County Assessor Department5Property search6—
Property tax billsOC Treasurer-Tax Collector4Tax bill search7—
Court casesSuperior Court of California, County of Orange8Superior Court of California, County of Orange9Copies $0.50 per page (GC 70627(a)); certification $40 (GC 70626(a)(4)); search longer than 10 minutes $15 (GC 70627(c)); exemplification $5010
Marriage recordsOrange County Clerk-Recorder Department11—Certified copy fee: $19.00 certified copy of marriage certificate3
Divorce recordsSuperior Court (not the Clerk-Recorder)8——
Birth certificatesOrange County Clerk-Recorder Department4—$34.003
Death certificatesOrange County Clerk-Recorder Department4—$26.003
Probate and willsSuperior Court Probate; online Probate Case Access https://probatepublic.occourts.org/9——
Business names (DBA)Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department11Search business names12FBN statement $23; search $7 per name; certified copy $23

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Orange County are recorded by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department.4

Copy fee
$1.00 per page3
Certified copy fee
$1.00 per page plus $1.00 certification per document2
How to order
By mail with self-addressed stamped envelope, check payable to County of Orange, to Orange County Clerk-Recorder, 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701; document number needed (book/page before 1982, instrument number 1982 on). Staff do not search by phone, in person or mail.2

How deeds work in California

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Orange County Assessor Department sets property values5; the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector bills and collects the tax4.

Property search
assessedvalue.ocassessor.gov (Secured Property Value Information; no owner-name search)6
Parcel map (GIS)
Assessor Parcel Maps via ParcelQuest link on Property Information and Parcel Maps page13
Appealing a value
File an assessment appeal application with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors; annual filing period July 2 - November 30 (2026: July 2 to Monday, November 30, 2026); online e-form assessmentappeals.ocgov.com14

How property tax works in California

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

CourtCasesRecords kept byCase search
Superior Court of California, County of OrangeAll trial cases: felony, misdemeanor, traffic, civil, small claims, family law, probate, juvenileSuperior Court of California, County of Orange (Clerk of the Court)occourts.org/online-services/case-access Civil; Criminal & Traffic; Family; Probate; Small Claims; Case Name Search9
Fees
Copies $0.50 per page (GC 70627(a)); certification $40 (GC 70626(a)(4)); search longer than 10 minutes $15 (GC 70627(c)); exemplification $5010

Criminal records and background checks

Summary
Superior Court Criminal Operations; online search by case number, person or business name; record search by mail with Form L-3009; prior-year indexes only at the justice center15

How California courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names, notary and professional registrations).11

Certified copy fee
$19.00 certified copy of marriage certificate3
Marriage license fee
Public license $61; confidential license $6611
Confidential
Confidential marriage records available only to the couple except by court order11
How to order
In person (online application first) at Santa Ana, Anaheim or Laguna Hills offices, or by mail with notarized application to P.O. Box 238, Santa Ana, CA 927028

California marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Superior Court (not the Clerk-Recorder); dissolution case documents viewable 1997 to date; certified copy of dissolution record $15 (GC 70674)8

California divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Kept by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department.4

Fee
$34.003
Who may order
Authorized individuals get certified copies; others get an Informational certified copy8
How to order
In person (same day) at Santa Ana, Anaheim, Laguna Hills; by mail 5-10 business days8

Ordering a California birth certificate

Death certificates

Kept by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department.4

Fee
$26.003
How to order
Same as birth records8

Ordering a California death certificate

Probate records and wills

Superior Court Probate; online Probate Case Access probatepublic.occourts.org9

Finding a will or probate case in California

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names, notary and professional registrations).11

Fees
FBN statement $23; search $7 per name; certified copy $23

Voter records

Kept by: Orange County Registrar of Voters (ocvote.gov)16

Historical records

Orange County Archives (Clerk-Recorder): historic property documents, vital records, county government records17

Good to know about Orange County records

  • Combined Clerk-Recorder Department holds deeds, birth/death/marriage records, marriage licenses, FBNs and the county archives.17
  • Superior Court records date back to 1898.18
  • Some historical family-law case records date back to 1889.19
  • Recorded documents before 1982 are identified by book and page; from 1982 by year plus six-digit instrument number.2
  • Archives hold the federal court record of the county's 1994 bankruptcy and the Knott's Berry Farm Collection.17
  • Clerk-Recorder staff will not search records over the phone, in person, or by mail; use the online index.2

Office addresses, phones and hours

Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department

Address
County Administration South, 601 N. Ross St., Santa Ana, CA 92701 (also branch offices in Anaheim and Laguna Hills; Marriage Services and OC Archives at Old Orange County Courthouse, 211 West Santa Ana Blvd.)20
Mail
Orange County Clerk-Recorder, P.O. BOX 238, Santa Ana, CA 92702 (vital records mail requests); 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (official record copy requests)8
Hours
Santa Ana: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday; branches 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.20

Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department (County Clerk functions: marriage licenses, fictitious business names, notary and professional registrations)

Address
Old Orange County Courthouse, 211 West Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92701 (Marriage Services and OC Archives)20
Hours
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday20

Orange County Assessor Department

Address
500 S. Main Street, 2nd Floor, Orange, CA 92868 (main office); satellite office Mission Viejo City Hall, 200 Civic Center, Mission Viejo, CA 9269121
Mail
Orange County Assessor, 500 S. Main Street, Suite 103, Orange, CA 92868, Attn: Quality Assurance (public records requests)22
Hours
Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM21

OC Treasurer-Tax Collector

Address
601 North Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 9270123
Mail
County of Orange, Attn: Treasurer-Tax Collector, P.O. Box 1438, Santa Ana, CA 92702-143823
Hours
M-F, 8am-5pm23

Superior Court of California, County of Orange (Clerk of the Court)

Address
Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (felony, misdemeanor, traffic, civil, small claims, mental health); other justice centers listed on the court's Locations page24
Mail
Criminal/Traffic/Minor Offenses: P.O. Box 1138, Santa Ana, CA 92702-113824
Phone
(657) 622-6878 (Superior Court main information line); Criminal and Traffic (657) 622-845925
Hours
Criminal - Felony: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Central Justice Center)24

Orange County Registrar of Voters

Address
1300 South Grand Avenue, Bldg. C, Santa Ana, CA 9270516
Mail
P.O. Box 11298, Santa Ana, CA 9271116
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.16

Orange County Archives (Clerk-Recorder Department)

Address
Old Orange County Courthouse, 211 West Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 9270120
Hours
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday; Archives closes for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.20

Records that are not online: public records requests

Where to send it
Request page: ocgov.com/…26
Fees
No cost electronically; 15 cents per page for printed records26

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Orange County?

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department keeps deed records. To order copies: By mail with self-addressed stamped envelope, check payable to County of Orange, to Orange County Clerk-Recorder, 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701; document number needed (book/page before 1982, instrument number 1982 on). Staff do not search by phone, in person or mail. Plain copies: $1.00 per page. Certified copies: $1.00 per page plus $1.00 certification per document.423

How much is a birth certificate in Orange County?

$34.00.3

Where do I get a divorce decree in Orange County?

Superior Court (not the Clerk-Recorder); dissolution case documents viewable 1997 to date; certified copy of dissolution record $15 (GC 70674).8

How much does a marriage license cost in Orange County?

Public license $61; confidential license $66.11

How do I look up who owns a property in Orange County?

Use the property search of the Orange County Assessor Department: assessedvalue.ocassessor.gov6

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 Orange County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in California with a full guide: Alameda County, Butte County, Contra Costa County, El Dorado County, Fresno County, Humboldt County, Imperial County, Kern County, Kings County, Lake County, Los Angeles County, Madera County, Marin County, Mendocino County, Merced County, Monterey County, Napa County, Nevada County, Placer County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, San Francisco County, San Joaquin County, San Luis Obispo County, San Mateo County, Santa Barbara County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, Shasta County, Solano County, Sonoma County, Stanislaus County, Sutter County, Tulare County, Ventura County, Yolo County, Yuba County. Every county in the state: California county list. Looking for another Orange County? Orange County, Florida; Orange County, North Carolina; Orange County, New York; Orange County, Texas.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 27 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  2. Obtaining Official Record Copies | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  3. PDFOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  4. Orange County | Orange CountyCounty of Orange
  5. Home | Orange County Assessor DepartmentOrange County Assessor Department
  6. Secured Property Value Information | Orange County Assessor DepartmentOrange County Assessor Department
  7. Public Record Requests | OC Treasurer-Tax CollectorOC Treasurer-Tax Collector
  8. Vital Records | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  9. Case Access | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  10. PDFSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  11. Marriage Services | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  12. Fictitious Business Name Search | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  13. Property Information and Parcel Maps | Orange County Assessor DepartmentOrange County Assessor Department
  14. Appeal Your Property Value | OC Clerk of the BoardOC Clerk of the Board
  15. Copy and Record Search Requests - Criminal | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  16. County Elections Offices :: California Secretary of StateCalifornia Secretary of State
  17. Orange County Archives | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  18. Records | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  19. Family Law Records | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  20. Hours & Locations | OC Clerk Recorder DepartmentOC Clerk-Recorder Department
  21. Contact Us | Orange County Assessor DepartmentOrange County Assessor Department
  22. ASSESSOR PUBLIC RECORDS | Orange County Assessor DepartmentOrange County Assessor Department
  23. Contact/Mailing Information | OC Treasurer-Tax CollectorOC Treasurer-Tax Collector
  24. Central Justice Center | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  25. Court Telephone Numbers | Superior Court of California | County of OrangeSuperior Court of California, County of Orange
  26. Request for Public Records | Orange CountyCounty of Orange
  27. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau