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Oregon public records: who holds what

In Oregon, deeds are recorded by the County Clerk in most places; birth and death certificates come from the Oregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics; and requests for other government records fall under the Oregon Public Records Law. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Oregon
  2. Public records law in Oregon
  3. Death certificates in Oregon
  4. How Oregon organizes its records
  5. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  6. Counties in Oregon
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in Oregon

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.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty clerk of the county where the property is located (in Multnomah County the clerk's recording function is the Recording office within the Division of Assessment, Recording and Taxation).1Statutory maximum for copies of county clerk records: not more than $3.75 to locate a record plus 25 cents per page (including electronically delivered images).1
Property recordsCounty assessor appraises/assesses all taxable property each year and keeps the assessment roll.2—
Court recordsUnified state court system run by the Oregon Judicial Department: circuit courts in every county (36 counties), plus Tax Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Some small counties share a circuit court website (e.g., Curry with Coos, Harney with Grant).3Location and inspection of court records: $0. Paper copies: $3 per request in a case + 25 cents per page; electronic copies $3 per request (+ media); certified copy $5 + 25 cents/page if paper; audio recording copy $10 per request (Circuit Court Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026).4
Marriage recordsCounty clerk of the issuing county (license records) and the Oregon Center for Health Statistics (state vital records; certified copies).5OHA: $25 search fee and first certificate, $25 each additional (mail, drop box); online via VitalChek $47.50 total for first copy ($25 + $7 expedite + $15.50 VitalChek); phone $49.20; in person $28 ($25 + $3 identity authentication). Unknown date: $25 covers a 5-year search, +$1 per extra year.6
Divorce recordsDivorce (dissolution) case files and judgments: the circuit court of the county where filed. Certified dissolution certificates: Oregon Center for Health Statistics (court clerks report each dissolution to CHS).5OHA certificate: $25 search and first copy, $25 each additional (online VitalChek total $47.50; phone $49.20). Court copies: $3 per request + 25 cents/page; certified $5 + 25 cents/page.6
Birth certificatesOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics (state vital records office, Portland). Most county vital records offices (county health department or county clerk) issue birth certificates only for about six months after the event.7$25 computer-issued (short form) or $30 full-image (long form) birth certificate from OHA; $25 each additional; VitalChek online total $47.50 for first computer-issued copy (+$5 full image), phone $49.20; in-person $28.8
Death certificatesOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics (records from 1903); county vital records offices for about six months after the death.9$25 per certificate (short or long form); $25 each additional; VitalChek online $47.50 total for the first; phone $49.20; in person $28. Unknown date: $25 covers 5 years, +$1 per extra year.9
Probate and willsCircuit court of the county (probate department), except in Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler Counties, where the county court has probate jurisdiction.10Certified copies of letters testamentary/administration: $5 + 25 cents per page if paper (circuit court fee schedule 2026).4

Public records law in Oregon

Oregon Public Records Law (ORS 192.311 to 192.478 (ORS chapter 192)) Read the law11

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
Every person (no residency requirement in the statute). Parties to civil litigation with a public body must copy the request to the public body's attorney.11
Response time
Public body must acknowledge receipt or complete the response within 5 business days of a written request; then, as soon as reasonably possible but not later than 10 business days after the acknowledgment deadline, it must complete the response or give a written statement with a reasonable estimated completion date (ORS 192.324(2), 192.329(5)).11
Copy fees
Fees reasonably calculated to reimburse actual cost (may include attorney review/redaction time but not time deciding exemptions); written estimate required before charging more than $25; fee waiver/reduction possible in the public interest. County-clerk record copies follow ORS 205.320 instead.11
If a request is refused
Denials by state agencies: petition the Attorney General (order within 7 days), then circuit court. Denials by local public bodies: petition the district attorney of the county; suit in that county's circuit court. Denials by elected officials have a separate procedure (ORS 192.427).11
What is exempt
Conditional exemptions in ORS 192.345 and unconditional exemptions in ORS 192.355 plus exemptions in other statutes; exempt and nonexempt material must be separated (ORS 192.338). Most public records more than 25 years old become open regardless (ORS 192.390), except medical, sealed, custody/supervision and student records covered by ORS 192.398 (those stay exempt for 75 years). The AG maintains a catalog of exemptions (ORS 192.340).11
Official guide
Attorney General's Public Records and Meetings Manual (2024 edition per DOJ link text); DOJ also publishes a searchable Public Records Exemptions catalog.12

How to write a public records request

Death certificates in Oregon

Who holds it
Oregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics (records from 1903); county vital records offices for about six months after the death.9
Who may order
Restricted for 50 years: spouse/registered partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, next of kin, legal guardian immediately before death, legal or authorized representative, person in charge of disposition, government agency, funeral home named on the record, or anyone showing the copy is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right.5
Fee
$25 per certificate (short or long form); $25 each additional; VitalChek online $47.50 total for the first; phone $49.20; in person $28. Unknown date: $25 covers 5 years, +$1 per extra year.9

How this works in other states: death certificates by state.

How Oregon organizes its records

  • Probate in six counties is handled by the county court, not the circuit court: Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler10
  • County clerk (not a recorder/register of deeds) records deeds, issues marriage licenses and keeps the voter roll; the clerk is separate from the state-run circuit court1
  • Multnomah County: clerk functions (recording, marriage licenses) sit in the Division of Assessment, Recording and Taxation (DART)13
  • Circuit courts are state courts (Oregon Judicial Department), with statewide online search and fee schedule; some small counties share a court website (Curry with Coos, Harney with Grant)14
  • County vital records offices issue birth and death certificates only for about six months after the event; afterwards only the state Center for Health Statistics8
  • Assumed business names are registered statewide with the Secretary of State, not county clerks15

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Oregon State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division — central repository.16
Who may order
Anyone may request another person's Oregon record by name (Open Records); released after a 14-day notice to the subject; covers convictions and arrests under one year old without acquittal/dismissal. Own record: fingerprint-based request.16
Fee
$33 for another person's record (Open Records); $33 for copy of own record (fingerprints required); OSP fingerprinting at Salem HQ $30; notary $5.16
How to request
Open Records Portal (openrecords.osp.oregon.gov/orportal/login) or mailed form with fee to OSP CJIS, Unit 11, PO Box 4395, Portland OR 97208-4395; responses mailed only.16

Sex offender registry

Official registry
Oregon State Police Sex Offender Registry; public online search at sexoffenders.osp.oregon.gov (level 3 offenders are posted on the OSP website by statute).17

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Oregon Department of Corrections 'Adult in Custody Lookup' at docpub.state.or.us/OOS/intro.jsf; DOC public records via its Public Records Center (GovQA).18
County jails
County jails (local correctional facilities) are in the custody and control of the county sheriff; no official statewide jail roster found.19

Voter records

Access
Voter lists are available to any person: statewide or partial lists electronically from the Secretary of State Elections Division; hard-copy lists from county elections officials. Commercial use prohibited.20
Fee
Statewide list $500; partial list $25 setup + 2.5 cents per 100 records.20
County office
County clerk / county elections office registers voters and mails ballots.21

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
Assumed business names (DBAs) are registered with the Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division (not with counties).15
Search
Oregon Business Registry name search (egov.sos.state.or.us/…), linked from the SOS Find a Business page.22
Copies
Copies and certificates ordered from the SOS by form (mail, fax, in person); Certificates of Existence online.23

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
UCC financing statements are filed with and searched at the Oregon Secretary of State (UCC Record Search: secure.sos.state.or.us/…).24
Liens at the county
County clerk records liens and other interests affecting real property (ORS 205.130). Example: Multnomah County's Recorder's Office records liens; ORS 205.127 makes the County Clerk Lien Record the place to record CERCLA liens.25

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
ORMAP (ormap.net), the statewide tax-lot map site, is linked from the Oregon Department of Revenue Property Tax page.26

Historical and genealogy records

Archives
Oregon State Archives (Secretary of State, Archives Division), Cecil L. Edwards Archives Building, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem; reading room by appointment; order copies online; Oregon Historical Records Index and Early Oregonians Database; Historical County Records Guide for all 36 counties.27
Vital records public
Vital records become historic (open) after 100 years for births and 50 years for deaths, marriages and divorces (for events after 1914/1964) and are to be transferred to the State Archives; Archives sells uncertified copies of some.5

Counties in Oregon

14 counties with a full guide

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

All 36 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.28

Warnings from official sources

  • Third-party vendors charging high fees for birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates (Oregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics)6
  • Deed fraud (forged deeds) and free recording-alert service (Multnomah County Division of Assessment, Recording and Taxation)29

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 Oregon 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 31 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. ORS Chapter 205 County ClerksOregon State Legislature
  2. ORS Chapter 308 Assessment of Property for TaxationOregon State Legislature
  3. OJCIN OnLineOregon Judicial Department
  4. Circuit Court Fee Schedule (Public Version) effective January 1, 2026Oregon Judicial Department
  5. ORS Chapter 432 Vital StatisticsOregon State Legislature
  6. Vital Records FeesOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics
  7. Oregon Vital Records and CertificatesOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics
  8. Order a Birth CertificateOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics
  9. Order a Death CertificateOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics
  10. ORS Chapter 111 Probate Law: JurisdictionOregon State Legislature
  11. ORS Chapter 192 Records; Public Reports and MeetingsOregon State Legislature
  12. Public Records and Meetings LawOregon Department of Justice
  13. Get a Marriage LicenseMultnomah County
  14. Find a Case or Court RecordOregon Judicial Department
  15. ORS Chapter 648 Assumed Business NamesOregon State Legislature
  16. Criminal History Record Checks – Public AccessOregon State Police
  17. Sex Offender Registry welcome pageOregon State Police
  18. Research and Information RequestsOregon Department of Corrections
  19. ORS Chapter 169 Local and Regional Correctional FacilitiesOregon State Legislature
  20. Get Voter ListOregon Secretary of State, Elections Division
  21. County Elections OfficialsOregon Secretary of State, Elections Division
  22. Find a BusinessOregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
  23. Ordering Certificates & CopiesOregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
  24. UCC HomeOregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
  25. Recording DocumentsMultnomah County
  26. Property TaxOregon Department of Revenue
  27. State ArchivesOregon Secretary of State, Archives Division
  28. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  29. Multnomah County and Deed FraudMultnomah County
  30. Links to county assessor officesOregon Department of Revenue
  31. County Vital Records OfficesOregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics