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California Birth Records

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Are Birth Records Public in California?

Yes, birth records are open to the public in California under the Health & Safety Code. This includes indexes to birth records and certificates. However, the state restricts access to authorized copies of birth certificates.

Per state law, only persons listed in Section 103526 (c) of the Health & Safety Code can obtain authorized copies of California birth certificates from the vital statistics offices. Others without authorized access can only receive informational copies (otherwise known as the "public birth records"). These copies are also certified like the authorized and carry the same information (though certain information may be redacted). However, informational certified copies cannot be used to establish identity or for other official purposes.

What are Birth Records in California?

California birth records are official documents containing information regarding births that occur in California. Birth records are vital records, and most of them are available to the public. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all births should be registered regardless of if a child is alive or dead at the time of delivery. A birth record contains different information on the child and parents and may either be used for administrative, legal, or statistical purposes. In California, the information that may be entered into birth records include:

  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Name of child (in full)
  • Sex of child
  • Type of birth
  • Date and place of registration and birth registration number
  • Parents’ names
  • Mother's marital status

The State of California had no law requiring the registration of births until 1915. Birth registration is a strong pillar of public health, and keeping records of live births influences health policies and helps in the allocation of resources. Californians need their certified birth records to obtain social security cards, driver licenses, and passports.

Where to Find Public Birth Records in California

Individuals requiring California public birth records for unofficial purposes (e.g., ancestry) can find those records at the office of a local registrar of vital statistics or the California Department of Public Health's Vital Records Office. These departments are responsible for preserving records of vital events (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) in California. They also process requests for copies of California public birth records.

Note: that requests submitted locally must be to the registrar or county clerk/recorder's office in the county or city where a birth occurred.

How to Find and Request Birth Records Online in California

Individuals cannot obtain birth records online in California directly from the California Department of Public Health. The Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR) does not accept online orders for birth records or provide a means of looking up birth records on its official website. However, some third-party online vendors take and process orders of birth records on the internet. The CDPH-VR's official website has further information on this. Individuals who intend to request birth records online must be willing to pay the processing fees and shipping costs, which may vary.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

  • The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
  • The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

How to Get Birth Records in California

Interested individuals may obtain birth records in California in person or order via mail from different repositories. The California Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR), the state bureau of vital statistics, keeps a record of every birth that has taken place in the state since July 1905. Additionally, other institutions, such as county offices and health departments, maintain records of births that occur in their jurisdictions. These agencies also make public birth records available to the public upon request, although at a fee. Requesters may visit County Recorder Offices to get records of births that occurred before July 1905. In California, birth records are available at the county health departments for two years after the vital events.

In-Person Birth Record Request in California

To obtain copies of birth records in person in California, interested individuals should call the Offices of the Registrars or Recorders in the counties where the births recorded occurred before visiting them. The CDPH provides Registrars and Recorders contact information in all California counties and cities. The County Registrars’ offices maintain records of births for two years from the day they occurred and make them available upon request. To obtain copies of California birth records in person, interested parties may visit the office of the state's Department of Public Health at:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records - MS 5103
1501 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95814

In-Mail Birth Record Request in California

To obtain California birth records via mail, interested individuals should forward their completed Application for Certified Copy of Birth Record Forms to the California Department of Public Health. They may also ask for county-specific California birth certificate application forms, if available,and send requests by mail to the County Recorders and Registrars Offices. Requesters must enclose copies of their valid government-issued IDs and proof of payment in their mail applications.

Where Can I Find Birth Records in California?

The California Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR) is home to records of births that occur within the boundaries of the state. County Recorder Offices also keep records of births that occur in their counties and process record requests quicker than the CDPH-VR. Interested persons may obtain California birth records from the CDPH-VR and the County Offices at the following addresses:

Make in-person requests at the County Recorder Offices or the CDPH office at:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records - MS 5103
1501 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95814

Send mail applications to the County Recorder Offices or the CDPH office at:

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

Individuals can also query the California Superior Court for adopted children's original birth certificates by filing petitions with the clerk's office under the California Health & Safety Code 102705. They may file such petitions with Superior Courts in the counties where the adoptions were concluded or where the requesters reside. The courts have the sole discretion regarding the disclosure of such birth records. Therefore, requesting parties must strive to prove reasonable grounds for granting such orders. Once requesters receive orders from the Superior Courts to obtain adoptees' birth records, they can submit them to the address of the California Department of Public Health listed above.

How to Get Birth Records From a Hospital in California

Births of children born in California hospitals are automatically registered with the California Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR). Therefore, birth records are not available from hospitals. The CDPH-VR advises against sending checks or money to a hospital or any hospital employee to obtain copies of California birth records.

How Long Do Hospitals Keep Birth Records in California?

There is no specified retention period for California birth records. However, it is common practice for hospitals to hold birth records for up to 20 years.

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Birth Certificate in California?

Under California law, only certain persons can obtain authorized certified copies of California birth certificates. Individuals who are not eligible to receive authorized copies of birth records may, however, order informational copies of such records. Informational copies of birth records typically contain the same information as certified ones, but certain items may be removed from the former and cannot be used to obtain identification. The phrase, "Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity" is always engraved on the informational copies of California birth records.

According to California law, persons who can request and obtain authorized certified copies of birth records include:

  • The person listed on the record (registrant), or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant
  • A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business. Any company representing a government agency must provide authorization from such an agency
  • 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 a bid to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the California Family Code. Anyone requesting a certified copy under a power of attorney must attach a copy of power of attorney to their California birth certificate application
  • A child, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant
  • Any employee or agent of a funeral establishment who acts within the course and scope of their 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 & Safety Code

For in-person requests of authorized certified copies of birth records, eligible individuals must include sworn statements under penalty of perjury in their applications. A requester’s valid government-issued ID is required for a request made in person. If the California birth certificate application is forwarded by mail, the requesting individual must be able to prove that they are authorized to obtain such records. Hence, they must equally enclose in their requests a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury.

The social and medical information on California birth records are confidential, and access to them is limited to specific persons. Such information is primarily for research and health purposes. Individuals who are eligible to obtain confidential California birth records include:

  • The person named on the birth certificate (record owner)
  • Persons who have asked to adopt the record owner whose name is on the certificate of live birth
  • The parent who endorsed the birth certificate
  • The mother of the person named on the certificate, if no parent signed

How Much Does a Birth Certificate Cost in California?

The cost of ordering certified copies of a birth certificate in California is $25. The fee is payable to the California Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR) if requested from the statewide depository. Record fees for applications made to County Recorder Offices are payable by means provided by the counties. However, the state bureau of vital statistics advises persons interested in obtaining California birth records to never send cash by mail. The recommended means of payment are check and money order. Requesters may also pay with money orders issued by the United States Postal Services. Requests sent without the appropriate fee will be rejected and returned to the requesters.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Birth Certificate in California?

Certified copies of birth certificates in California are available after the original certificates have been registered, typically within a month after birth. The estimated processing time for birth certificates of events that occurred between 1905 to date at the CDPH-VR is a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 business days. The processing time may sometimes increase as the number of requests goes up. However, the County Recorder Offices process birth certificate requests in a shorter time than the state bureau of vital statistics.

How to Get a New Birth Certificate in California

To order a new birth certificate in California, an eligible individual must mail the following items to the State Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR):

  • A properly completed form. Application forms can be obtained from the CDPH-VR's official website or a local registrar's office.
  • A notarized sworn statement (only if requesting an authorized copy of the newly issued certificate).
  • Supporting documentation: Applicants must furnish all documents that support their request for a new birth certificate. The required supporting documentation varies per request. For example, to add a parent to a birth certificate, a marriage certificate is required to show that the parents of a child born on or after January 1, 1995, were married when the child was born. However, no supporting documentation is needed if the child was born before January 1, 1995.
  • The appropriate fee. Some applications do not have fees assessed based on the submission timeline or the request type, and applicants are issued a free copy of the amended birth certificate. Meanwhile, in some cases, an individual must pay a registration fee, which includes one certified copy. Nevertheless, all applicants must pay $29 for each additional copy they require.

Individuals can send their applications to the following mailing address:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – Amendments – M.S. 5105
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410

The average processing time for amendments to California birth certificates is 17 to 19 weeks from the day the CDPH-VR receives the request. The Department does not provide an expedited service to fast-track these orders.

Note, however, that in the matter of new California birth certificates, eligibility is determined by certain factors:

  • The Applicant: Only specific people can request changes or corrections to a California birth record. This is typically the registrant (the person who owns the birth record) or their parent, legal guardian, or conservator.
  • The Reason for the Request: While the California CDPH-VR can generally amend birth certificates, the Department does not issue new birth certificates (corrected one-page certificates) in every instance. Per Division 102, Chapter 5 of the Cal. Health & Safety Code, the CDPH-VR can issue new birth certificates under the following circumstances:
    • After an adoption has been finalized
    • Upon application to add, remove, or replace a parent's name on a birth certificate
    • Upon application to change the sex field on a birth certificate

In all other cases, the CDPH-VR attaches the amendments to the original birth certificate, which results in a multi-page birth certificate.

After creating a new birth certificate, the state bureau of vital statistics seals the original birth certificate and only permits release upon submission of a court order. Subsequently, all authorized or informational copies issued by the office will be of the amended birth record.

Further information about the amendment process in California can be retrieved from the CDPH-VR's Correcting or Amending Vital Records page or by contacting a local registrar's office.

Can You Find California Birth Certificates Online?

No. The vital records offices in California do not disseminate California birth certificates for inspection or viewing on their official websites. Since California birth certificates are protected by law, the established method to obtain them is by direct application and remittance to an official government source or purchasing records through authorized third-party online vendors.

How to Expunge Your Birth Records in California

Expungement of records is the process of sealing or destroying certain documents or information from state or federal repositories. There is currently no known provision for expunging birth records in California.

How to Seal Your Birth Records in California

Sealing of birth records is common with adoption. Sealed birth records still exist but may only be accessible with court orders. Upon concluding an adoption, the original birth certificate of the adoptee is sealed and then replaced with an amended birth certificate. California adoption records are sealed once the adoption process is finalized because it is a closed adoption state. In a closed adoption, the identities of an adoptee's birth parents are kept confidential.

Adoptees have two birth certificates: the original given at birth and another issued once an adoption is concluded. The vital information on both is, however, not different. The original copy of the birth certificate is usually placed in an adoption file and sealed permanently. Sealing is automatic; thus, no party to an adoption has to file a petition to seal California adoption records.

The primary aim of sealing birth records after any adoption is to protect adoptees from the societal stigma associated with being adopted. Sealed birth records in California are kept confidential by the State Registrar of Vital Records. The California Department of Social Services handles adoption paperwork in the state. The following steps summarize the process of sealing birth records in California:

  • The court report of adoption is forwarded to the CDPH-VR, and the Department prepares a new certificate.
  • The CDPH-VR seals both the original record and the court report of adoption once it prepares the new certificate after the adoption process.
  • The CDPH-VR keeps the sealed birth records and may only release them upon order of the Superior Court of the county of residence of the adoptee, or the Superior Court of the county that granted the adoption order.

How to Unseal Your Birth Records in California

Generally, there are two types of information in a sealed California birth record. These are identifying and non-identifying information. Individuals who can access the identifying information in a sealed birth record are the adoptee, who must be at least 21 years old; the adoptive parent of an adoptee who is older than 21 years; and the birth parent of an adult adoptee. Similarly, an adoptee who is older than 18 years old and the adoptive parent of an adoptee under age 18 can access the non-identifying information in a sealed birth record. The need for information regarding the birth family will always arise even after finalizing an adoption. Adoptees may need to seek some identifying information about their biological families in a bid to interact with them. They may also need to access information from sealed birth records to update their medical histories.

Identifying information are details whose disclosure from sealed birth records may lead adoptees to identify their birth parents, biological relatives, and their true origins. The non-identifying information in a sealed California birth record may include:

  • The place and date of the adoptee’s birth
  • The religion, race, and medical history of the adoptee’s biological parents
  • Information on adoptee’s siblings
  • Physical description of adoptee’s birth parents
  • Birth dates of adoptee’s biological parents
  • The reason for putting up an adoptee for adoption

Adoptees older than 21 years may request to view the identities of their biological parents and most recent addresses, provided the parents gave written consent for disclosure. Similarly, birth parents may request the release of adoptees' addresses and names if they (adoptees) are at least 21 years old and have given consent (in writing) for their names and addresses disclosure.

All sealed birth records in California can only be unsealed by order of the Superior Court of the county of residence of the adoptees or Superior Court of the county granting the orders of adoptions. The steps involved in unsealing birth records in California are:

  • Authorized persons petition the Superior Court.
  • The Superior Court verifies the petition to ascertain that the purpose of the application is for a just and compelling cause.
  • The Superior Court grants such orders.
  • The Clerk of the Superior Court sends a copy of the petition to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) or the California Department of Public Health - Vital Records (CDPH-VR).
  • The CDSS or the CDPH-VR unseals the birth records and makes the information therein available to the petitioners.

Who Signs Birth and Death Certificates in California?

After a live birth takes place in a California hospital or birthing center, the attending physician and surgeon, certified nurse midwife, or principal attendant signs the birth certificate. If none of these persons are available, the hospital or center's administrator or their representative may sign the birth certificate and certify the birth facts (California Health & Safety Code 102400 through 102415).

However, suppose the live birth occurs outside a hospital or state-approved alternative birth center. In that case, the following people, in the order specified, are charged with preparing the certificate, obtaining the required signatures, and registering the birth with the local registrar:

  • The attending physician
  • The professionally licensed midwife or the certified nurse-midwife in attendance, if the physician is absent
  • Either parent, if the physician or midwife is absent

In California, every live birth must be registered with the local registrar within 10 days of the vital event.

For deaths occurring in the state, the law entrusts the attending physician and surgeon - the physician in charge of medical care for the illness or condition that contributed to the death - with the task of signing the California death certificate. A coroner can also sign when mandated by law.

When a patient dies in an intermediate care (ICF) or skilled nursing facility (SNF), the certifier is also the attending physician. However, Section 102795 allows a licensed physician assistant under the attending physician's supervision to sign the death record, provided the professional has the legal authority to do so and views the deceased within 72 hours of their death.

California law mandates the registering of a California death certificate with a local registrar's office within eight days of the death and before the disposition of the human remains.

What is a California Birth Index?

A California birth index contains entries of births that occurred in the state, organized alphabetically by last name. Following Section 102230 of the Health & Safety Code, the state and local registrars maintain two kinds of California birth indices: confidential and non-confidential.

Confidential indices or registries are protected from disclosure under the state's Public Records Act. On the other hand, non-confidential California birth indexes are prepared especially for public release and contain the following information:

  • The full name of a person whose birth was registered in California
  • Sex
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth

County vital records offices and several public libraries offer walk-in services to parties who wish to inspect California birth indexes. For example, the California State Library (see also the library's remote access resource) and the Los Angeles County Registrar's Office.

Some third-party data aggregator sites provide online access to California birth registries or indexes.