In the State of California, any Californian can request access to public records. This is in accordance with the Public Records Law which stresses out that all state agencies and institutions are held responsible for the citizenry. Such notion roughly creates a presumption that vital records created and maintained by the public entities are therefore public and are accessible to any member of the state in need. California public records comprise of vital and court records which are housed in the California Department of Health specifically in the Vital Statistics Division, and the Department of Justice.
Conversely, there are certain records in California that cannot just be obtained by anyone who wishes to. Criminal records and arrest, for instance, can only be accessed by legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those individuals who personally own the criminal history information. In case of background checks, certified copies of criminal or arrest records may not be available as request from third parties for such records will not be processed. Thus, for genealogical purposes and background checks, one may have to settle for an informational copy instead.
In requesting for a record, a written request is no longer needed according to California's Public Records Act. You can actually start by making an informal request over the telephone. However, id the agency information officer cannot grant your request with the method utilized, he should be able to provide you with the necessary steps for making a formal request. A formal request entails filling out an application or request form for each vital or court record you wish to obtain. Such forms can be downloaded online or directly from the aforementioned agencies' websites. You have to fill out such forms in its entirety with all the significant details asked.
For birth record requests, you must provide the full name of the person, date of birth, place of birth, and the name of the parents. For death certificate requests, you have to input in the request form the complete legal name of the decedent, sex, date of birth, date and county where the death transpired, name of spouse and that of the parents. For marriage certificate requests, you have to provide all the personal details about the couple, date and county where they tied the knot, and the county where the marriage license was issued. For divorce decree requests, you must input the significant details of the husband and the wife, the date of the separation, and the county where the divorce was filed and approved. For criminal history information requests, you have to secure a live scan form from the Department of Justice, fill it out with your personal details, and submit it together with an image of your live scan fingerprints.
Payment for the processing of your requests should be submitted along with the application form you have filled out. For certified copies of birth certificates, you have to pay a processing fee of $20. For death certificates, a fee of $16 is required. For public marriage certificates, $14 is requisite. For dissolution or marriage certificate, $13 is required. For criminal record requests, the processing fee is $25. Usually in California, the turnaround time for record requests takes weeks to several months. For births and deaths recorded from 1905 to 1992, the processing take is 7 weeks. Those that were recorded from 1969 to present will take 4 weeks to be processed. On the other hand, marriage and divorce records will take more than 6 months of processing time. Such estimated turnaround times may occasionally increase depending on the volume of requests received in their office. Unfortunately, the Vital Records Division does not accommodate expedited requests.
Nevertheless, procuring government records can actually be done in an expedited plus expedient manner and even in the comfort of your own home. Simply hire the services of online record providers. The number of service providers online is relatively high. This conveys that online users and customers have a much wider array of options to choose from. In lieu of the usual turnaround time that takes weeks to months, online record providers can give you the records you need in just a matter of minutes to several hours. What's more, you will only have to pay a minimal fee and with such, you get to have unlimited access to their database. Certainly, obtaining records has never been this easy. So the next time somebody asks you on how to get records fast, tell them about these online service providers and how much you have enjoyed their services.
Conversely, there are certain records in California that cannot just be obtained by anyone who wishes to. Criminal records and arrest, for instance, can only be accessed by legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those individuals who personally own the criminal history information. In case of background checks, certified copies of criminal or arrest records may not be available as request from third parties for such records will not be processed. Thus, for genealogical purposes and background checks, one may have to settle for an informational copy instead.
In requesting for a record, a written request is no longer needed according to California's Public Records Act. You can actually start by making an informal request over the telephone. However, id the agency information officer cannot grant your request with the method utilized, he should be able to provide you with the necessary steps for making a formal request. A formal request entails filling out an application or request form for each vital or court record you wish to obtain. Such forms can be downloaded online or directly from the aforementioned agencies' websites. You have to fill out such forms in its entirety with all the significant details asked.
For birth record requests, you must provide the full name of the person, date of birth, place of birth, and the name of the parents. For death certificate requests, you have to input in the request form the complete legal name of the decedent, sex, date of birth, date and county where the death transpired, name of spouse and that of the parents. For marriage certificate requests, you have to provide all the personal details about the couple, date and county where they tied the knot, and the county where the marriage license was issued. For divorce decree requests, you must input the significant details of the husband and the wife, the date of the separation, and the county where the divorce was filed and approved. For criminal history information requests, you have to secure a live scan form from the Department of Justice, fill it out with your personal details, and submit it together with an image of your live scan fingerprints.
Payment for the processing of your requests should be submitted along with the application form you have filled out. For certified copies of birth certificates, you have to pay a processing fee of $20. For death certificates, a fee of $16 is required. For public marriage certificates, $14 is requisite. For dissolution or marriage certificate, $13 is required. For criminal record requests, the processing fee is $25. Usually in California, the turnaround time for record requests takes weeks to several months. For births and deaths recorded from 1905 to 1992, the processing take is 7 weeks. Those that were recorded from 1969 to present will take 4 weeks to be processed. On the other hand, marriage and divorce records will take more than 6 months of processing time. Such estimated turnaround times may occasionally increase depending on the volume of requests received in their office. Unfortunately, the Vital Records Division does not accommodate expedited requests.
Nevertheless, procuring government records can actually be done in an expedited plus expedient manner and even in the comfort of your own home. Simply hire the services of online record providers. The number of service providers online is relatively high. This conveys that online users and customers have a much wider array of options to choose from. In lieu of the usual turnaround time that takes weeks to months, online record providers can give you the records you need in just a matter of minutes to several hours. What's more, you will only have to pay a minimal fee and with such, you get to have unlimited access to their database. Certainly, obtaining records has never been this easy. So the next time somebody asks you on how to get records fast, tell them about these online service providers and how much you have enjoyed their services.
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