How to Find Very Old Divorce Records in California
All states maintain records on births, marriages, divorces and deaths. Accessing these records is dependent on whether a record is sealed and how far back a court or municipal system catalogued old documents. The state of California maintains historical records and makes divorce records available to the public for the years 1962 to 1984, with access to older records requiring more research time.
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Things You'll Need
- California Office of Vital Statistics application
- Fee per certified copy
- Envelope
- Stamp
Instructions
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Determine if you are eligible to receive an authorized or informational copy of the divorce record. While California deems all copies as "certified" copies, authorized copies may only be obtained by the individual named on the record, the parents of that individual or persons authorized by the court or through a court order. An informational copy will contain the same information as an authorized copy but will be marked with the words "Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity" across the front of the document.
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Contact the California Office for Vital Records, which is the state registrar. The Office of Vital Records is able to issue a certificate of record for divorces granted between 1962 and June 1984. The certificate of record will include the names of the parties to the divorce, the county where it was filed and the case number. The certificate of record is not a certified copy of a divorce decree and does not indicate if the divorce was finalized in court.
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Download and complete the Application for Certified Copy of Marriage or Divorce Record from the Office of Vital Statistics. Use a separate application for each divorce record you need.
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Pay the fee per divorce record sought. As of 2010, the fee was $13 per record. The check or money order should be made to the Office of Vital Statistics.
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Sign the application and have the sworn statement notarized by a Notary Public if you want an authorized copy. You don't need to provide the sworn statement if you only need an informational copy.
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Provide as much information as you can because if the office is unable to locate a record, they will send you a "Certificate of No Public Record" and retain your fee.
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Contact the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed for years outside of the 1962 to June 1984 window, or if you require a copy of the actual divorce decree. If you are unsure of where the divorce took place, contact the county where the marriage took place to determine if the divorce was filed there, too. If that search doesn't uncover a divorce record, try other counties where the person lived.
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Tips & Warnings
If you prefer to use a courier service to submit your application, you may send it to the California Office of Vital Records.
The processing time for a certificate of divorce may exceed six months.
References
Resources
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