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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 Search 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.
However, unlike any other states in the US, California does limit access to certain records to particular entities only. Criminal and arrest records, for example, can only be accessed by the legitimate law enforcement agencies and authorized applicant agencies. Individuals indicated on the criminal history information, however, have the right to access their personal record for the purpose of reviewing such for accuracy and completeness. Perhaps the most utilized record in background screening is a criminal record as it contains significant and weighty information about a particular person in question. Criminal history information indicates any felonies or misdemeanor committed by the individual named on the record. In case of background screening and even genealogy research, an informational copy of the criminal record will be issued.
When requesting for a copy of any public record, you have to secure an application form which can be downloaded online from the abovementioned agencies’ websites. You must fill out the form in its entirety with all the important details required. For birth certificate requests, you have to provide the full name of the person, date of birth, and the name of the parents. For death record requests, you must input the complete and legal name of the deceased, gender, date of birth, date and county where the death took place, name of spouse and of the parents. For marriage and divorce record requests, you have to include the significant personal details of the couple, date and county where they tied the knot, date of the separation, and the county where the marriage license was issued or where the divorce was filed and affirmed. For criminal record requests, a live scan form must be filled out and must be submitted together with an image of your live scan fingerprints.
The payment for the processing of such requests should be through check or money order payable to either the Bureau of Vital Statistics, California Department of Health, or to the Department of Justice. Such payment should be submitted along with the completed application or request form and other prerequisites.
The processing fee for birth record requests is $20. For death record requests, the fee is $16. The processing fee for criminal records is $25. For marriage certificate requests, the fee is $14 while divorce record requests require a fee of only $13. Birth and death records that date back to 1905 take 7 weeks to be processed. Those recorded from 1969 to present only take 4 weeks processing time. However, marriage and divorce records can exceed 6 months to be processed. These estimated turnaround times will still vary and may increase depending on the volume of requests received by such agencies. Unfortunately, these offices do not cater rush requests.
Government records can actually be obtained over the web. Several online record providers proffer the same services such as record reviews for only a minimal fee. Some record providers do not require a fee though. However, if you are the kind of person who wishes not only to cut costs but also ensures quality of the results, you can choose the independent service provider that charges a minimal fee but yields accurate and comprehensive records.
