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County Divorce Records in California

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:56:19 +0000

Retrieving public information from government departments is usually not only time-consuming but also bogged with procedures, requirements and waiting time. Requesting Divorce Records in California from their Office of Vital Records of California is a good example. Although it’s technically possible to obtain Free Divorce Records directly from the office, the odds are long. For some reason, the available records there are decades from current and far from complete.

In 2007, day-to-day operations at the former California Department of Health Services (CHDS) were reorganized under two new departments namely the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) purportedly to better serve the community. Public records went under the charge of the CDPH. This service is offered through their Vital Records Office which reports into the Certificate and Licenses Unit.

The fact of the matter is the Office of Vital Records in California is quite lame where divorce records are concerned. Essentially the only function that is rendered there is the issuance of Certificates of Record and even that is limited to the period from 1962 to June 1984, shortfall unexplained. Anything beyond will be turned away to the Superior Court in the county where the divorce occurred. Along with those of Colorado, Indiana and Louisiana, the California State Department does not keep track of the number of divorces in the state.

For all practical purposes, a Certificate of Record on divorce is only a gateway document at best. The information that is presented on it consists of just the names of the divorcing couple, the county at which the divorce is filed and the assigned court case number. It does not even indicate if the subject divorce was ever finalized in the courts. On top of it, the waiting period could stretch up to 3 years although the quoted average processing time is 6 months and a fee of $13 is charged.

The main document in divorce records is the divorce decree. Information from end to end of the divorce process can be found in the divorce decree although the decree is mainly for officially stating the court ruling in the settlement of assets, alimony and child support, custody and visitation matters if any. In California, all divorces will be issued with a California Divorce Decree by the County Superior Court when the divorce is granted. These decrees can be requested again in the future but they are only available at the very county office where the divorce took place.

Divorce records are often intertwined with marriage records, be they public or private source. Even in some official contexts, the terms ‘divorce’ and ‘marriage dissolution’ are interchangeably employed. This is because these two categories of public records are intrinsically connected. As such, it’s common for divorce records to be produced as related information in a marriage records search and vice-versa. Some commercial record providers offer them in 2-in-1 package.

California population is 36 million strong. Given that some County Divorce Records date back hundred over years, it’s reasonable to speculate that there are millions of Divorce Records in California. Scouring divorce records county by county is obviously not practical. Luckily, there are plenty of commercial records providers around nowadays. Unlike government agencies, their databases are generally cross-linked and they also have access to proprietary sources.

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Alternative Ways to Retrieve California Divorce Records

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:30:15 +0000

Geeky folks may actually find it rewarding to be able to retrieve Public Divorce Records free of charge from state agencies but the majority of us are not likely to be cut out for the task. In itself, government sources for public information has always tend to be a test of patience, not least if you’re researching State Divorce Records and all the more so if you are attempting to extract California Divorce Records in particular from the Office of Vital Records of California.

The California Department of Health Services (CHDS) has recently reorganized into the following two departments: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and The California Department of Public Health (CDPH). If it’s public records of Californians you are after, CDPH is the responsible department. One of their services is maintaining a central registry of California Marriages and Divorces. This task is undertaken through their Office of Vital Records under the Certificate and Licenses Unit.

The Vital Records of California can only issue Certificates of Record for divorces that occurred between 1962 and June 1984. For divorces that date outside this time window, the records are only available at the very county offices where the divorce proceedings were heard or through non-governmental sources. This is quite disappointing for a state like California. The state is also one of the 4 states that do not keep track of its number of divorces. The other 3 are Colorado, Indiana and Louisiana.

The information attached in a Certificate of Record includes the names of the divorcing parties, the county it happened at and the divorce court case number. This applies to divorces that were never finalized in court and the average processing time is 6 months but exceeds that easily during peak periods. It’s also important to note that a Certificate of Record does not constitute a Divorce Decree. It merely indicates that a divorce was filed.

The centre stage of California Divorce Records is the California Divorce Decrees. They can be obtained solely from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed and granted. Besides the basic information pertaining to the divorce, it is to principally state the settlement ruling of the separation such as asset division, alimony and children custody, support and visitation. All divorces, contested or uncontested and fault or no-fault will be issued with an official decree upon its finalization by the courts.

Divorce records and other associated information about an individual are commonly found in his or her Marriage Records as these two vital records inherently go hand-in-hand. As a matter of fact, a recognized alternative term for divorce records is Records of Marriage Dissolution so that would be a good place to look when sizing up someone’s divorce background. Divorce records often show up as substantive information in a marriage record search conducted through commercial records providers and vice-versa.

With a population of 36 million and 58 counties, it can get laborious contending with government procedures in a California Divorce Records Search. Fortunately, unlike state repositories which are not linked, commercial databases are crossed and networked. That makes life a whole lot easier for people searching for records. They come in particularly handy in certain states where this public service is slack which California is clearly one in this regard.

By: Ben Jen

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State Marriage Records Search

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:32:07 +0000

California Marriage Records contain data on names, licenses and counties for marriage applications. All public marriage records in the state of California are kept by the California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records. Individual counties issue confidential records pertaining to licenses that were issued out of their office. The same is true for divorce records. They will be found only in the county of which the Superior Court ordered the divorce decree. California’s law – The California Public Records Act – mandates that all public records and copies are made available to anyone.

Websites by government agencies provide adequate marriage records free of charge if you are just looking for general information. The same can be accomplished by searching the database on-site at the respective county offices. However, for formal proceedings, you would need professionally packaged official marriage records. The Office of Vital Records is the authorized department to provide official marriage records in California. It can also release divorce Certificates of Record. For both, there is a fee involved when requesting certified copies.

So, we therefore have the choice of going it ourselves in gathering California Marriage Records or hire professional help to perform the task for us. It’s an individual thing and each has its own merits and setbacks. Obviously, marriage records from free sources save money but their standards inevitably won’t match up to those from fee-based ones. Often too, circumstances demand that such information is obtained through certified bodies thus ruling out the DIY (do-it-yourself) option.

Nevertheless, anyone has the right to view public records at the Public Health Office on a county-by-county basis within the state of California. You can also request some of the information by email. Do ensure that you have the right forms and the appropriate fees. The Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records would be happy to advise you on that. Both marriage records and divorce records can be obtained in this manner but it could be long and arduous. The California Office of Vital Statistics is typically backlogged at 180 days. They actually recommend that you visit the local county office directly to view or request copies of records. The procedure varies from one county to the next, so call ahead to check.

A practical solution to get around the lead-time and legwork is by turning to commercial record providers. With their experience and infrastructure, they can speed things up considerably for you. They can turnkey the whole thing for you. Their service includes searching and retrieving the marriage records based on the information that you supply, placing order for them and follow through on the delivery of their certified copies.

The public records business is demanding and competitive. Industry leaders are highly professional and have extensive experience in getting public records from county offices. In order to survive in the game, they have to charge affordable rates also. They will get the forms, enquire the fees and advise on applicable state laws. Many of them have in-house databases of marriage and divorce records for existing or potential customers, completely circumventing the need to wait on government agencies to produce those records.

With over 36 million residents living in California today, on top of the hundreds of millions in years past, there are quite a bit of California marriage records on file and archive. Finding just the ones spot-on is potentially daunting and error-prone for the amateur. In all practicality, it will be worth the cost to hire professionals for the task. After all, the subject of marriage records is hardly ever a trivial matter.

By: Dave Porter

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