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Free California Public Records And Other States

By Claire Dowell


Pursuant to California's Public Records Act, any Californian has the right to access public information maintained by local and state government agencies, including the Department of Justice. In California, vital records are housed in the Office of the Vital Statistics which operates under the Department of Health. California public records include documents of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, deaths, and even criminal and arrest records.

However, California restricts access to certain records such as criminal and arrest records maintained by the Department of Justice to legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those persons named on the records only. Individuals have the right to access their own criminal history information for the purpose of reviewing such for accuracy and completeness. Requests from people whose purpose is neither any of these will not be catered. In case of background checks or genealogy research, an informational copy of the desire record may be provided by such offices.

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.

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.

Payment must be through check or money order made payable to either the Department of Health or to the Department of Justice; and should be submitted along with the application or request form. A copy of a death certificate costs $20; a death certificate is worth $16; criminal record costs $25; a public marriage certificate costs $14 while a divorce certificate costs $13. Birth and death records that date back to 1905 take approximately 7 weeks to be processed; whereas those recorded from 1969 to present only take 4 weeks. For marriage and divorce records, on the other hand, the processing time can exceed 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way to hasten this as the Office of the Vital Statistics cannot 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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