Online California Divorce Records Search
May 29th, 2009 by Dave Kelly
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.
A Certificate of Record includes the names of the parties to the divorce, the county where the divorce was filed and the court case number. It is not equivalent to a divorce decree and does not indicate whether the divorce was ever finalized in court. The basic processing fee for each certificate is $13 and the processing time can easily exceed 6 months. Requestors are often advised to submit their requests directly to the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the divorce was filed.
Certified copies of California Divorce Decrees are only available from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed. The complete details of the divorce settlement are stipulated on this document. They typically include the rulings on matrimonial assets, alimony order and child support, custody and visitation rights. Disposition on all other contentions between the divorcing parties are also captured on the divorce decree.
Texas 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 Texas 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 Divorce Records Search providers around nowadays. Unlike government agencies, their databases are generally cross-linked and they also have access to proprietary sources.
