Information that follows is from the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk.
All questions, not answered here, should be directed to the Register-Recorder/County Clerk.
Birth, Death & Marriage Records Section
PO Box 489
Norwalk, CA 90651-0489
Birth & Death Certificate & Records Information: (800) 201-8999
Under California law, only specific individuals are allowed to receive an Authorized Certified Copy of a birth, death or marriage record. An Authorized Certified Copy of a birth record is required to obtain a driver’s license, passport, social security card and other services related to an individual’s identity. Please see below for list of authorized individuals.
Those who are not authorized may receive an Informational Certified Copy with the words “Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity” imprinted across the face of the copy. Informational copies are not available same day. They will be mailed within 20 business days.
Individuals Permitted to Receive an Authorized Certified Copy of a Birth Certificate
Records are available for births occurring in Los Angeles County since 1866. An Authorized or Informational certified copy of a death record will be provided for a $28 fee per copy. The fee is nonrefundable. A “No Record Statement” will be issued if the record is not found.
Other than requests from government agencies, no requests for records are accepted by telephone.
Government agencies may call (562) 462-8102 to submit an order.
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To request copies by mail, complete the Application for Birth Record (for mail only) (see below). You must also submit a notarized Certificate of Identity (see below) (if you do NOT live in California, please have the notary strike out California on the Certificate of Identity and put the state in which the form is notarized. It will be accepted with the change.). Include a pre-addressed stamped envelope with your request. Payment for mail requests can be made by check or money order payable to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. DO NOT SEND CASH. Out-of-state checks are accepted. Please ensure that you sign the application as well as the Certificate of Identity. Failure to do so may delay the processing of your request.
Mail application and fee to:
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Birth Records
PO Box 489
Norwalk, CA 90651-0489
Most mail requests are processed within 20 days. The processing time does not include the delivery time to and from the office, weekends or holidays.
Photo by Vojtech Okenka via Pexels.com.
If in need of faster turnaround on your request, you may place your request online if you use a major credit card. Online orders will be processed in 1 to 3 business days upon receipt of the Certificate of Identity and mailed out as quickly as overnight, depending on your delivery choice. Credit card orders will be returned by regular mail unless UPS delivery is requested (which will, of course, involve additional cost). A $9.00 special handling fee is also added to all credit card orders in addition to the copy fee.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk is unable to accept credit cards for online orders; however, online orders may be made with a credit card through a partnering independent company, VitalChek Network, Inc. VitalChek can be reached through its website, www.vitalchek.com. The additional $9 fee is charged by VitalChek for this service. All major credit cards are accepted, including American Express ® , Discover ® , MasterCard ® or Visa ® .
Please Note: If you do not supply the necessary Certificate of Identity within 5 business days, your order will be cancelled and must be resubmitted. Please follow the instructions on the Vitalchek site.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Office in Norwalk. Photo from Google Maps, Copyright 2017 Google.
A valid photo ID will be requested when a birth record is requested in person. Same-day service is available for births 1964 to present (Informational Certified Copies, however, are not available the same day). Births prior to 1964 will be mailed within 20 working days.
If requesting birth certificates for events that occurred from 1972 through 1977, please be advised that the copy may not be issued the same day. These records will be requested from the State of California because the social security numbers have to be redacted. The delay for these records is approximately 3 to 5 days.
Click here to save time by submitting your request online before showing up in person. You must still pay fees in person, even if your request must be mailed to you. Payment may be made by cash, check or money order (payable to Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, out-of-state checks accepted), or major debit/credit card. A $1.75 service fee is added for payment by debit/credit card.
When coming in person, be sure to have with you: 1) your application confirmation number if submitted online; 2) a valid photo ID; 3) sufficient payment for all fees.
| Address | City | Telephone | Hours (Mon-Fri) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1028 W Avenue J2 | Lancaster | (661) 945-6446 | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| 11701 S La Cienega Blvd, 6th Floor | LAX Courthouse | (310) 727-6142 | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| 4716 E Cesar Chavez Ave | Los Angeles | (323) 260-2991 | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| 7807 S Compton Ave | Los Angeles | (323) 586-6192 | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| 12400 Imperial Highway | Norwalk | (562) 462-2137 | 8:00am-5:00pm |
| 14340 W Sylvan St | Van Nuys | (818) 376-3700 | 8:30am-4:30pm |
The Norwalk Facility is open 8am-7pm on the 3rd Thursday of every month.
Payment for in-person requests can be made by cash, check or money order. If paying by check, valid identification (i.e., Driver's License) of the signer is required and must be presented at time of request. Out-of-state checks are accepted.
If you are requesting a copy of a birth record for a child who was adopted or had a legal name change, your written request should be sent to the California Department of Health Services, Office of Vital Records - M.S. 5103, PO Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. The telephone number is (916) 445-2684. There is a $16 charge for each copy requested, payable by check or money order to the office of Vital Records.
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