By state
California birth certificate: fee, county office and copy type
The state fee, why a county recorder is often the faster door, and the one choice that decides whether the copy will be accepted: authorized or informational.
Total for your order · California
$31
$31 per copy
| First certified copy | $31 |
Office: CDPH Vital Records. Published processing time: Mail: average 4-6 weeks (CDPH); counties often faster. Official fee page
California charges $31 for each certified copy of a birth certificate, the same price for every copy, whether the order goes to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in Sacramento or to the county recorder of the county of birth. That is one of the higher fees in the country: the median of the 52 offices is $18.50. The figure that matters as much as the price is the type of copy. An authorized certified copy is the one accepted for a passport, a driver's license or Social Security; only the person named, close family and a few others may obtain it, and they sign a sworn statement under penalty of perjury. Anyone may order an informational certified copy, stamped as not valid to establish identity, which is useful for genealogy but refused by agencies. County recorders hold births registered in their county and often issue copies at the counter, while the state office mainly works by mail. A California death certificate costs $26 per copy. Fees were read on the CDPH fee page on October 24, 2026.
Birth and death certificate fees in your state
First birth certificate copy · California
$31
| Extra birth copy, same order | $31 |
| First death certificate copy | $26 |
| Extra death copy, same order | $26 |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Sacramento or the county recorder
California runs two layers of offices that sell the same certified copy at the same price. The county recorder, or in some counties the health department, keeps the births registered in that county and is the faster door for most people: counter service, local mail, sometimes an appointment system. The state office of CDPH keeps a copy of every birth registered since 1905 and serves everyone else, mostly by mail. CDPH takes mail orders; county recorders also issue copies and sell online through VitalChek.
A practical rule: if you were born in Los Angeles, order from Los Angeles County; if you were born in a small county far from where you live, compare that county's mail service with an online order before choosing CDPH.
The sworn statement, step by step
- Fill in the application and tick authorized copy.
- Sign the sworn statement saying you are the person named or an eligible relative.
- Have the signature notarized if you mail the form; at a counter, the clerk witnesses it.
- Pay $31 per copy by check or money order, or by card at the counter.
Eligible people include the registrant, parents and legal guardians, children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, a spouse or domestic partner, and some attorneys and agencies. Anyone else receives the informational version.
California and the other western offices
| State | Birth, first copy | Each extra copy | 3 copies | Death, first copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $31 | $31 | $93 | $26 |
| Oregon | $25 | $25 | $75 | $25 |
| Nevada | $25 | $25 | $75 | $25 |
| Arizona | $20 | $20 | $60 | $20 |
Every California copy costs the full fee, so the saving of ordering several at once that exists in many states is absent here; the tool below ranks every office for the number of copies you need. See certified copy or not for the wording agencies look for.
From the cheapest state to the most expensive
3 copies in the cheapest state
$17
| Cheapest | Florida |
| Middle of the list | $45 (Virginia) |
| Most expensive | $96 (Massachusetts) |
Corrections and other records
A wrong letter in a name or a missing parent is fixed with an affidavit to amend a record filed with CDPH, which has its own fee; the amended certificate page explains it. A California death certificate costs $26 a copy, also with an authorized and an informational version. Marriage licenses are sold by the county clerk: see California marriage license.