California has one of the largest populations in the country. There are over 470 births a year in the state of California each year and while that number has dropped it is still a large number of births when looking at the country totals each year. Finding data on California birth records is not difficult if you know where to search. The below will discuss how to go about finding birth records in California and some of the statistics of births that take place each year in the state of California.
California birth records consist of not just birth records but also marriage and death records. These types of public information can be found online by following the below information and contact details to vital records within the state.
Vital Record Search
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How to find California birth records?
You can find California birth records by accessing the vital record department in California. You can do this directly online. However, there are certain criteria that must be met to obtain birth records. The California Department of Public Health has maintained a database of every single birth in California from 1905.
What are the processing times to get a certified birth certificate?
This will depend on the volume at the time of your request and when the birth occurred. The below is an approximate time you may have to wait to get your certified copy.
1905-1964
Electronic Submissions:
4 to 4.5 weeks
1905-1964
Mail-in request
5 to 5.5 weeks
1965-2019
Electronic Submission
2.5 to 3 weeks
1965-2019
Mail-in request
3.5 to 4 weeks
California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Pacific Standard Time
Phone: 916-445-2684
Vital Records Information
The California Department of Public Health – Vital Records (CDPH-VR) maintains birth, death, fetal death/still birth, marriage, and divorce records for California. Services provided by CDPH-VR include issuing certified copies of California vital records and registering and amending vital records as authorized by law.
If you are looking to get a copy of your birth certificate in California you can use the above information to contact the vital records to obtain this data. There will be fees involved and you will need to show proper identification in order to get approved.
Are birth records public information in California?
The California Public Records Act was passed in 1968. This act passed by the State Legislature and then was signed by the Governor was an act that made the disclosure of governmental records available to the public when they requested such information. Unless the record was exempt by law. California residents have the right to view this type of public information that is looked after by state and local government agencies.
When speaking of public records data you would need to understand what is considered to be public data. Under the Act that would be any writing that has information relating to public business by any local or state agency. Finding this information is not difficult and in-fact a lot of public data can be found if it is searched.
What information could you find when you perform a California birth record search?
You may uncover specific details within a birth record search as follows:
- Full name of both parents
- Residence
- Birthplace of parents and child
- Religious information
- Birth dates
- And more…
Learn how to perform a California birth records search online to obtain vital records in the state of CA. Vital records encompass all types of different public data. Along with birth records, someone could also find marriage and death records when speaking about vital records in California.
While it is hard to obtain birth records when they are not your personal record the general public may still have the opportunity to find and view birth records when they are of a certain age. However, if you are an immediate family then you still will have the opportunity to obtain the birth record of your child by providing the proper information.
California birth and population statistics
California population is extremely large and is the most populated state in the United States. The below data shows the current population trends for the state. In 2017 California had a total population of 39.54 million people.

31.4
Cesarean Delivery Rate

37.5
Percent of births to unmarried mothers

8.7
Preterm birth rate

6.9%
Percentage of low birthweight in the United States