The California Department of Health Services is primarily tasked to care for California Divorce Records. As per the law, individuals can only obtain certified copies of the actual divorce decrees from the Superior Court in the county where the termination of marriage was filed. Nonetheless, the CDPH Vital Records Office can give out but a California Divorce Records Public Certificate of Record only which covers documents for dissolution of marriage recorded between 1962 and June 1984.

By definition, a Certificate of Record is not deemed as an authorized copy of the divorce decree and will not tell if the breakup was ever finalized in court or otherwise. This kind of file usually encompasses the separating couple?s names, the county where the separation was filed and the court case number. For this sort of application, a normal turnaround period of