California public records remain available to individuals who wish to access them. The laws regarding these laws in the state fall under the California Public Records Act, Government Code Sections 6250 to 6270. These laws outline the requirements for providing the public access to any public record information available. The public is anyone in the general population that has the need to access these records. The law also states that the government offices should take steps to provide access to such information as quickly as possible, but in general that it can take up to 10 days from the receipt of a request. However, most of the information people want and need is readily available online.

What Are the California Public Records Information Available?

Most types of public information is available to the general public. This includes information from government sources, information and data from court cases as well as any type of property or vital statistics information. There is no law that states this information must be sent to any individual involved in it, but if a person requests the information, the state must provide it. This includes governments at the city, county and state level. Federal information may also be available through some state agencies. This includes the following types of information.

·         Vital statistics, including marital records, birth certificates, death certificates and other data

·         Civil court rulings and court details

·         Criminal court rulings and court details

·         Information regarding public records

·         Data regarding professional licensing

·         Financial information from governments

·         Government information and meeting minutes

For individuals who wish to pursue this information, the first place to start is online. Numerous agencies now have the necessary information online. That makes it easier to find. The laws in California state that this information must be made available within a certain time period. However, the state offices are only open during normal business hours. Online options, on the other hand, remain available anytime.

For those who need to access California public records, there are several agencies you can do that through, including the following.

·         For accidents, documentation and other related information, the Department of Motor Vehicles is available to help.

·         The Attorney General offers information regarding any type of illegal action, especially those that occur with businesses.

·         For vital statistics such as birth certificates, death certificates and marriage license documentation, the State Department of Health Services is available.

·         For documentation and public records regarding Corporations in the state, the Secretary of the State provides information.

·         The Department of Corrections, Corrections and Rehabilitation ID Unit contains information regarding criminal actions in courts and probation.

·         The Department of Justice is the department to contact for sexual offender information or other criminal activity reports.

In California, public records are easy to access. Businesses and individuals have the ability to obtain these records through simple searches of the information contained online, too. Getting the best results is critical when you need to document information.

 

• California Census 2000 Highlights

• California Mapstats from FedStats

• California QuickLinks

• California State & County QuickFacts

• California Tax Service Center

• California Vital Records