The Marin County Recorder’s office is located in Room 232 at the Marin County Civic Center. Office hours are 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The office is open during the lunch hour.
In response to the rise in identity theft, the State of California has significantly changed the steps necessary to obtain vital records. These changes are a proactive effort to make it more difficult for someone to order a vital record with the intent of stealing personal information.
Ordering Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates
NOTICE: Per CA Assembly Bill 128, effective January 2, 2022, a fee increase will apply to Certified Copies of Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates:
Title |
Current Fee |
Birth Certificates |
$ 29 |
Death Certificates |
$ 24 |
Marriage Certificates |
$ 17 |
Birth, death, or public marriage certificates, collectively known as vital records, can be ordered from the Marin County Recorder’s office if those documents are registered in Marin County. For more information about ordering specific documents from Marin County, please click on the appropriate link:
Each page will provide more information about the document you are requesting, and any applicable fees. Follow the directions on the attached form to submit your request in person or by mail. You may also download the forms directly from this page in English or Spanish.
Where to submit document requests
Birth and Death Certificates are registered in the county where the event occurred. Marin will only have records for births and deaths that occurred in Marin County. Marriage Certificates are registered in the county where the license was purchased. Marin only has certificates for marriage licenses purchased in Marin County, regardless of where the ceremony was performed.
Document requests for Marin County are processed by the County Recorder’s Office. Applications may be submitted by mail or in person.
The office of the Marin County Recorder is located at the Marin County Civic Center Room 232, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The mailing address is Marin County Recorder, P.O. Box C, San Rafael, CA 94913. The Copy Center phone number is (415) 473-6094.
Please note: Requests for copies of a confidential marriage license must be submitted to the County Clerk, not the Recorder. Applications may be submitted by mail or in person. The office of the Marin County Clerk is located at the Marin County Civic Center Room 234, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number is (415) 473-6772.
It may take up to six weeks from the date of the event for birth or death certificates to be processed and available from the Marin County Recorder’s Office. If you need copies of a birth or death certificate and it has been less than six weeks since the event occurred, you may order copies from the Marin Office of Vital Statistics. For death certificates, your funeral home director should also be able to provide certified copies.
Requesting Documents Online
Marin County official records may be requested either in person at our Copy Center located in Room 232 at the Marin County Civic Center, or by sending a written request with proper payment to our office. For your convenience, you can also process online requests through Vitalchek Network an independent company that we have partnered with to provide this service. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted; including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® or Visa®.
Please Note: The fee for vital records must be paid in advance by the applicant. If no record is found, the fee will be retained for searching as required by California statute, and a Certificate of No Record Found will be issued.
If you need additional information or have more questions, please contact the Marin County Recorder at (415) 473-6094 or send email. The office of the Marin County Recorder is located at Marin Civic Center Room 232, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.