About CLERK-RECORDER

NEWS:

 Clerk-Recorder Services for Tea Fire Victims
The County of Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder is prepared to provide expedited replacement copies of vital and official records for the people who lost or sustained damage to their homes, property, businesses or places of employment during the proclaimed State of Emergency Wildfires. These vital and official copies may include certificates of birth, death, fetal death, or marriage, as well as deeds required to obtain assistance from federal, state and local governmental agencies, make claims for and collect insurance, find new employment, and for other purposes related to losses suffered in the fire. Per the Governors Executive Order S-15-08, copies of certificates of birth, death, fetal death, and marriage, shall be provided to such persons without charge.

For more information about Clerk-Recorder services please call (805) 568-2250,
email Clk-RecHelpDesk@co.santa-barbara.ca.us or visit one of three locations at:

Santa Barbara
Hall of Records, 1100 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-0159


Santa Maria
511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Suite 115
Santa Maria, CA 93455-1341
Phone: (805) 346-8370

Lompoc
401 E. Cypress St., Room 102
Lompoc, CA 93436
Phone: (805) 737-7705

 11/6/2008 Same Sex Marriage Information Update
Same sex marriage licenses and/or ceremonies are suspended until further action from the court, a written directive from a State Agency is issued informing us otherwise, or, if the vote on proposition 8 changes when the election is certified by the Secretary of State.

Completed marriage licenses (licenses in which the marriage ceremony has already been performed) that come in for registration will be accepted for registration. We will not determine whether the completed marriage license is for a same sex couple or not. Anyone who has a question as to the validity of a particular marriage that has been registered, can petition the court to determine the validity of that record.

Certified copies of all marriage licenses continue to be available to any couple desiring to purchase them.

Couples who have a marriage license, but have not had their ceremony yet, are advised that same sex marriage ceremonies can no longer be performed. They can consult an attorney for legal guidance.

There are no refunds for marriage licenses that have already been purchased.

For couples who have questions as to the validity of their same sex marriage that was performed between June 16 & November 4, the Attorney General has said he believes those marriages will remain valid, and he will defend that issue in court. Contact the Attorney General's office with any questions. The link to the AG office is http://caag.state.ca.us/

  6/6/2008 Statement on Same Sex Marriage Information Update

  5/15/2008 Statement on Supreme Court Ruling Regarding Same Sex Marriage

 $1.00 Fee Increase to Redact Social Security Information
California Government Code section 27361 (d) establishes a $1.00 recording fee to redact Social Security information from the Recorders Official Records retroactive to 1980. The County's Board of Supervisors will consider adopting the $1.00 fee increase on 4/22/2008, effective May 1st, 2008. This fee will be applicable for all official records. To see Recorder's Fee Schedule, click here.

 Commissioner of Civil Marriages for Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County Clerk Recorder is designated as the Commissioner of Civil Marriages for Santa Barbara County. As the Commissioner of Civil Marriages, the Clerk Recorder may appoint individuals as Deputy Civil Marriage Commissioners in order to marry specific couples (pursuant to California Family Code Section 401(a) & (b) and County Code Sec. 2-10.7, pursuant to Government Code 26861). This means that your friend or family member may be appointed as a Deputy Civil Marriage Commissioner for a Day and perform your marriage. Click here for more information.


OTHER

• The County Clerk is authorized to issue marriage licenses and perform civil marriages. The Clerk is also the official filing location for certain other official documents, such as: vital records of birth, death, or marriage; notaries public, or persons acting with power of attorney; fictitious business name statements; licenses for humane officers, process servers, and professional photocopiers; passport applications; revocations of process server registrations.



• These records are made available to the public as allowed by law. Copying and certification costs may apply.



• The County Recorder maintains a permanent archive of documents related to recordable transactions, such as deeds and maps relating to real property sales. The Recorder is responsible for examination and recording of all documents presented for recording that deal with establishing ownership of land in the County or as required by law.



• The Recorder collects documentary transfer and conveyance taxes on all property sales. Documents are recorded, indexed, scanned, and stored. The public may search, view, and copy these records. Copying and certification costs may apply.