Certificates & Vital Records

Home Birth and Out-of-Hospital Birth Appointments

Vital Records registers home births in our office by appointment. The process is simple, but you will need to gather necessary documentation prior to scheduling an appointment with us.

Review and complete our Out-of-Hospital Birth Registration packet (PDF) prior to scheduling your appointment.

You may schedule an appointment any time during regular office hours by calling (530) 265-7264.

• If the parents are not married and the other parent wishes to be included on the birth certificate, they will need to be at the family appointment as well to fill out a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) form. 
  • This form is a legal document which establishes the child’s parentage in the following situations:
    • An unmarried birth parent and the only possible genetic father.
    • Two people, married or unmarried, who had this child through assisted reproduction using sperm and/or egg donation, except if the donation was from their spouse. 

The home birth must have occurred within the last 12 months. After one year delayed registration is available through the California Office of Vital Records.

Midwives

Please fill out the Out of Hospital Birth Worksheet and fax it to the Vital Records Office at 530-271-0829 within two days of birth. Our staff will schedule an appointment with the family to review and sign the birth certificate prior to submitting it to the state for state registration. The State of California requires birth records to be registered within ten days of birth, per Health and Safety Code Section 102400. “Each live birth shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths for the district in which the birth occurred within 10 days following the date of the event.” For out of hospital births attended by the physician or midwife, per Health and Safety Code Section 102415, it is the responsibility of the attending physician or midwife to register the birth with the county in a timely manner.

Copies of Birth Records

State law allows only authorized individuals to receive certified copies of a birth record. A certified copy of a birth record is required to obtain a driver's license, passport, social security card and other services related to an individual's identity. Please see below for a list of authorized individuals.

Those who are not authorized by law to receive a certified copy will receive an informational certified copy. Informational copies are clearly marked with "Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity.".

Authorized Persons

• The registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant.
• A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code.
• A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business.
• A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.
• An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's estate.

How to request a certified copy of a birth certificate

Complete the sworn statement included with the birth certificate application form and sign the statement under penalty of perjury. 

• In-person: Complete the In-Person Birth Certificate Application
  • For an in person appointment at the Vital Records Office to obtain a birth certificate, please call 530-265-7264.
  • The Vital Records Office is currently requiring an appointment to pick up a birth certificate in person. 
• By mail: Complete the Mail-In Birth Certificate Application
  • If you mail your request, your sworn statement must be notarized. 
  • If your mailed request indicates that you want a Certified Copy but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be rejected as incomplete and returned to you without being processed.

Copies of Death Certificates and Death Records

State law only allows authorized individuals to receive certified copies of death records. A certified copy of a death record may be required to obtain death benefits, claim insurance proceeds, notify social security and obtain other services related to an individual's identity.

Those who are not authorized by law to receive a certified copy will receive a certified copy marked "Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity."

Authorized Persons

• A parent or legal guardian of the registrant
• A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code.
• A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business.
• A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.
• An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's estate.
• A funeral director ordering certified copies of a death certificate on behalf of an individual specified in paragraphs one (1) to five (5), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 7100 of the Health and Safety Code.

How to Obtain Copies of Death Certificates

Complete the Death Certificate Application Form (see below). In order to obtain a Certified Copy, you must complete the sworn statement included with the death certificate application form and sign the statement under penalty of perjury.

•  In-person: Complete the In-Person Death Certificate Application (PDF)
  • For and in-person appointment at the Vital Records Office to obtain a death certificate, please call 530-265-7264.
  • The Vital Records Office is currently requiring an appointment to pick up a death certificate in person. 
• By mail: Complete the Mail-In Death Certificate Application (PDF)
  • If you mail your request, your sworn statement must be notarized.
  • If your mailed request indicates that you want a Certified Copy but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be rejected as incomplete and returned to you without being processed.
• A funeral director ordering copies on behalf of an individual specified in paragraphs one (1) to five (5), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 7100 of the Health and Safety Code is not required to complete the notarized statement.)

Certified Copies of a Fetal Death

Certificate can only be issued at the time of registration. Fetal Death Certificates are not kept in the Local Vital Records Office. Once the certificate is registered it is immediately sent to the State Office of Vital Records in Sacramento.

Death Records

Application for Death Records (PDF)

• Certified Death Certificates are $24.00 each 
• Certified Fetal Death Certificates are $20.00 each

Burial Permits

A burial permit must be accompanied by a death certificate and should correspond with that information. The cost of a burial permit is $12.00.

If the disposition of human remains is moving from one location to another, then the permit must be re-filed to reflect the new location. All re-files must have a paper trail.  Burial Permits are numbered and kept in the Vital Records office for 2 years. Funeral Homes/Mortuaries keep their copy too.

Fees

Fees for Death Records and Burial Permits should be addressed to:

Nevada County Vital Records, 500 Crown Point Circle, Ste. 110, Grass Valley, CA  95945

Make checks payable to: Nevada County Vital Records

Application Process

Applications for the Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC) are accepted by appointment only. 

1. Complete your paperwork for your appointment:
   • Your completed Medical Marijuana Identification Card Application (PDF).   
     • The application lists all required documentation that you need to bring to your appointment. 
   • Have your physician complete the MMIC Physician Attestation Form (PDF). This is also required at your appointment. 
2. Make an appointment. Call (530) 265-7264 to schedule an appointment.

Medical Marijuana Card Fees 

• Patient card, primary caregiver card, replacement card, or renewal card: $100
• Medi-Cal participants are eligible for a 50% reduction in fees
• CMSP participants are eligible to have the fee waived

Payments

• Payments can be made in person by check, credit card or cash. 
  • We accept cash, check, and credit cards (VISA/MasterCard/Discover) for payment. There is a $2.00 or 2.4% processing fee for using a credit card. 
  • Make your check payable to Nevada County Vital Records. 
• Payments can be made by mail by check only. Include completed application with payment (see tabs below for applicable forms)
  • Send your mail-in application and payment to: Nevada County Vital Records, 500 Crown Point Circle, Ste. 110, Grass Valley, CA  95945

Certain types of death certificates and some information on death and birth certificates is not available to the public. Fetal death certificates and the separate section identified as health and medical information on birth certificates shall not be available to the public or to government agencies except as authorized by law.

Special Authorization

Specific authorization is granted to:

• State and local registrars' staff
• State and local health department staff when approved by the state or local registrar respectively
• Researchers who have approval from the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects and the Vital Statistics Advisory Committee (VSAC)
• The parent who signed the certificate, or if no parent signed, the mother
• The person named on the certificate
• An adoptive parent after the certificate has been amended pursuant to Health and Safety Code, Section 102645