Tulare County Birth Certificate: How to Order, Fees, and Copies

A certified copy of a Tulare County birth certificate costs $34 as of January 1, 2026, and you can order one in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. The Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder in Visalia holds records for all years on file; the county’s Health and Human Services Agency can issue copies only for the current year and the year before it. What type of copy you receive, authorized or informational, depends on your relationship to the person named on the record.

Which Office to Contact

Tulare County has two offices that issue birth certificates, and picking the right one saves a trip. The Clerk-Recorder’s office at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, Visalia, maintains birth records for all years on file and is the right choice for most requests. The Health and Human Services Agency’s Vital Statistics office handles registrations and can issue copies only for the current year and the year immediately before it.¹ Anything older goes to the Clerk-Recorder. The HHSA Vital Statistics office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and also handles out-of-hospital birth registrations.

Information You’ll Need Before You Apply

You’ll need these details about the person whose birth certificate you want:

Full legal name as it appears on the original record
Date of birth
City or county where the birth occurred
Full names of both parents, including the birth parent’s maiden name

Spelling matters. Misspelled names or incorrect dates can delay your request or leave the county unable to locate the record. If you aren’t sure of exact spellings, include everything you have and note your uncertainty on the application. The form is available to download from the Tulare County birth records page or to pick up at the Clerk-Recorder’s office.²

The Notarized Sworn Statement

If you’re requesting an authorized certified copy by mail or online, you must include a notarized Sworn Statement declaring under penalty of perjury that you’re legally eligible to receive the record. Your signature on the application must be notarized by a notary public.³ Without that notarized statement, the county will not process the request as an authorized copy.⁴ An informational copy requires no notarization.

Authorized vs. Informational Copies

California splits birth certificate copies into two types. An authorized certified copy can be used to prove identity for a passport, driver’s license, and similar purposes. An informational copy contains the same data but is stamped “INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY.”⁵

Under Health and Safety Code Section 103526, these people qualify for an authorized certified copy:

The registrant, meaning the person named on the certificate
A parent or legal guardian listed on the certificate (guardians need documentation)
A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant
A law enforcement officer or government representative conducting official business
An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant’s estate, or a person or agency appointed by a court to act on the registrant’s behalf
A person with a court order entitling them to the record, or an attorney or licensed adoption agency acting under Family Code requirements

The list is broader than many people expect. Adult children requesting a deceased parent’s certificate, siblings handling estate matters, and grandparents all qualify without a court order.⁵ Anyone outside those categories automatically receives an informational copy.

How to Order

In Person

Walk-in requests are usually the fastest. The Clerk-Recorder’s office is at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, Visalia, CA 93291, open Monday through Friday. Certificate issuance ends at 3:00 p.m. even though the office stays open until 5:00 p.m. for questions and research.⁶ Staff can verify your identity and eligibility at the counter, so you don’t need a notarized Sworn Statement.

By Mail

Send your completed application, your notarized Sworn Statement (if you’re requesting an authorized copy), and payment to:

Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder
221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105
Visalia, CA 93291

Pay by check or money order made out to the “Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder.” Do not send cash.³ Mail orders add postal time in both directions plus the office’s processing queue.

Online Through VitalChek

Tulare County partners with VitalChek for online orders. After you submit, you can have the certificate mailed or pick it up at the Clerk-Recorder’s office between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.³ Online orders accept credit cards but typically add convenience and shipping fees on top of the base certificate price. In-office pickup is a useful middle ground if you want to apply online without waiting for the mail.

Fees

A certified copy of a birth certificate from the Tulare County Clerk-Recorder costs $34 as of January 1, 2026, reflecting a statewide $2 increase under Assembly Bill 64.⁷ The HHSA Vital Statistics office charges the same $34 for the recent-year records it handles.¹

You can also order through the California Department of Public Health, which charges $31 per copy. CDPH accepts only mail-in requests, with payment by check or money order payable to “CDPH-VR” sent to its Sacramento office.⁸ State processing tends to be slower than county processing, but it’s an option if you can’t easily reach the Tulare County office.

Newborns and Timing

A newborn’s certificate isn’t available right away. The hospital submits the registration to the county, and the certified copy is typically available four to six weeks after the birth date. Call the Clerk-Recorder before making a trip for a recent birth so you don’t arrive before the record is on file.

For existing records, in-person requests move fastest. Mail orders depend on postal delivery each way plus office processing. VitalChek with in-office pickup can split the difference.

Fee Waiver for Homeless Individuals

Under California Health and Safety Code Section 103577, a homeless individual can receive one fee-exempt certified copy of their own birth record per application. You’ll need to present an Affidavit of Homeless Status signed by both you and an authorized homeless services provider, such as a staff member at a government or nonprofit agency serving the homeless, a licensed California attorney, a school liaison for homeless children, or a law enforcement officer designated as a homeless liaison. The request must go through the local registrar or county recorder in the county where the birth occurred, not the state registrar.

Corrections and Adding a Parent

Minor errors like a misspelled name or missing middle name can be fixed by filing an Affidavit to Amend a Record (Form VS 24) with CDPH. If you also want a certified copy of the corrected record, include a notarized Sworn Statement (Form VS 20). Amendments filed within one year of the birth have no amendment fee, though a certified copy still costs $31. After one year, CDPH charges a $26 amendment fee that includes one free copy of the amended record; additional copies are $31.⁹ Larger changes, including a full name change or swapping first and middle names, cannot be handled through VS 24. Those need a court order first, followed by Form VS 23.

If a second parent wasn’t listed on the original record, California’s Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) can add them without a court case. A VDOP carries the same legal weight as a court judgment of parentage and triggers a new birth certificate with both parents’ names. It can be signed at a local child support agency, a registrar of births, a Family Law Facilitator at the superior court, a local welfare office, or before a notary, then filed with the California Department of Child Support Services Parentage Opportunity Program. A VDOP cannot be used in surrogacy cases or where a court has already declared someone else the child’s legal parent.¹⁰

Apostilles for Use Abroad

If a foreign country that belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention needs to recognize your Tulare County birth certificate, you’ll need an apostille from the California Secretary of State. The certificate must be an original certified copy; photocopies won’t work. The apostille costs $20 per document, and in-person requests at the Sacramento or Los Angeles offices add a $6 special handling fee per signature authenticated.¹¹

1
Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency. Vital Statistics
2
Tulare County. Birth Records
3
Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder. Birth Certificate
4
California Department of Public Health. How to Obtain a Certified Copy of a Birth Record
5
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103526
6
Tulare County. Clerk-Recorder
7
Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder. County Clerk Fee Schedule
8
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Obtaining Certified Copies of Birth Records
9
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Fees
10
California Courts. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage
11
California Secretary of State. Request an Apostille