Look Up Free Riverside County Marriage Records on Anybody

Search free Riverside County marriage records without stress or tedious hours spent on the process. Use this streamlined resource for the most efficient methods of tracking down various types of marriage records publicly available throughout the county.

Thanks to the California Public Records Act, most marriage records are publicly accessible, meaning anyone can view them. You can obtain them whether you’re conducting a genealogy search or learning more about the marital history of a friend, colleague, or potential partner.

This article provides information on marriage records in Riverside County and how to acquire them. Lookup tools and resources are offered throughout this resource to assist you in expediting your search.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Perform a Riverside County Marriage Records Search

If you are looking for a way to access Riverside County marital records, one option is to perform a search with the Assessor County Clerk Recorder Search Tool.¹ Marriage records are available from January 1, 1893 all the way to the present.

A citizen can search by a person’s name or the document number. Select “marriage” under the document type when performing a name-based search. You can also set a date range for when the marriage was recorded to get a more manageable list of results.

Search results will provide all marriage records with the parties’ names and wedding dates. You can then click on a marriage record to view more information.

You can view a PDF of the original filed with the Riverside Assessor County Clerk Recorder for some marriage records. If you want to order a copy, you can click the “purchase” button at the bottom right corner of the page.

If you want a copy of any marriage record, it will cost you $7.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page. There is also an additional $2.00 charge if you want the document to be certified.

You can also request a marriage record online, in person and by mail through the Riverside Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. Below are your choices for making a request.

Online: A person can complete an online application for a public or confidential marriage certificate.

In Person: You can also complete the online application and schedule an appointment to pick up a copy of the marriage record in person.³

By Mail: Another option is to complete an Application for A Certified Copy Of Marriage Record and mail it to the address below:

Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Post Office Box No. 751
Riverside, California 92502

Drop Box: There is even an option to drop off an Application for A Certified Copy Of Marriage Record at any of the available drop boxes provided by the Riverside County Assessor County Clerk Recorder.⁴

Marriage certificates through any of these methods cost $17.00. For additional questions, you can contact the Riverside County Clerk-Recorder by phone at 800-696-9144 or 951-955-6200.

They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can make a visit to any of their office locations, including their main office, at the address below:

Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Riverside Gateway
2724 Gateway Drive
Riverside, California 92507

Note: Certain marriage records are only allowed to be accessed by the parties listed on the license. This occurs when a couple in California decides they want to have a confidential marriage. The only exception to this restriction is if access is granted by a court order.

Certain cities also may provide a citizen with an option to request a marriage record. However, it appears that the city clerks in Riverside County defer to the county clerk when it comes to marriage records.

There are also archived marriage records that can be used for genealogical purposes. Stay tuned, how to access these types of records will be detailed in the next section.

How Do You Access Historical Riverside County Marital Information for Genealogical Purposes?

If you are performing a genealogical search, you may need to determine how to best access archived marriage records in Riverside County. The Assessor County Clerk Recorder Search Tool contains marriage records dating all the way back to 1893 and can be a useful tool for beginning your search of archived documents.

The Riverside Assessor County Clerk Recorder is the primary record custodian for all marriage records. For questions about the availability of archived marriage records, you can contact them at 800-696-9144 or 951-955-6200.

They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can also visit any of the Riverside Assessor County Clerk Recorder locations to talk to someone in person.⁵

You can also check with the Riverside County Archives.⁶ You can look through their records in person by appointment Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. To schedule an appointment or ask about available records, you can contact them by email at [email protected] or by phone at 951-486-7327.

For additional resources for searching archived marriage records, consider looking for available documents held by religious institutions, historical societies and public libraries. They may have marriage information located in various indexes, records and even old newspapers.

Records may include some common law marriages, which is when a union is recognized by a state without going through the formal steps most people do. While California abolished common law marriages in 1895, they do recognize those that were already established in a state where it is still legal.

California presently recognizes domestic partnerships.⁷ Domestic partnerships are registered with the California Secretary of State.

A final option for searching archived marriage records is to see what may be available with the California State Archives.⁸ Check out their frequently asked questions page for additional information.

How To Track Down Marital Records Throughout California

After exhausting all your options in searching for marriage records within Riverside County, you still may have information you want to find. One reason may be that the person was married somewhere else in California.

When that is the case, you can always reach out to the responsible county agency if you are able to figure out where the marriage license was issued. Otherwise, regardless of county, you can make a request through the California Department of Public Health Vital Records Office.⁹

If a citizen is looking to request a marriage record, the Vital Records office has marriage records from 1905 to 1999 and 2008 to 2022. Records from 2000 through 2007 and 2023 can only be accessed through the County Recorder’s Office where the marriage occurred.

If a citizen wants to request a certified marriage certificate with the California Department of Public Health’s Vital Records Office, they can do so by completing their Application for a Certified Copy of Marriage Record.¹⁰ The completed application should be mailed to the address below:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, California 95899

The application for marriage record has two different selections a requester can make. The first one, a certified informational copy, is available to anyone. However, the option for a certified copy is only available to a limited group of individuals.

Those include the following:

• Either party listed on the marriage record
• Family members (parents, legal guardian, sibling, child, spouse, domestic partner, grandparent and grandchild)
• Someone authorized by court order or statute to act on behalf of a party (or their estate) that is listed on the marriage record
• Anyone authorized by a court order
• A member of a government agency (including law enforcement) that needs the record to conduct official business

If you are looking for an online option, you can use any of the approved third-party vendors listed below:

• VitalChek
• State Vital Records¹¹
• Vital Records Online

A marriage record from the California Department of Public Health Vital Records Office costs $17.00. If you use one of the above online options, be aware that you will be charged additional shipping and processing fees.

If you have any questions about how to request a marriage record, you can contact the Vital Records Office via email at [email protected] or by calling them at 916-445-2684.¹²

How To Apply for a Marriage License in Riverside County California

If you’re looking to get married in Riverside County, then the first thing you need to know is how to apply for a license.

A person can make a request for a marriage license through the Riverside County Clerk’s Office.¹³ To be eligible for a marriage license, you will have to meet the following four requirements:

• Parties are 18 years of age or older (or have appropriate consent).
• Parties are together during the marriage license appointment.
• Parties have valid government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver’s license, passport etc.).
• A copy of a final dissolution is provided if either party was divorced within 90 days of the marriage license being issued.

Before you fill out your application, you will have to decide whether you are looking to apply for a public or confidential marriage. You can then complete the marriage license application online.¹⁴

Once the application is complete, you can schedule an appointment.

The fee for a public marriage license is $100.00, and a confidential marriage license costs $110.00.¹⁵ Regardless of the type of marriage license, it is valid for 90 days, during which time an authorized ceremony must be performed. For additional information, you can view the Riverside County Clerk’s FAQ page.

You can also contact the Riverside County Clerk-Recorder for additional information at 800-696-9144 or 951-486-7000. They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Their main office is located at the following address:

Riverside Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Riverside Gateway
2724 Gateway Drive
Riverside, California 92507

With the information provided here, you can now apply for your own marriage license in Riverside County, California. This article also equips you with the necessary resources for tracking down Riverside County marriage records and those issued throughout all of California.