Tina's California Open Counties Page

This information is subject to change at the whim of the county
Alameda County Alameda County Recorder Clerk of the Court 1225 Fallon Street Room 100 Oakland, CA. 94612 510-272-6381 Adoptive Parent should bring case #. Willing to copy full file	Contra Costa Contra Costa County Recorder 730 Las Juntas, Box 350 Martinez, CA 94553 925-646-2365	Glenn County 526 W. Sycamore Street Willows, CA 95988 530-934-6412 possibly open
Marin County Marin County Recorder Civic Center Courthouse, Room 234 San Rafael, CA 94903 415-499-6094	Napa County Napa County Recorder 900 Coombs Street, Room 116 Napa, CA 94559-0298 707-253-4246 Not clear from speaking with the clerk if this is a "open" county. However, the adoptive parents should try it.	Orange County Orange County Recorder 12 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Box 238 Santa Ana, CA 92702 714-834-2248 Get Form from County
Santa Clara County County Government Center East Wing 70 West Hedding Street San Jose, CA 95110 408-299-7068 (request must be made in person by adoptive parent)	Santa Cruz County 701 Ocean Street, Room 203 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-454-2800	Shasta County 1500 Court Street, Room 102 Redding, CA 96001-1679 530-225-5671
Sonoma County 585 Fiscal Drive Santa Rosa, CA 95403 707-527-2651 Not clear from speaking with the clerk if this is a "open" county. However, the adoptive parents should try it.

To make request: Have one of your a-parents send a notarized letter. Provide case number if possible, and date adoption was finalized. A-parents need to provide their full names, including mothers maiden name, and a picture ID and their SS#. Include amended name of child (adult adoptee) and original birth-name if you have it. Fees can vary, are usually 50 cents a page. Might be wise to have a-parent send a check not to exceed $20, and the county clerk with fill in the correct amount, based on number of pages involved.

California's Court of Jurisdiction on Adoption is Superior Court

This may be helpful to those Aparents who were told they cannot access the adoption records at Superior Court. The following is how the law reads.

CALIFORNIA CODES - FAMILY.CODE - SECTION 9200
9200. (a)	The petition, relinquishment or consent, agreement, order, report to the court from any investigating agency, and any power of attorney and deposition filed in the office of the county clerk pursuant to this part is not open to inspection by any person other than the parties to the proceeding and their attorneys and the department, except upon the written authority of the judge of the superior court. A judge of the superior court may not authorize anyone to inspect the petition, relinquishment or consent, agreement, order, report to the court from any investigating agency, or power of attorney or deposition or any portion of any of these documents, except in exceptional circumstances and for good cause approching the necessitous. The petitioner may be required to pay the expenses for preparing the copies of the documents to be inspected.
	If there is a question about who the parties to the proceeding are, here is the definition of that too. (Include this with your copy of the above code.)
8611.	All court hearings in an adoption proceeding shall be held in private, and the court shall exclude all persons except the officers of the court, the parties, their witnesses, counsel and representatives of the agencies present to perform their offical duties under the law governing adoptions.
Compiled by Ann Spanel ISC - LOST and FOUND ROOTS
Many counties do not honor the above because of the following: Health and Welfare Code 102730. All records and information specified in this article, other than the newly issued birth certificate, shall be available only upon order of a court of record. This was defined in 8/95 by SB 1360.