How to Search San Bernardino County Marriage Records
Marriage records for San Bernardino County come from the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk. The ARC office posts service info at arc.sbcounty.gov, and an online self-service portal sits at arcselfservice.sbcounty.gov. You can order a certified copy in person, by mail, or online. The mail address for vital records is County Clerk, 222 W. Hospitality Lane-1st Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0022. Walk-in service uses the same main ARC office at 222 West Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino.
The ARC vital records hub is reached at arc.sbcounty.gov.
The same office holds birth and death certificates, so search forms ask for the type of record and the names of the parties. To find a marriage record you need the full names of both spouses, the date or year of the marriage, and a mailing address for return of the certified copy.
For older marriages, ARC may need extra time to pull the index. The office also handles confidential marriage records, but those have stricter access rules covered later on the page.
How to Apply for a San Bernardino County Marriage License
A marriage license is the legal document the couple gets before the wedding. ARC issues the license. After the ceremony, the officiant signs and returns it, and ARC records it as a marriage certificate. The steps below mirror what San Bernardino County couples follow in practice.
The ARC marriage page is reached at arc.sbcounty.gov.
The marriage page lists both the license and the in-office ceremony service. Both spouses must appear at the ARC office to get the license.
- Check ID and eligibility. Both parties must be 18 or older, bring valid photo ID, and not be married to someone else. Minors need a court order.
- Apply through the ARC marriage page. Use arcselfservice.sbcounty.gov to start the form, then visit the office to finish and pay.
- Hold the ceremony. The officiant must be authorized to solemnize a marriage under Family Code section 400.
- The officiant returns the signed license. Family Code section 359 sets the return rules and time limits.
- ARC records the certificate. Recording after the ceremony takes 2 to 3 weeks.
- Order a certified copy when you need one. The fee is $19 per certified marriage certificate.
The Family Code 359 rule is the key step that turns a license into a recorded marriage certificate.
The Family Code 359 statute page is reached at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
If the officiant does not return the license on time, the marriage may not appear in the index. That is the most common cause of missing records.
San Bernardino County Marriage Certificate Fees and Other ARC Fees
The ARC fee schedule covers vital records and official records. Marriage certificate fees are flat per certified copy. Official records, like deeds and maps, are charged by the page. The license fee itself is not posted in the static research, so verify the current marriage license cost with ARC before applying. The certificate fee below is the fee for a certified copy after the marriage is recorded.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified marriage certificate copy | $19 |
| Certified birth certificate | $34 |
| Certified death certificate | $26 |
| Official record certified copy, first page | $4 |
| Official record certified copy, each extra page | $2 |
| Official record non-certified copy, first page | $3 |
| Official record non-certified copy, each extra page | $1 |
Note: A license fee and a certificate fee are not the same thing. The license is what the couple buys before the wedding. The certificate is the recorded copy you order after.
Confidential Marriages in San Bernardino County
California allows confidential marriages. The license and the recorded certificate are not public. Only the parties to the marriage may receive certified copies, and the request must include proof of identity. Third parties, even family members, cannot get a copy of a confidential marriage record without a court order. This is the main reason a marriage may not appear in a public search even when it took place in San Bernardino County.
Confidential marriages are popular with couples who want to keep the date and place of the marriage out of public files. The fee for a certified copy of a confidential record is the same as the standard marriage certificate fee. Both spouses must sign the request when ordering by mail.
Marriage License Application Form Fields
The ARC copy request form sets the format for any request for a recorded record, including a marriage certificate. The list below shows the fields that appear on the form. Use it as a guide when you fill out the request.
| Field Label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requested By / Solicitado Por | Text | Name of the person ordering the copy |
| Street Address / Direccion | Text | Mailing address for return of the certified copy |
| City / State / Zip | Text | Mailing city, state, and ZIP code |
| Phone Number | Text | Contact phone in case staff need to clarify the request |
| Record type | Checkbox | Fictitious Business Name Registration or Official Record |
| Copy type | Checkbox / fee | Certified or non-certified |
Note: Mail-in requests must include the fee and a self-addressed return envelope, or the office will return the request.
How to Search San Bernardino County Divorce Records
Divorce records are not held by ARC. The ARC vital records page makes this clear and tells the public to contact the court where the divorce was filed. In San Bernardino County, that court is the Superior Court family law division. To find a divorce case, use the Court Access Portal, known as CAP, at cap.sb-court.org. CAP lets you search by case number or by party name. The site is free to search, though copies have a per-page fee.
CAP shows the case caption, the file date, the parties, and the docket entries. Final judgments and decrees may show up as filed documents in the case index. To get a certified copy of the decree, contact the court clerk at the San Bernardino District Family Law office. You can also visit the courthouse in person and ask the clerk to pull the file.
For broader case search help, see the San Bernardino County court records page, which covers the CAP portal in depth. Probate and other family matters use the same portal but a different case category.
San Bernardino District Family Law
The family law division handles divorce, legal separation, annulment, child custody, child support, spousal support, and domestic violence restraining orders. It also handles parentage cases. The clerk at this location can take filings and accept certified copy requests for any judgment entered there.
San Bernardino District Family Law
351 North Arrowhead Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0245
909-521-3136
Fax: 909-521-3128
Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARC)
222 West Hospitality Lane
San Bernardino, CA 92415
909-387-8306
For court clerk help on the divorce side, see the Clerk of the Superior Court page. The Family Law office is open weekdays during posted court hours.
California Divorce Law
California is a no-fault divorce state. Family Code section 2300 sets out the grounds for dissolution. The two grounds are irreconcilable differences and permanent legal incapacity to make decisions. Neither side has to prove fault, like adultery or cruelty, to get a divorce. This makes most divorce records simpler than in fault-based states.
The Family Code 2300 page is reached at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
California also has a six-month waiting period before a divorce becomes final. The case may stay open longer if the parties dispute property, support, or custody.
What Is in a San Bernardino County Divorce Record
A divorce case file is part public, part restricted. The public parts include the petition, the response, the case caption, the file date, motions, the judgment, and the docket. The restricted parts include sensitive financial schedules, custody evaluations, domestic violence allegations, minor-related filings, and any document sealed by the judge.
The public side of the file is enough for most search needs. You can confirm the date a divorce was filed, the names of the parties, and the final judgment. To see income and asset detail, you usually need to be a party to the case or have a court order. Sealed parts are not shown in CAP at all.
For a quick reference on what the court holds versus what ARC holds, the rule is simple. ARC: license, certificate, name change after marriage. Court: petition, decree, support orders, custody orders.
San Bernardino County Vital Records Processing Times
Wait times vary by record type and request method. Mail requests take the longest. In-person requests for an existing record are often same day. New marriage certificates need 2 to 3 weeks after the ceremony before they can be ordered, because ARC has to receive and record the signed license first.
The ARC processing times page is reached at arc.sbcounty.gov.
The chart below gives the typical wait time for each method.
| Request Method | Typical Wait |
|---|---|
| Vital records by mail (birth, death, marriage) | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Marriage license recording after ceremony | 2 to 3 weeks |
| VitalChek third-party order | 3 to 4 weeks plus extra fees |
| Official record copies online | 2 business days |
| Official record copies by mail | 2 to 5 business days |
Note: Plan ahead if you need a certified copy for a passport, name change, or court case, since mail times can stretch in busy months.
Statewide and Federal Resources for Marriage and Divorce
The California Courts Self-Help center has forms and step-by-step help for divorce, legal separation, and annulment. It also has free guides on child custody, support, and restraining orders. The site is the best place to start if you plan to file a divorce on your own. The address is selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.
The California Department of Public Health also keeps an index of marriage records at the state level, but San Bernardino County records start with ARC. The state office is mainly used when the county of record is not known.