The Hall of Records is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Truxtun and Chester Avenues in downtown Bakersfield. The Recorder Annex is located directly adjacent at 1530 Truxtun Avenue. From Highway 99, go east on California Avenue. Turn north on Chester Avenue and go one block to Truxtun Avenue. From Highway 58, go north on Chester Avenue to Truxtun Avenue. View Map

No. However, forms are available free online or at stationery or office supply stores.

No, although we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice before recording any document affecting title to property.

You may come into our office and do an official record search under your name and view all the documents recorded in which you were a grantor or grantee. You can also view the index only on-line but not the images. Also search under any other names, forms of your name or business names that the liens could be recorded under. You may view the documents in order to determine which are liens and which are releases of liens.

Our records only reflect documents that other entities have submitted for recordation. If you paid off a lien and no release has been recorded, you must contact the authority or person who placed the lien against you to get them to correct their records and follow the process for recording a release with this office.

We do not report to credit agencies, nor can we intervene on the behalf of an individual disputing their credit profile. Documents recorded in our office are public record and are available for search by any interested parties, including credit-reporting agencies. You may dispute errors in your credit record with the credit bureau that is reporting them. Contact the bureau involved to initiate the dispute process.

Most home purchases involve recording deeds with this office. These deeds become public records. Anyone may view the information on these deeds. Some companies are in business to take information from certain kinds of documents and regularly come into this office for that purpose. Deeds often have the owner’s address as the mailing address, and anything on the document is public information that we can’t legally restrict. Most deeds do not have phone numbers, and we do not maintain files of addresses and phone numbers, so phone solicitors are likely getting your phone number from another source not known to us.

We do not maintain property files. We deal with recorded documents and everything is maintained by document number and grantor-grantee name. You can usually trace ownership history by viewing deeds in an official record search. There is no specific county agency that would have all types of records (deeds, easements, etc.) in one file per property. Title companies or title abstract companies can be used to search this type of information, if appropriate.

No, we only have records for events that occurred in Kern County. For marriages, you must contact the county in which the license was issued. Call the County Recorder in the county in which the event occurred to find out how you can get your record. In most cases, you have options that do not require a visit. If you have difficulty locating a phone number for another Recorder, you may call us or go to this useful directory created by the California Department of Public Health.

You first need to obtain a court order to release the record. Then send your request with a certified copy of the court order and $25 per copy payable to "CDPH Vital Records" in check or money order to:

CA Dept of Public Health
Vital Records - MS 5103
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410

No. The Kern County Clerk issues marriage licenses. You may call that office at (661) 868-3588.

Use of the Internet is restricted according to existing law.

If you would like to order a certified copy of a birth, marriage, or death certificate from Kern County over the Internet using a major credit card, visit the VitalChek website.