Santa Barbara Obituary Database

Santa Barbara County death records are maintained by the county clerk recorder's office. The county has records of deaths that occurred in Santa Barbara County from 1850 to the present. Two office locations serve the county, one in Santa Barbara and one in Santa Maria. You can request death certificates by mail or in person at either location. The fee is $26 per copy starting in 2026. Both authorized and informational copies are available depending on whether you are an authorized person under California law. The county does not have copies of divorce records or dissolution records, only death, birth, and marriage records.

Getting Death Certificates from Santa Barbara County

To order a death certificate, visit the Santa Barbara County vital records portal. This page has information about ordering death records. You need the full name of the deceased and the date of death. The place of death in Santa Barbara County helps speed the search. State your relationship to the deceased to determine whether you receive an authorized or informational copy.

Two office locations serve Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara office is at 1100 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara. The Santa Maria office is at 511 Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria. Both offices provide the same services and have the same fees. Visit whichever location is more convenient for you.

Call (805) 568-2251 to reach the vital records office. Staff can answer questions about fees, processing times, and what information you need. They can also tell you which office is closest to you and confirm hours of operation. Hours may vary between the two locations.

For mail requests, send a completed application form with payment of $26 per copy. Make checks or money orders payable to Santa Barbara County Clerk Recorder. Include a self addressed stamped envelope. Do not send cash by mail. Mail your request to the Santa Barbara office at 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Who Can Get Authorized Copies

California law says only authorized persons can receive a certified copy that can be used to establish identity. Authorized persons include the spouse or domestic partner. Parents and children of the deceased qualify. Grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings are also authorized. Attorneys representing the estate and funeral directors handling arrangements can get authorized copies.

To prove you are authorized, you must provide a notarized sworn statement with your request. This statement declares under penalty of perjury that you are eligible under California Health and Safety Code Section 103526. It must be signed in the presence of a notary public. Without this notarized statement, you will receive an informational copy.

Informational copies are available to anyone without proving a relationship. These copies have a watermark stating they cannot be used to establish identity. They work for genealogy research or personal records. Banks, insurance companies, and government agencies will not accept informational copies for legal purposes.

Cost of Death Certificates

The fee for a Santa Barbara County death certificate is $26 per copy. This fee is set by state law and applies to both authorized and informational copies. Each additional copy of the same record costs $26. The county does not offer discounts for ordering multiple copies at once.

If the county cannot find the record you request, they keep your fee. They will issue a Certificate of No Public Record showing they searched. The fee is not refundable even when no record is found. Make sure you have accurate information about the deceased before ordering.

Payment methods include check, money order, or credit card in person. Make checks payable to Santa Barbara County Clerk Recorder. Do not send cash through the mail. The county is not responsible for cash lost in the mail. Credit card payments in person may have a small convenience fee added.

How Long Processing Takes

In person requests at either Santa Barbara County office can be completed while you wait if the record is readily available. Most records from recent decades are in the computer system and print quickly. Staff will search for the record and prepare the certificate during your visit. This is the fastest way to get a death certificate.

Older records may be stored offsite or on microfilm. These records can take one to three business days to retrieve. Call ahead if you need a record more than 50 years old to ask about availability and retrieval time. Staff can tell you if the record is readily accessible or requires extra time.

Mail requests take longer to process. Allow two to four weeks from the date the office receives your application until you get the certificate in the mail. High volume periods may cause longer delays. Sending a complete application with all required information helps avoid delays. Incomplete applications are returned without processing.

Information Required for Ordering

You must provide the full legal name of the deceased. Include middle names if known. The date of death is very important. If you do not know the exact date, provide the year and month at minimum. A narrow date range helps staff locate the record faster.

The place of death within Santa Barbara County helps speed the search. This could be a city, hospital, nursing home, or other location. Your relationship to the deceased must be stated on the application. This determines whether you receive an authorized or informational copy.

For authorized copies, prepare a notarized sworn statement before you submit your request. The statement must declare under penalty of perjury that you are an authorized person under California law. It must be signed in front of a notary public. Notary services are available at most banks, shipping stores, and some county offices.

Death Certificate Amendments

If you need to make changes to a death certificate, contact the California Department of Public Health. The county clerk recorder does not process amendments to vital records. Amendments to birth, death, and public marriage certificates are handled by the state level vital records office.

Common reasons for amendments include correcting a misspelled name, updating cause of death information, or adding missing information. The state requires documentation to support any requested changes. This could include medical records, court orders, or other official documents.

The amendment process can take several months. There are fees for filing amendments. Contact the California Department of Public Health Vital Records office at (916) 445-2684 for information about amending a death certificate. They can explain what documentation you need and how long the process takes.

Death Records for County Cities

Santa Barbara County includes eight cities. These are Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Carpinteria, Goleta, Buellton, Guadalupe, and Solvang. None of these cities issue death certificates. All vital records are maintained by the Santa Barbara County Clerk Recorder.

If someone died in any Santa Barbara County city, you must request the death certificate from the county office. The city where the death occurred will be noted on the certificate. This applies to both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas within the county. The county office has all death records regardless of where in the county the death took place.

The centralized system makes it simple to know where to request records. You always contact the county clerk recorder rather than trying to find a city department. This is the standard system in California where cities typically do not maintain vital records.

Older Santa Barbara County Death Records

Santa Barbara County has death records dating back to 1850. The county was one of the original 27 California counties formed in 1850. Early records may be on microfilm or in archived storage. These old records can take longer to retrieve than recent records.

California did not require statewide death registration until July 1, 1905. For deaths before that date, county recorders are the only source. Santa Barbara County records from the 1850s through early 1900s may have less information than modern certificates. They typically show basic facts like name, date, age, and cause of death.

Requesting a record from the 1800s may take extra time for staff to locate and retrieve. Call ahead if you need a historical record to ask about availability and processing time. The clerk recorder's office can search old records if you provide enough identifying information like the full name and approximate year of death.

Genealogists use Santa Barbara County death records to trace family history. Informational copies work for this purpose since no legal use is intended. The county has helped many researchers locate records of ancestors who lived in the area over 100 years ago.

Neighboring California Counties

Santa Barbara County borders Ventura County to the south, Kern County to the northeast, and San Luis Obispo County to the northwest. The Pacific Ocean is to the west. If you are unsure which county a death occurred in, check with these neighboring counties.

Contact information for nearby counties:

• Ventura County Clerk Recorder: (805) 654-2267
• Kern County Public Health: (661) 321-3000
• San Luis Obispo County Clerk Recorder: (805) 781-5080

Each county maintains only its own death records. If the death occurred outside Santa Barbara County, you must contact the correct county. The Santa Barbara County office cannot provide records from other counties even if they share a border.