āOn January 16, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to further bolster the emergency response to severe winter storms and support impacted communities across the state. In the past week, California has secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and a Presidential Emergency Declaration to assist response and recovery efforts to the storms, which have resulted in at least 20 fatalities and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
Pursuant to this Proclamation of a State of Emergency, fees for certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage records are suspended for any individual who lost such records as a result of the winter storm. This Proclamation will remain in effect until the Governor terminates the State of Emergency. This Proclamation is available for viewing at:
Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order to Support Communities Impacted by Winter Storms 1.16.23ā (PDF)ā
When requesting free copies of a vital record, survivors of the winter storm should state on the application, āWinter Storm,ā and complete the enclosed sworn statement declaring under penalty of perjury that they are a survivor. The sworn statement for winter storm survivors is a combined sworn statement which also includes the sworn statement required by Health and Safety Code Section 103526. For requests sent to the California Department of Public Health ā Vital Records (CDPH-VR), survivors should additionally make the notation āWinter Stormā on the front of the mailing envelope, for faster processing.
The application and combined sworn statement must be submitted to complete the request.ā
Enclosed is a Monthly Transmittal of Fees form (VS 5), that includes a space to report the number of free copies issued by the county. The cell under āTotalā for āNumber of Free Copies Issuedā has been shaded to avoid confusion when calculating the total fees owed.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the CDPH-VR, Quality Assurance and Production Section at (916) 552-8116.
Sincerely,
Original signed by:
Dana E. Moore, MPH, CPH
State Registrar
Deputy Director
Center for Health Statistics and Informatics
Enclosures
CDPH Vital Records, MS 5103 ā P.O. Box 997410 āā Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
(916) 552-8116 ā (916) 552-8170 FAX
Internet Address: www.cdph.ca.gov