County Clerk-Recorder for deaths in Santa Clara County. CDPH mail is the slow backup. Informational copies are stamped not valid to establish identity.
Who may request
Authorized copies: parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, legal guardian, governmental agencies, and legal representatives, consistent with California Health and Safety Code section 103526. Informational copies if you do not have that relationship. Banks want authorized.
What to bring
Government-issued photo ID (driver license, passport, or permanent resident card as the county lists). Authorized mail orders need a notarized sworn statement. Informational mail does not.
Where to write or visit
In person: 110 West Tasman Drive, 1st Floor, San Jose, CA 95134. Mail and online options are on the Clerk-Recorder death-certificate page. CDPH in Sacramento is the statewide mail backup.
Notes from the desk
Cash or check $26 per copy. Card payments add a $2.50 convenience fee on the in-person page this check. The search fee is charged even if no record is found. There is no cheaper extra. Start with the county, not CDPH. Online orders, where offered, go through a vendor. This desk takes no cut.