Riverside County Genealogy Records Search

Genealogy records in Riverside County include birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, and vital documents maintained by the county assessor-clerk-recorder office. Riverside County formed in 1893 from portions of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. The Riverside County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder preserves all vital records for births, deaths, and marriages occurring within county boundaries from 1893 to present. You can access these genealogy records through multiple office locations in Riverside, Indio, and Temecula, order online via the county portal, or submit mail requests. Most genealogy researchers choose informational copies which provide full record details without notarization requirements. Begin your Riverside County family history research with the resources and contact information listed below.

Riverside County Vital Records Offices

The Riverside County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder operates three full-service locations for vital records. The main office sits at 2724 Gateway Drive in Riverside. The Indio office serves eastern county residents at 42-520 Beacon Hill. The Temecula office handles southwestern county requests at 41002 County Center Drive.

Riverside office hours run Monday through Friday from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. Call 951-486-7000 for the Riverside location. The Indio office can be reached at 760-863-8247. Temecula office phone is 951-600-6208. Each location provides same day service for in person requests if records are on file.

Birth certificates cost thirty one dollars per copy. Death certificates run twenty six dollars each. Marriage certificates are nineteen dollars. These fees match California state rates effective January 2026. Additional copies of the same document ordered simultaneously receive reduced pricing compared to the first copy.

Three methods exist to obtain Riverside County genealogy records. Visit any of the three offices in person for immediate service. Order online through the county's vital records website with a credit card. Mail a completed application with check or money order to the Riverside office. In person service is fastest. Online ordering adds convenience with extra processing fees. Mail requests take longest but avoid online service charges.

Historical Genealogy Records

Riverside County formed in 1893 when the state legislature carved territory from San Bernardino County and San Diego County. Before county formation, vital records were kept by those parent counties. If you are searching for Riverside area records before 1893, check San Bernardino County and San Diego County holdings.

Early Riverside County attracted citrus farmers, land developers, and settlers drawn by irrigation projects. The city of Riverside became famous for navel orange groves. Families from across the United States moved to the county seeking agricultural opportunities. Death certificates from this era often list birthplaces in other states, helping trace migration patterns.

California did not require birth and death registration until 1915. Many Riverside County families did not register vital events before this mandate. If you seek births or deaths between 1893 and 1915, expect gaps in official records. Church records, cemetery markers, and newspaper obituaries sometimes provide dates when government documents do not exist.

Marriage records are the most complete early vital records. Couples needed legal marriage licenses regardless of when or where they married. Riverside County has marriage records from county formation in 1893 forward. These include both spouses' names, ages, birthplaces, parents' names, occupations, and residence information.

Property records help trace Riverside County families when vital records have gaps. The recorder office maintains land patents, deeds, and homestead records from the 1890s forward. These documents show where families settled and when they purchased land. Water district records also exist, revealing which irrigation cooperatives families joined to farm successfully in this arid region.

How to Access Vital Records

Genealogists should request informational copies rather than certified copies. Informational copies contain identical information but display a legend stating they cannot establish identity. This designation does not affect genealogy research. Informational copies require no notarization for mail requests and no proof of relationship to the person named on the record.

Certified copies are restricted to authorized persons under California Health and Safety Code Section 103526. Authorized persons include the registrant, parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, and spouses. Genealogy researchers studying more distant relatives or unrelated individuals receive informational copies automatically. Both copy types cost the same amount.

Birth records become available about three weeks after birth. Death certificates arrive within four weeks after death occurs. Marriage certificates post within days once the officiant files them. Do not order immediately after an event. Wait the appropriate time for the county to receive and process records into their system.

If a record cannot be located, you receive a Certificate of No Public Record. Fees are not refunded. Search fees cover staff time examining indexes and files as required by California law. Before ordering, confirm the event occurred in Riverside County and verify your dates. Contact the assessor-clerk-recorder office to check whether they have the record before submitting payment.

Note: For events before 1893 in areas that became Riverside County, check San Bernardino County records or San Diego County records depending on which parent county had jurisdiction over that specific location.

Online Record Ordering

Riverside County offers online ordering for birth, death, and marriage certificates through its website. Payment requires a credit card. The system includes electronic identity verification. If verification fails, you must provide a notarized sworn statement. Genealogists should select informational copies which do not require notarization.

Online orders include additional service fees beyond the certificate cost. These non-refundable fees cover credit card processing and system maintenance. Mail requests avoid these extra fees if you pay by check or money order. Choose the method that fits your budget and timeline.

FamilySearch provides free California vital record indexes. The California Birth Index covers 1905 to 1995. The California Death Index spans 1905 to 1939. Search these databases before ordering certificates. The indexes confirm whether records exist and provide approximate dates. Once you find an index entry, order the full certificate from Riverside County for complete details.

The California Digital Newspaper Collection includes Riverside County newspapers from the 1890s forward. Search for obituaries, marriage announcements, and local news items. These add context not found on official certificates. Obituaries list surviving family members, burial details, and biographical information. Marriage announcements name parents and describe wedding ceremonies.

Major Cities in Riverside County

Riverside County includes multiple cities with populations over one hundred thousand residents. Riverside serves as county seat with 317,515 people. Corona has 156,031 residents. Moreno Valley counts 211,247 people. Murrieta has 116,607 residents.

Other qualifying cities include Temecula with 114,761 people, Menifee with 103,089, and Indio with 100,003. Each city offers local history resources through libraries and historical societies. While vital records are maintained at the county level, city resources supplement official records with photographs, directories, and community histories.

Riverside County Research Strategies

Start with what you know and work backward through generations. Death certificates often provide parent names and birthplaces. These clues help trace families who migrated to Riverside County from other states or countries. Cross reference multiple records to build accurate family trees.

Check both county and state sources. The California Department of Public Health has Riverside County vital records from 1905 forward. The county has records from 1893 forward including years before statewide registration began. If you cannot find a record at the state level, search with the county recorder.

Cemetery records throughout Riverside County supplement official vital records. Evergreen Cemetery in Riverside dates to the 1870s. Olivewood Cemetery also has many pioneer burials. Findagrave and BillionGraves include Riverside County cemetery photographs and transcriptions. Tombstones sometimes provide dates when government records are missing.

The California State Library Sutro Branch has Riverside County family histories and genealogical materials. Their collection includes census records, city directories, and genealogical society publications. Sutro staff will look up entries and scan pages for researchers who cannot visit. Email sutro@library.ca.gov with Riverside County research questions.

Local historical societies maintain archives and photograph collections. The Riverside Metropolitan Museum has extensive collections documenting the citrus industry and community development. These materials provide context for understanding ancestors' lives beyond bare facts on certificates.

Information on Vital Records

Birth certificates list full name, date and place of birth, parent names, mother's maiden name, and father's occupation. Hospital births show the hospital name. Home births list the residence address. Informational copies include all this data but display a legend about not establishing identity.

Death certificates include name, death date and place, cause of death, birthplace, parents' names, spouse name, informant information, and burial or cremation details. Death records help genealogists by listing birthplaces in other states or countries. This shows where to search for earlier records when families migrated to Riverside County.

Marriage certificates show both spouses' names, ages, birthplaces, parents' names, occupations, residences, and wedding information. Riverside County marriage records exist for licenses issued in the county. If a couple married in Riverside County but obtained their license elsewhere, the other county holds the official record. Search where the license was issued, not where the ceremony occurred.

Surrounding County Records

Families moved between Riverside County and neighboring areas. San Bernardino County borders Riverside County to the north. Orange County lies to the west. San Diego County sits to the south. Imperial County borders Riverside to the east.

Marriage licenses are issued by the county where couples apply, not where ceremonies occur. Your ancestors might have married in Riverside County but lived in San Bernardino County. Check marriage records in multiple counties if your initial search fails. The county issuing the license holds the official record.