Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder

I was shocked to see the 4 star rating for this place but after I looked at most of the reviews, they were for marriages, licences and other simple forms. Try having anything SLIGHTLY complex and see how well your reviews come out. I have had the displeasure of having to file a few of these «complex» documents and it is hell. With one document, I was told that over the phone that I didn’t need to sign it, only the other party did. When I got there, I was not only told that I needed to sign it but it needed to be notarized. I had to walk four long city blocks dragging my two kids to find a notary. I guess for them to employ a notary in house makes too much sense.
I now have a document that was filled out by an attorney and they keep insisting it’s not enough information (although they have a recording of the original document it refers to) and keep wanting to know who the attorney is representing. No matter how often I told them that the attorney was not representing anyone but himself, they kept asking me who he was representing. I was also told to print this attorneys name and his title as he had signed it. Then I was told I shouldn’t have written his title. I was told to go to the law library for help and even they were scratching their heads. The woman at the law library did her best to help by researching and writing a cover letter but even this wasn’t enough for them.
What I find perplexing is that there are signs everywhere stating that the employees can’t give legal advice. Yet, when you bring them a document that they themselves said was NOT a legal document, they’ll tell you it’s not right but then say they can’t say anymore since that would be giving legal advice! I am still playing this guessing game over a document with them and am absolutely exhausted. Again, it was mostly filled out by an attorney and SIGNED by this attorney and notarized yet they told me to consult an attorney to get this NON-​LEGAL document prepared to their standards!
Once again, our tax dollars being used for a county office which is run crazier than Alice in Wonderland’s trip down the rabbit hole!

This is the place to get your marriage license or have your simple ceremony. Hours are available throughout out the day. Extended hours are available in the middle of the week.
The clerks office accepts walk ins and also has appointment system. The online appointment system is clear and easier to understand. We scheduled our appointment about a week out. We arrived early. Staff was fast friendly and helpful. We were in and out in less than ten minutes as we had all the paperwork done before arrival.
Payment are made with cash or check. Credit there is an administrative processing fee. Facility was clean and organized. Directions on where to go when we arrived were easy to follow.
Good experience overall.

I photographed a wedding here the other day. I wasn’t expecting much for a courthouse wedding, but I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. It is a very comfortable environment, and the people who work there are all upbeat and friendly. Being it was a Friday morning might of helped in that respect, but regardless… A lot of smiling faces greeted everyone who walked in.
The chapel is simple, but gets the job done. There is room for about 20 – 30 people in there, and the service I experienced was the «meat and potatoes, no non-​sense» ceremony that gets you in and out of the place with a legal marriage. It was a fun experience even for the hired help.
If you want to get married on the cheap, and not have to worry about the hassles of setting up all the hoop-​a-​lah that comes with a big planned ceremony, this is the place to go! Metered street parking is available and there is a garage next to the courthouse. Four stars is fair. It’s not like they provided rice and bubbles or hors devours or anything. Ha! Great experience though! Congrats to the lucky couples!

I’ve been trying to get a birth certificate for 2 months and can’t. I went in a month after my son was born and was told kindly by the gentleman at the counter that the info hasn’t come in yet. Usually it takes 6 weeks so give it another week or two and they should have it.
I’ve since gone back twice and I keep getting this lady, that before she even looks at the computer tells me no, they don’t have it. Her explanation is that it usually takes two months but since my sons birth was around the holidays, it’ll be three months. My best bet is to call before I come in. Thank you for the advice… but I wished all the staff members had the same response to my questions.

My buddy got married here a week ago and the staff was extremely friendly and worked fast. The room in which people get married is cute. Kudos.

Went in for/​needed a birth certificate. Lucked out and parked about 25 feet from the door. Showed ID, paid «the man», got one. Easy peasy.

Went in to get a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages license. Had appointment and was seen right away. Raised the right hand, took the oath and was on my way in 10 minutes. Prompt, efficient, and friendly.
The document was signed by Donna Allred, and I jokingly asked the clerk whether she was related to GLORIA Allred. He stone face looked at me and said he didn’t know who Gloria was. I laughed and was on my way.
Be careful about parking. Some of the street parking does not START until 9:00 am, probably because it is right next to the courthouse.

Gals there were super nice! Went in on a Monday without appointment but had submitted an application on-​line. Waiting no more than 10 minutes before they called us up. The gal processing our license was super nice and friendly. Our wedding is 3 weeks out so we were not in a rush. if you’re cutting it close, fill out an application on-​line and make an appointment!

Small office but employees are very helpful. The lady who helped us at the information desk was very courteous and polite. I am impressed. :) Thanks again.

Filed & recorded our home’s «Homestead Declaration» within this Sac County office & I’m still in awe that even without an appointment I literally breezed in and out within no more than 10 minutes & had our document recorded on the very same day. If your unaware of the protection that filing a Homestead Declaration may provide for you & your a homeowner you may want to look into it. Despite the fact that it may be inferred that by being a homeowner your automatically homesteaded I preferred to err on the side of caution & do it myself as one never knows when circumstances can change putting your home at risk.
I received excellent customer service & assistance on this visit plus I was the only customer in the joint which still blows my mind as I pictured a long line out the door as I drove to the clerks office. Although this is a very petite office they are on point. How I wish that all County offices would run this smoothly & unencumbered.
Now for some important information that is current as of this review & I’ll upload the front & back of their current list of fee’s/services offered at this location for your viewing pleasure:
Forms of Payment accepted: ALL forms of plastic however if you pay with plastic there is an additional fee of $ 2.50 in order to do so. Cash & Check also accepted.
Parking: Pack your quarters as the area is metered.
Recording Documents: Monday — Friday from 8am to 3pm. If you present to this office between these hours of operation to have docs recorded the same business day then that’s exactly what you will get. If however you arrive after 3pm you can still have your documents reviewed by the clerks & receive a receipt of their review & acceptance however they will not officially record until the next business day.
Fee to file a Homestead Declaration on your deeded property: $ 21 for the 1^st page & $ 3 for each additional page. Only needed to file the single page Declaration which is now in effect until I choose to change it or croak. Loved this! One time fee’s rock.
Marriage License Fee’s:
$ 84 for a Public Marriage License
$ 95 for a Confidential Marriage License.
Differences between the 2: Public License means anyone can obtain a copy of your marriage license with all of your personal information on it simply by paying the fee. With a Confidential License the only way for another person besides yourselves of course to obtain a copy of it is by court order. Although I have nothing to hide I prefer the privacy factor that the Confidential option affords & loved that option as I had no idea it even existed until recently. Why in the hell anyone would want access to another’s marriage license other than the people marrying is beyond me but the fact that a Confidential option is even available tells me there’s a damn good reason so for the extra $ 11 it was money well spent.
County Forms of all Kinds including Instructions for completing them:
Sac County doesn’t send many if any forms out nor have many if any of them available at their locations but instead will refer you to the Sacramento County Public Law Library in order to obtain them. You can do so quite easily as I did by using their website & downloading the forms many of which are in PDF fillable format allowing you to fill them in either using your computer or manually, print & sign them.
Hours of Operation for the Public Law Library:
M: 8am-​8pm
T-​Th: 8am-​7pm
F: 8am-​5pm & Saturday: 10am-​3pm
Phone: 916−874−6012
website:

I’m sharing this information as it took me a ridiculous amount of time & energy via phone calls and more Google searches than I can recall in order to obtain it and then use the resources I needed so if it helps another then I’m all for it. Although we weren’t recently married at this location but instead at the Fair Oaks location the fee’s and protocols are the same. That review will follow soon.,

This place is super small. The offices look like they are still stuck in the late 80s early 90s, but the employee helping us get our marriage license was extremely courteous and willing to take us early when she had cancellations. For dealing with the public everyday she seemed exceptionally polite.
It was a painless process and am happy it all went smoothly.

so quick and easy with super nice employees :)

We are from out of State and together for almost 25 years. But since the world is catching up we decided to get married in a flash. San Francisco was our natural first choice just like everyone else it turns out. So I went online and found that in Sacramento you can get married in a day and appointments are plentiful. We filled out the online form and made an appointment. Well… it takes a little bit longer than we anticipated to drive from Calistoga so we were late. Yikes! But they were friendly and perfect and handled everything with calm an reassurance and got it all back on track for us. You don’t really expect good customer service from government agencies but they have it in Sacramento.

Great quick and sweet ceremony!

My partner and I made an appointment and filled out our application online. This was in itself enough to make us smile as it was very easy.
We showed up for our appointment and we were greeted by SMILES and KIND people. How refreshing is that? Through every step of the process they were very kind and helpful and seemed genuinely happy for us.
I am impressed Sac County. These folks actually seem to enjoy their jobs! And they made us very comfortable and happy.
THANK YOU!

If you have to order death certificates, make sure you get them from the funeral services.
Sacramento County Clerk/​Recorder sucks! They would not issue me a certified copy of a death certificate for my stepmother even though I showed proof that I was nominated as her co-​executor on her estate.
I need them to do business on behalf of the estate and I submitted her will that was stamped by the courts!

We made an appointment to obtain a marriage license on a Thursday evening since they are conveniently open later only on Thursdays (extended hours 5−8PM) and we were literally out of there before our appointment time. It took less than 15 minutes for the clerk to verify our names, explain the procedures, we made a payment and were on our way. Be sure to bring cash or check, they accept credit cards but charge a service fee of $ 2.50 (they accept the major credit cards except Visa in person. They accept all credit cards if you are ordering by mail/​fax/​online). The cost has gone up to obtain a marriage license, I should’ve gotten married 5 years ago!
Public marriage license: $ 83.00 (more common license)
Confidential marriage license: $ 95.00
If you decide to get married here: the cost for a Civil marriage ceremony is $ 36.00
I returned a week after our wedding to pick up our marriage certificate and I was strapped for time since I went during my lunch break. Found metered parking on F Street both time I went here. I was told it would be a 20 minute wait but luckily, there was no one in line and I received my certificate within 10 minutes. Gave me enough time to stop by here, grab lunch and head back to my office within an hour! The staff was helpful and friendly, schedule an appointment for speedy service!

There’s only street parking (metered) available. I came in to obtain a copy of a birth certificate. I expected a line like the DMV, but there was no line at all. I completed an application, turned it in, paid $ 21, and got the certificate. I was in and out of there in less than 10 minutes.

Five Stars… Why? Read below.
1) Because I got married here. That’s reason enough! LOL.
2) Friendly & courteous employees. The paperwork process was a breeze especially since we completed the online application.
3) Timely service. Our ceremony was scheduled for 5:20pm. We were married and out of there before 6:30pm.
4) The Minister was super nice and to the point. He let us exchange our personal vows after the legal ceremony vows.
5) They give you a keepsake wedding certificate which I think is pretty nice. Definitely something to keep in a wedding album or have framed. I’m glad they thought of that.
The one downer was their parking situation. It’s really annoying. We parked in this lot which come to find out – no one should be parking there to begin with. Well, the city should post some signs. I know this isn’t the county clerk’s fault but it’s just inconvenient to hunt for parking on your wedding day which you have a scheduled appointment for and it’s a little over 100 degrees out.

If you make an appointment online — you can be in and out to get your marriage license. THAT is if you bring enough cash, have a check, or have a card with something other than VISA.
WHO the HECK does not take VISA?!? The Sacramento County Clerk — THAT’S WHO.
The staff is really nice, and seem to be genuinely excited for you — even when they hand out these licenses all day.
Minus ONE stars for not having anything about the website giving a warning about NO VISA at the location (you can use it online). Minus another star for having to make a 10 minute thing about 25 minutes because we had to walk and find an ATM.

Was done in less than 15 minutes — definitely a fan. Got there when they opened and filled out my necessary forms and got right in line where there was NO ONE in front of me. Conveniently located in downtown but still away from the hustle and bustle. There is ample street parking but be aware of the QUARTERS ONLY meters. Staff is nice and friendly, willing to answer any questions.

A-​Ok. It is what it is.
We set up an appt to get our license after the normal business hours because of work schedules. We walked in, sat down, made a solemn promise that we weren’t lying about anything, and then signed our license (which we filled out online ahead of time). The woman helping us was nice and helpful, and made the process very easy. I’m a little surprised they go over healthy living habits.
The biggest concern is that because the license is an official and legal document, there can be NO mistakes made when signing (either the marrying couple, or the witness (es), or the person who performs the ceremony). Any mistakes result in paying $ 23 to have another license printed for signing… no whiteout, no crossouts, nothing.
In addition to that, when we went to pay, I messed up a little bit on the check. I corrected and initialed as expected by the bank. However, they refused to take the check… something about the DA. The bank accepts a correction w/​initials, so I don’t get their policy about corrected checks. And because I was nervous at that point about messing up another check, I actually screwed up another 2. At that point, the cashier just told me to fill out the amount and sign it– she stamped the «payable to» and the date lines. Sheesh. She was nice about it, though, and didn’t come off as being annoyed or impatient.
Note: they do accept cash, check, money order, debit/​atm, and credit cards. However, if you want to use a debit or credit card, there is a surcharge. I don’t deal in cash, and I think surcharges are especially stupid in the 21^st century and refused to pay it — hence the check.

For a variety of reasons, before our actual wedding, my husband and I did a quick ceremony at the Sacramento County Clerks/​Recorder office. Having seen pictures of my parent’s wedding, some 25 years ago at the same place, I was hoping for the setting to be a little less corporate basement and a little more groovy.
The basic procedure is this… You make an appointment ahead of time and show up at your time. You meet with someone to fill out paperwork and get lectured about STDs and genetic defects (seriously). Then you wait some more. After a bit they call you back into the wedding room (good sized, lots of fake flowers, an archway). They do a quick ceremony of your choosing (I think they had three choices – all of which made me promise to obey my now husband, but one of which left god out of the deal). The woman doing the ceremony was a sweet lady. Afterwards you sign the license with your witnesses (Bring them! They charge you extra to have one of their people sign if you don’t).
Not exactly what I was hoping for, but for $ 90 ($ 77 processing fee, $ 13 for your copy of the license) we did walk out married.