Requirements
Because of an increased occurrence of identity theft, new laws were passed to protect birth and death records from misuse. This law went into effect July 1, 2003. At that time, the steps necessary to obtain a birth or death record changed significantly.
Find out more:
Requesting a Certificate Older than Two Years
To request a certificate older than two years, you will need to request it at:
Recorder's Office
2222 M St.
Merced, CA 95340
Ph: (209) 385-7627
Fees as of January 2022
- Birth Certificates: $29.00
- Death Certificates: $24.00
- Fetal Death Certificates: $21.00
Certificates processed from 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. MUST be paid for by check or cash in the exact amount. No credit card payments after 4:00 PM. Certificates cannot be processed after 4:30 p.m.
* Please note that the fee increase was due to Assembly Bill 1053, a state mandated fee increase of $2.00 per certificate. We apologize for any inconvenience.