Public records dating back to 1964 will now be available for purchase online, the Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder's Office announced Tuesday.
The Clerk-Recorder's Office last year implemented new technology that allowed copies of public records dating back to 1980 to be purchased online, Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto said.
The recorded documents service has now been expanded back to 1964 when electronic indexing began, Proto said.
Previously, customers had to go to the Clerk-Recorder's Office or mail a request with the correct fees to buy a copy of those records, and the delays potentially caused financial and legal repercussions, Proto said.
The Clerk-Recorder's Office records, preserves and makes available deeds, liens, military discharge records, affidavits of deaths and reconveyances.
California law prohibits records to be viewed or read online but may be purchased and then viewed, Proto said. Recorded documents go back to 1850 when California became a state, and they have been digitized and microfilmed for preservation.
