Courthouse documents include, among other things, divorce cases, probate cases, guardianship cases, civil law suits, and criminal cases. Juvenile cases, paternity cases, and adoption cases generally are not public record and cannot be accessed. Copies of courthouse documents cost .50¢ per page. Certification of any copy costs $25.00 per certification. These fees are set by a California statewide civil fee schedule (GC70627(a) and GC70626(a)(4), respectively) and I have no control over them. I receive no part of those fees. I will seek requested documents and will report to you how many pages are involved. I do not make photocopies of any part of a court document without pre-payment. I do not photograph or transcribe court documents, though I may choose to provide extracts or abstracts on a case by case basis.
I will provide cemetery photos in digital format to an email address only. I do not provide hard copies of photographs. I hold copyright of all photographs that I take and any watermark printed on my photographs may not be removed for any reason. My watermarks are small and do not interfere with the photographed subject matter. I will do my best to clear debris and overgrowing plant matter from grave markers before I photograph them. I do not provide grave marker rubbings of any kind. I do not use any substance on any grave marker in an attempt to get it to photograph better. For hard-to-read markers, I will provide a transcription with the photograph. Some parts of Tuolumne County receive a substantial amount of snow during winter months and, therefore, some cemeteries may not be accessible in winter months.
I will research various records held by the Tuolumne County Recorder's office (land records such as titles and deeds, liens, tax records, mining records, and land maps). Copies of land documents and maps cost $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page. Certification of any copy costs $1.00 per certification. These fees are set by a California statewide civil fee schedule (GC27366 and GC27364) and I have no control over them. I receive no part of those fees. I will seek requested documents and will report to you how many pages are involved. I do not make photocopies of any part of a land record or map without pre-payment. I do not photograph or transcribe any type of land record, though I may choose to provide extracts or abstracts on a case by case basis.
I will research obituaries, death notices, and news articles in the local paper through a local library. I will provide full transcriptions of obituaries and death notices. I usually will not transcribe lengthy news articles. I provide digital copies of transcriptions by email only, unless copy fees and postage are pre-paid. Copies cost between .10¢ and .25¢ per page. Standard postage rates apply and a self-addressed envelope also must be provided for hard copies of any news item. You must provide me with a general time frame in which to search for a news item. I do not search time frames greater than 30 days.
In California, certified copies of vital records are available to the registrant, specific family members or entitled parties, and government agencies only. However, informational copies of vital records are available to the public at large. Informational copies of vital records contain the exact same information as the certified copies. The only difference between the two types of copies is that one is certified and one is not. The informational copy also contains a stamp across it that reads "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY". Generally, this stamp does not interfere with information on the certificate itself. The cost is the same, whether the record is certified or informational. Birth certificates cost $25.00 per copy. Death certificates cost $21.00 per copy. Marriage certificates cost $15.00 per copy. Burial permits cost $12.00 per copy. I do not obtain any vital record without pre-payment. I do not photograph vital records. I will provide extracts or abstracts of vital records, which I deliver in digital format to email addresses only.
I will research voter records where available in a Clerk or Recorder's office. Certain voter registration information is not public information. Contact me for more information about what is available in Tuolumne County.
