Contra Costa County

Contra Costa County Public Health Department. Cares for the health of the community.

Went in today to get my marriage permit & it was super easy! We registered on the computer & then got a ticket with a number on it. (Sort of like the DMV) Waited maybe 5 min & we signed papers & were done! It was so much easier than I thought & very quick!

Came here to do some filer reviews with the Sheriff’s office. Friendly staff, easy to get to, building is pretty imposing and the tallest building anywhere around Martinez, can’t miss it!

Got here before they opened, filled out the needed paperwork ahead of time, were in and out within 20 minutes. First in line, no wait time, that’s the way to work a bureaucracy.

This is for the county records office on Escobar
Had to get a copy of my birth certificate so I went here on a Thursday morning, place was almost empty
I came in and the woman at the front desk directed me to the table with the correct form to fill out. Filled it out, brought it back and paid the $ 24per copy.
Very helpful and friendly lady at the front desk.
I went to sit down and wait for the certificate, got called to the window in less than a minute.
Nice clerk at the window looked the paperwork over, compared it to the computer and had me wait just a few minutes for the certificate to be printed
Total time from getting out of the car, to getting back in the car to leave 15 minutes, it only took that long because I stopped in the restroom on the way out

We eloped to ‘city hall’ to get married, and were delighted to find that it was a very moving and heartwarming option for a lovely ceremony. Arriving an hour early before our 11:30 ceremony appointment, we finalized our marriage certificate after waiting only 10 minutes. On first blush, the waiting area was a little like being in line for a driver’s license renewal, but the building and furnishings are very new, clean, and modern. People fill out forms online at computer desks in the main area, and upscale seating and service windows need only fill a smaller area to the side. Since we had the license so quickly, they offered to start our ceremony early, too. There were two other couples there for weddings that occurred right after ours; one with family and children, the other a mature couple on their own, like us.
We were brought into a private ceremony room, and the outside waiting area receded from mind once the door was closed. Neutral tones, and windows onto very nicely manicured sidewalk greenery warmed the place and made it feel very cozy and visually inviting. We were married by Jose Gonzalez, who instantly put us at ease and infused the ceremony with the special sentiments and honor that you’d expect of a typically beautiful wedding. Though we were casually dressed (second marriage for us both) I felt even more deeply inspired than during my formal experience before ($ 20K! never again…).
If you are considering a wedding at the Contra Costa County Clerk’s office, I think you will be very happily surprised!

The County Seat, where decisions are made about you and your quality of life every day. Get involved, stay involved to effect change and monitor what government is doing on this local level.

Great place. WRONG ADDRESS!!!
555 Escobar Street
Martinez, CA 94 553

The weeks of me being home with the baby and not having to go to work are drawing to an end.
One of those days I used to walk downtown and get the baby’s birth certificate. The nice thing about living in Martinez is all of the county services are right here in my own back yard.
I walked int and was greeted at a little kiosk by two ladies. I asked how to get the birth certificate and they directed me to fill out a form at another little table then bring it back to them.
She took it and did some finger magic on her computer. She also told me that her birthday was the same day as my sons. Cool!
She gave me some paper work printout and a little receipt with my number and said to wait over by this group of chairs and then my number would be called. I asked how long the wait was and she looked over her kiosk then told me it was a slow day and maybe 15 minutes.
Sweet! So I sat for about 15 minutes. Then there was my number. I handed over my paper work and then was summarily told that it would cost $ 44 for two copies of his birth certificate.
So he handed me back what looked like a cheaply printed tiny replica of what I saw on the first woman’s computer, printed on that bluey, purpleish, legally, looking paper.
I thought it would look more formal but apparently technology makes those things less important.
Service was fast and I got to see some people ready to get married. One girl was dressed so sweetly in a tight, shiny, white dress. Made me remember when I looked that good in tight white things.
I cant give you an estimate on what would be the best time to come here so enter at your own risk.

This building is extremely unassuming. From the outside, it is far from anything spectacular. It is a giant block of building materials.
The inside is much more interesting and inviting. They often have local artists’ work lining the walls of the main hallway and it can be nice to take your time to wander through and appreciate their talent.
If you are a Contra Costa County resident and have a free Tuesday morning at some point, I would encourage you to check out a Board of Supervisors meeting here. It is an easy way to see local government in action and sometimes there are interesting agenda items, depending on your topics of choice. Agendas and videos of meetings are available online.
I was here most recently for the Contra Costa County «People Who Make a Difference» awards, presented by the Board of Supervisors and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board. I always attend the ceremony but this year I felt honored to attend as a recipient of an award. The ceremony began during the Board of Supervisors meeting in their chambers. The space is open and bright with comfy chairs to sit in. The ceremony continued in a small meeting room off of the main chambers, where the awards were individually presented and people gathered for congratulations, conversation and refreshments.
Parking anywhere in downtown Martinez on a weekday can be a huge pain. However, I have always been able to find metered parking spots on Marina Vista Ave., near Ferry Street. Just be sure to feed your meter plenty of change. From there it is just a few short blocks to the County Administration Building on Pine.

I needed to pick up my lil’ ones Birth Certificate and I was diverted to the Office at 555 Escobar. Luckily, it was nearby the Main St. office. The building is the same as the Election office, but I went to the right side when I walked in. The receptionist was friendly and accommodating. She directed me to the spindle of the all the Documents and Application forms. She also assited me and told me where to fill out the form. I filled out everything and was directed to one of the windows. The Cashier was friendly and she charged me $ 22.50 with surcharge to use the Debit machine. (If you have Bofa or Wells Fargo, they can’t take Interlink for Debit card use) The wait was not even 10 minutes, and I had a copy of my son’s Birth Certificate. I was surprised and relieved that everyone was so friendly. Definitely not what I expected going into this otherwise Tedious chore. 5 Stars for the helpful, and knowledgeable service.

For my birthday, Gayle and I both took the day off to attend to some details around our wedding, as it is less than 2 weeks away. We started our day at the Contra Costa City Clerk’s Office and then proceeded to Steve Padis Jewelry for my band and extra bands for Gayle. We then returned to the East Bay for Lunch at Flora and finally to Civic Center Park in Walnut Creek to sketch out some wedding ceremony details.
There’s plenty of metered space available near the County Building, if you can’t figure out the parking lot markings. You then immediately hang a right upon entering the building to fill out the necessary paperwork. The old blood test requirement is long gone, the form is short and easy, there were no lines, and before we knew it, we were at Window #1 in front of a pleasant and helpful staff member.
She asked if we had an appointment, and for a split second both of us thought: «Why not do the ceremony now?». However, that wouldn’t be fair to our friends and family, despite wedding planning details that sometimes seem like they’re more trouble than they’re worth.
We brought cash to pay for the license, as they only take that and some debit cards. The County staff person also explained the process very clearly regarding the paperwork and signatures after the ceremony and the recording and delivery of the recorded marriage certificate. However, I don’t think Gayle and I needed the «Birds and the Bees» pamphlet that she had to hand out! All this took about 30 minutes and after taking our oath, we had a kiss for luck, and we were on our way…

I called the clerks office to check on hours and what I needed to bring for a marriage certificate. I didn’t have such a pleasant experience. goverment issued I.D. and $ 85.00 cash” the woman sounded like a parrot. I said «Oh I don’t need my birth certificate?» Her response: «I just went over what you need! I.D. and $ 85.00 cash!» Ok Ok already lady. Good thing you don’t have to worry about coustomer service to keep your job or feed your kids like I do.

I just got married here!!!
My experience was better than I could have asked for. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and the woman who performed the ceremony was elegant and had a delightful foreign accent. Between filling out forms and doing the ceremony and getting our certificated copy, we were in and out in about an hour.
We are having a real wedding with family and stuff next month, but got married this month so i could get health insurance sooner. It was supposed to just be a sort of business-​y thing, but it was actually really beautiful and even sort of romantic.
The woman who did our ceremony is Blanca Basch, She was awesome.
Yay! Marriage!

I am SO impressed by this office!
I had to order my Birth Certificate for work related travel and needed it STAT. The website has a nifty online ordering system but it states that approximate processing time is 3 weeks! Now this would not do at all for me so I placed a call to the office anticipating an impossibly long wait-​time and a monotone unhelpful staff member on the receiving end. To my happy surprise this was not at all so! I waited less than 2 mintues for a real live person to answer my call and the guy I spoke with was cheerful, über-​helpful and was even cracking jokes with me about how long it would take to get my order processed if I go through the state (a year he said lol) To my even greater surprise, he told me that if I go with the FedEx delivery option the turnaround time for my order would be about 3 – 5 business days. Perfect!
So after I got off the phone I continued to procrastinate of course and it took me another few days to get my application notarized and faxed in, leaving me with exactly 4 business days to hopefully receive my Birth Certificate. I faxed my order in on a Thursday afternoon and by Monday morning I had my Birth Certificate safe and sound in my hot little hands. The credit card charge hadn’t even cleared yet!
A+ for customer service
A+ for efficiency and speed
It’s places like this that don’t teach me my lesson and allow me to maintain my procrastinator ways!

My trip to the Contra Costa County Clerk started out extremely well regardless of the negative *grumble grumble* attitude I had about going. I expected long lines, rude people, problems with the passport forms I had to submit…*sigh* there was just no light at the end of this tunnel.
That is, until I parked, put in a quarter at the meter, and realized that 25 cents gets you 30 minutes! Well if thats the case, who the hell cares HOW long the line is, at least I know I can afford to keep my car right out front without having to empty my change bucket! Because lets be real: we all know I need that for Muni. And yes, I do use pennies for the Bus, thank you.
I walked into the Contra Costa County Clerk — lets just call it C⁴ for short (: — and was surprised to see such a clean, well lit facility. Of course there’s no reason why this place should be dirty and gloomy but you know: you just associate negative things — ie any place where a form needs to be filled out and submitted with payment — with an appropriately negative atmosphere.
But I have to say: the staff was really helpful and the line was minimal to none at times. I paid for a copy of my birth certificate, re-​submitted that with my application for a passport, said «I swear under blah blah blah that the following information is correct» with right hand raised, and left in less than 40 minutes.
40 minutes! Thats less than 50 cents at the meter! What can I say… I have no complaints (:
Because of C⁴, I will possibly be on my way to Koh Samui, Thailand this summer where I hope to bake in the sun on the beach and increase my Thai vocabulary. At the moment I only know 4 words/​phrases: hello, thank you, take a bath, and taste [as in sample]. Yes, I know thats super random.
But that will allll change come June. Actually, with my inability to pick up languages, it probably won’t change at all. But who cares! Kop khun ka, C⁴ employees, for making the passport application process a lot smoother than expected!
**Oh yeah, and for you last minute passport applicants who need a passport by Summer time, I believe the Contra Costa County Clerk Recorders office is going to be open a few Saturdays in March!
***Update: March 11 2008. I just got my passport in the mail! Less than two weeks after I applied for it in person. Not sure if this had anything to do with the Clerks office sending out my application quickly or not but… yay!

Great service in and out for filling my Fictitious Business Name Statement (FBN) statement.