2005 California Family Code Sections 500-511 CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

500.  When an unmarried man and an unmarried woman, not minors, have
been living together as husband and wife, they may be married
pursuant to this chapter by a person authorized to solemnize a
marriage under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 400) of Part 3,
without the necessity of first obtaining health certificates.
501.  Except as provided in Section 502, a confidential marriage
license shall be issued by the county clerk upon the personal
appearance of the parties to be married and their payment of the fees
required by Sections 26840.1 and 26840.8 of the Government Code and
any fee imposed pursuant to the authorization of Section 26840.3 of
the Government Code.
502.  If, for any reason, either or both of the parties to be
married is physically unable to appear in person before the county
clerk, a confidential marriage license shall be issued by the county
clerk to the person solemnizing the marriage upon that person's
presenting an affidavit to the county clerk, signed by the person and
the parties to be married, explaining the reason for the inability
to appear.
503.  The county clerk shall issue a confidential marriage license
upon the request of a notary public approved by the county clerk to
authorize confidential marriages pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing
with Section 530) and upon payment by the notary public of the fees
specified in Sections 26840.1 and 26840.8 of the Government Code.
The parties shall reimburse a notary public who authorizes a
confidential marriage for the amount of the fees.
504.  A confidential marriage license is valid only for a period of
90 days after its issuance by the county clerk and may only be used
in the county in which it was issued.
505.  (a) The form of the confidential marriage license shall be
prescribed by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
   (b) The form shall be designed to require that the parties to be
married declare or affirm that they meet all of the requirements of
this chapter.
   (c) The form shall include a certificate of marriage, which shall
be filled out by the parties upon performance of the marriage and be
authenticated by the person solemnizing the marriage.
   (d) The form shall include an affidavit on the back, which the
husband and wife shall sign, affirming that they have received the
brochure provided for in Section 358.
   (e) The affidavit required by subdivision (d) shall state:
                                AFFIDAVIT
      I acknowledge that I have received the brochure titled
__________
   ______________________________________
______________________
             Signature of Wife                            Date
   ______________________________________
______________________
            Signature of Husband                          Date
506.  (a) The confidential marriage license shall be presented to
the person solemnizing the marriage.
   (b) Upon performance of the ceremony, the confidential marriage
certificate shall be filled out by the parties to the marriage and
authenticated by the person solemnizing the marriage.
   (c) The certificate shall be returned by the person solemnizing
the marriage to the office of the county clerk in the county in which
the license was issued within 10 days after the ceremony.
508.  Upon issuance of a confidential marriage certificate, parties
shall be provided with an application to obtain a certified copy of
the confidential marriage certificate from the county clerk.
509.  (a) A party to a confidential marriage may obtain a certified
copy of the confidential marriage certificate from the county clerk
of the county in which the certificate is filed in any of the
following ways:
   (1) By submitting the application for a certified copy of the
confidential marriage certificate provided to the parties pursuant to
Section 508.
   (2) By personally appearing before a notary public or at the
county clerk's office in the party's county of residence, producing
proper identification, obtaining a certificate attesting to the party'
s identity from the notary public or county clerk, and transmitting
that certificate, together with a request for the certified copy of
the confidential marriage certificate, to the county clerk of the
county with which the certificate is filed.
   (3) By personally appearing at the county clerk's office where the
certificate is filed and producing proper identification.
   (b) Copies of a confidential marriage certificate may be issued to
the parties to the marriage upon the payment of a fee equivalent to
that charged for copies of a certificate of marriage.
510.  (a) If a confidential marriage certificate is lost, damaged,
or destroyed after the performance of the marriage and before it is
returned, the county clerk may issue a replacement upon the payment
of a fee of five dollars ($5).
   (b) The duplicate license may not be issued later than one year
after issuance of the original license and shall be returned by the
person solemnizing the marriage to the county clerk within 10 days
after issuance.
511.  (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the county clerk
shall maintain confidential marriage certificates filed pursuant to
Section 506 as permanent records which shall not be open to public
inspection except upon order of the court issued upon a showing of
good cause.
   (b) The county clerk shall keep all original certificates of
confidential marriages for one year from the date of filing.  After
one year, the clerk may microfilm the certificates and dispose of the
original certificates or microfilm the certificates and send the
original certificates to the Office of the State Registrar.  The
county clerk shall promptly seal and store at least one original
negative of each microphotographic film made in a manner and place as
reasonable to ensure its preservation indefinitely against loss,
theft, defacement, or destruction.  The microphotograph shall be made
in a manner that complies with the minimum standards or guidelines,
or both, recommended by the American National Standards Institute or
the Association for Information and Image Management.  Every
reproduction shall be deemed and considered an original.  A certified
copy of any reproduction shall be deemed and considered a certified
copy of the original.
   (c) The county clerk may conduct a search for a confidential
marriage certificate for the purpose of confirming the existence of a
marriage, but the date of the marriage and any other information
contained in the certificate shall not be disclosed except upon order
of the court.
   (d) The county clerk shall, not less than quarterly, transmit
copies of all original confidential marriage certificates retained,
or originals of microfilmed confidential marriage certificates filed
after January 1, 1982, to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
The registrar may destroy the copies so transmitted after they have
been indexed.  The registrar may respond to an inquiry as to the
existence of a marriage performed pursuant to this chapter, but shall
not disclose the date of the marriage.