Recorder-County Clerk
Find recorded documents, recording requirements and certified copies. Find marriage licensing and county clerk services. Find fictitious business name (FBN / DBA) filing and renewal instructions. Business licenses are a separate service. Find the right local authority and check whether a license or another permit is needed.[37]
Source checked October 12, 2026[1]www.napacounty.gov
Opens this office’s own website. CountyWiki does not process applications, take payments or provide personal records.
Contact details & office locations ↓Online services & information
These links were found on official source pages. Each service is handled by the office.
Official county instructions for obtaining a new marriage license. Online application entry alone does not issue a license or replace the required appearance; confirm the license type, documents and visit arrangements.
Before you start
- Appointments · New marriage license — standard in-person application
- Napa County is issuing marriage licenses to couples by appointment only. [11]
- Availability · Certified copy is optional and separate from the license
- We encourage, but it is not required, that a certified copy be pre-paid for at the time the license is issued for an additional $19.00. [12]
Napa County links its limited official-record index and a separate filed-map search. Recording, research and purchase windows have different closing times.
Before you start
- Availability · Public online official-record index
- Public access provides a limited index display; this page does not promise full document images. [33]
Official official instructions for requesting certificates. Read the office’s current requirements before continuing.
The county asks filers to use mail or in-person drop-off and currently posts an eight-to-twelve-business-day processing estimate. Payment and copy/search fees differ by channel.
Before you start
- Processing time · Current posted backlog estimate — recheck before filing
- The page currently estimates 8–12 business days for FBN applications; this is not a delivery guarantee. [29]
- Deadlines · Initial filing — state deadline
- File within 40 days after starting business under the fictitious name. [13]
- Eligibility & access · Where to file — principal place of business
- File in the county of your principal California business location. If you have no California business location, file in Sacramento County. [14]
- Deadlines · New or changed filing — newspaper publication
- Start publication within 45 days after filing. Use a qualifying newspaper in the filing county, or an adjoining county if no qualifying newspaper exists there. [15]
- Information & documents · Newspaper notice — publication frequency
- Publish once a week for four successive weeks. [16]
- Deadlines · After publication — file the affidavit
- File the publication affidavit with the County Clerk within 45 days after publication is completed. Check whether your newspaper files it for you. [17]
- Deadlines · Expiration — earlier changes or abandonment can end the statement
- A statement generally lasts five years, but changes or abandonment can end it earlier. [18]
- Eligibility & access · No-change renewal — publication exception
- An unchanged renewal filed within 40 days after expiration does not need republication. Changes can require a new publication. [19]
- Information & documents · California principal business location
- Provide the street address and county of the principal business location. A registrant’s separate mailing-address rule does not remove this requirement. [20]
- Information & documents · Individual registrant — owner mailing address
- For an individual owner, provide the full name and business mailing address if different from the business address. Do not apply older blanket residence-address instructions. [21]
County-linked limited official-record index.
County filed-map search, separate from the official-record index.
The County Clerk does not issue business licenses and refers readers to the local city or town. This does not prove that every other county department or unincorporated business is exempt.
Fees
Fees are quoted only when a source document supports the amount and conditions.
| Service | Amount | Conditions & source |
|---|---|---|
| Public marriage license | $96.00per license | Individual license fee; ceremony, certified copies and any payment-provider charges are separate. Confirm the current total with the Clerk.[9] |
| Civil marriage ceremony in county office | $69.00per ceremony | Separate from the marriage license and certified-copy fees; confirm any conditions and the current total.[10] |
| FBN — Initial statement — one business and one registrant | $58.00per filing | One business name with one registrant. Effective date is not stated.[26] |
| FBN — Additional business or registrant name | $8.00per additional name | Each additional business name and/or registrant. Effective date is not stated.[27] |
| FBN — In-person card processing | $2.50per card payment | Applies to the in-person card channel; the phone-copy/search card fee differs. Effective date is not stated.[28] |
These are individual fee items, not a quote for your total. Other charges or exemptions may apply; confirm the total with the office.
Forms & documents
Official forms and document pages for this office’s services.
Sources & last checked11 source pages · 38 citations
Sources were checked by an AI-assisted research process. A checked website does not mean every service or fee on it has been reviewed.
- [1] recorder department contact (opens in a new tab)
Napa County · Department directory: Recorder-County Clerk
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Recorder/County Clerk Page
- [2] Napa County — clerk recorder (opens in a new tab)
Napa County · Service link: Birth, Death, & Marriage Certificates
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Birth, Death, & Marriage Certificates
- [3] Napa County — clerk recorder (opens in a new tab)
Napa County · Forms/document link: Fees (PDF)
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Fees (PDF)
- [4] Napa County — clerk recorder (opens in a new tab)
Napa County · Forms/document link: Documents & Forms
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Documents & Forms
- [5] Napa County — clerk recorder (opens in a new tab)
Napa County · Forms/document link: Fees (PDF)
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Fees (PDF)
- [6] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — Marriage License & Ceremony
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
Marriage License & Ceremony
- [7] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Marriage service contact — Marriage licensing — phone
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
707-253-4247
- [8] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Marriage service contact — Marriage licensing — address
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
1127 First Street Ste. A, Napa, CA 94559
- [9] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — The fee for a public license is $96.00.
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
The fee for a public license is $96.00.
- [10] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — A civil ceremony in our office, performed by our staff, costs $69.00.
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
A civil ceremony in our office, performed by our staff, costs $69.00.
- [11] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — Napa County is issuing marriage licenses to couples by appointment only.
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
Napa County is issuing marriage licenses to couples by appointment only.
- [12] Napa — marriage licensing information (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — We encourage, but it is not required, that a certified copy be pre-paid for at the time the license
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
We encourage, but it is not required, that a certified copy be pre-paid for at the time the license is issued for an additional $19.00.
- [13] Business and Professions Code 17910 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17910(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
File a fictitious business name statement in accordance with this chapter not later than 40 days from the time the registrant commences to transact such business.
- [14] Business and Professions Code 17915 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17915
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
A fictitious business name statement shall be filed with the clerk of the county in which the registrant has his or her principal place of business in this state or, if the registrant has no place of business in this state, with the Clerk of Sacramento County.
- [15] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Within 45 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed pursuant to this chapter, the registrant shall cause a statement in the form prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 17913 to be published pursuant to Section 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the fictitious business name statement was filed or, if there is no such newspaper in that county, in a newspaper of general circulation in an adjoining county.
- [16] California — FBN publication-frequency (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · Government Code §6064
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Publication of notice pursuant to this section shall be once a week for four successive weeks.
- [17] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(d)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
An affidavit showing the publication of the statement shall be filed with the county clerk where the fictitious business name statement was filed within 45 days after the completion of the publication.
- [18] Business and Professions Code 17920 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17920(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Unless the statement expires earlier under subdivision (b) or (c), a fictitious business name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk.
- [19] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(c)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If a refiling is required because the prior statement has expired, the refiling need not be published unless there has been a change in the information required in the expired statement, provided the refiling is filed within 40 days of the date the statement expired.
- [20] Business and Professions Code 17913 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17913(b)(2)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If the registrant has a place of business in this state, insert the street address, and county, of the registrant’s principal place of business in this state.
- [21] Business and Professions Code 17913 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17913(b)(3)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If the registrant is an individual, insert the registrant’s full name and business mailing address if it differs from the business address.
- [22] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · Fictitious business name — Fictitious Business Name
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Fictitious Business Name
- [23] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN contact — County Clerk — FBN filing — phone
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
707-253-4247
- [24] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN contact — County Clerk — FBN filing — address
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
1127 1st Street Suite A Napa, CA 94559
- [25] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN contact — County Clerk — FBN filing — hours
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding legal holidays.
- [26] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN fee — FBN — Initial statement — one business and one registrant
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
The filing fee for a single fictitious business name with one registrant is $58.
- [27] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN fee — FBN — Additional business or registrant name
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Each additional business name and/or registrant names is $8 per DBA and/or registrant.
- [28] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN fee — FBN — In-person card processing
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
There is an additional $2.50 processing fee if a debit/credit card is used for payment.
- [29] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · FBN requirement — Current posted backlog estimate — recheck before filing
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Due to high volume our current processing time for FBN applications is eight to twelve business days.
- [30] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Official-record index and filed-map searches
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Public access allows the limited index display of official records only.
- [31] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Search official-record index
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Official Records
- [32] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Search filed maps
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Filed Maps
- [33] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Public online official-record index
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Public access allows the limited index display of official records only.
- [34] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Recorder — document recording
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Recording Hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- [35] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Recorder — public research
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Research Hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- [36] Napa — property records (opens in a new tab)
Napa County official service / referred provider · County Recorder — Recorder — other purchase transactions
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Other Purchase Transaction Hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- [37] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · Reviewed business licensing instructions
Source reviewed October 16, 2026View supporting excerpt
Business licenses are not issued by the County Clerk Office. Please contact your local City/Town Hall:
- [38] Napa — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
Napa County — business name filing · Reviewed business licensing instructions
Source reviewed October 16, 2026View supporting excerpt
Business licenses are not issued by the County Clerk Office. Please contact your local City/Town Hall: