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What happens to the sealed record? Although the court may order a viewing of the original sealed birth certificate, the original birth certificate will remain sealed and is not open for public inspection.

Every registered birth can be found on the state birth index. The index can be found here at Ancestry.com or for free at FamilySearch.org. The index may offer a way to sidestep California's privacy laws.

The answer is no. California is one of 24 states with closed adoption records. That means records are sealed to the public, though there are ways that some non-identifying information can be sought by adult adoptees.

You may be able to obtain a copy of the adoption record that is maintained by the superior court by filing a petition, under California Family Code 9200, in the clerk's office of the county superior court where the adoption was finalized.

Or are you searching for someone born in California? Adopted.com is proud to offer a California state adoption reunion registry where you can meet by mutual consent without having to open records.

Adoption files are confidential. You cannot see an adoption file without an order of the court. To ask for a Court order, submit a Petition on Pleading Paper or Local Form L-1310 to the Family Law Clerk's Office at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, 7th Floor Room 706.