Searching for a special day to say “I Do” on the most romantic night of the year and at one of the most iconic landmarks in Orange County? Look no further! This Valentine’s Day, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen will be hosting a special night at the historic Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana where couples will be able to take the plunge during ceremonies performed under the glow of candles. Ceremonies will be offered from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. by appointment only. No walk-in service. Couples must obtain a marriage license and make an appointment to participate. Appointments are limited. To complete an application online and to make an appointment, please visit the following link: https://www.ocrecorder.com/services/marriage-services.

“This is a great opportunity for us to make Valentine’s Day even more special and memorable for couples,” said Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen. “I am looking forward to seeing the happy couples get married during this special night. Everyone is going to have a night to remember.”

Ceremonies will be held inside the courtroom located on the third floor of the Old Orange County Courthouse. The rich woods, ornate judge’s bench, period chandeliers and high ceilings will be a great backdrop for this special night. The courthouse has been used for movies and television shows since 1915, adding to the uniqueness of these candlelit ceremonies. The courthouse can be seen in the films Frances, Catch Me If You Can, and Legally Blonde to name a few.

The department will be implementing strict social distancing guidelines as well as the following restrictions to ensure the safety of the couples and staff:

• For couples with a public marriage license, only the couple and one witness may be present during the ceremony. No guests allowed.
• For couples with a confidential marriage license, only the couple may be present during the ceremony. No guests allowed.
• Couples must present valid government issued photo identification at their ceremony.
• Payment can be made by cash, credit/debit card, check, cashier's check, and/or money order. Make checks and money orders payable to the Orange County Clerk-Recorder.

For more information, please call the department’s information line at (714) 834-2500 or visit OCRecorder.com. The department’s information line is available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.

For those looking to tie the knot on the most romantic day of the year, we are here to help you! This upcoming Valentine’s Day, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen will be offering extended hours at his offices in Anaheim, Laguna Hills and at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana. Instead of its normal closing hours, the department will be keeping its marriage services units open until 5:00 p.m. Due to high demand, appointments are highly recommended. Walk-ins are welcomed and will be served on a first come, first served basis; however, couples must complete an application online prior to visiting any of the offices. To complete an application and/or to make an appointment, please visit the following link: https://www.ocrecorder.com/services/marriage-services.

“Valentine’s Day is always one of the busiest and happiest days of the year for the department, so we try to make it easier and more convenient for couples, especially for those who must work on this special day,” said Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen.

The department will be implementing strict social distancing guidelines as well as the following restrictions to ensure the safety of the couples and staff:

• Couples must complete their marriage application online prior to visiting any of our offices.
• Ceremony rooms are currently closed. All marriage ceremonies will be performed at the service desk/counter where the marriage license is issued. 
• For couples looking to obtain a marriage license, only the couple can be present. No guests allowed.
• For couples looking to obtain a public marriage license and have a ceremony performed, only the couple and one witness may be present. No guests allowed.
• For couples looking to obtain a confidential marriage license and have a ceremony, only the couple can be present. No guests allowed.
• Couples must present valid government issued photo identification at their appointment.
• Payment can be made by cash, credit/debit card, check, cashier's check, and/or money order. Make checks and money orders payable to the Orange County Clerk-Recorder.

Another reason to join us on this special day, the department has the lowest costs for a marriage license and a marriage ceremony in the state. In Orange County, couples can obtain a public marriage license for $61 and a confidential marriage license for $66. A civil marriage ceremony can be performed for an additional $28.

For more information, please call the department’s information line at (714) 834-2500 or visit OCRecorder.com. The department’s information line is available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.

Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen has implemented Qtrac, a digital queue management software, at the department’s North County Branch Office in Anaheim. The technology was implemented to help reduce lines, disperse waiting crowds and decrease wait times allowing staff to focus on helping customers and creating an efficient service experience for all customers. The technology has been in use at the department’s office in Santa Ana and has already showed great results.

“I am always looking for ways to make visits to our office convenient and pleasant for our customers,” Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen said. “This technology has already improved service at our main office in Santa Ana and I am looking forward to seeing great results at our office in Anaheim.”

Qtrac allows customers to check-in for service upon arriving at the office. Once they check-in, they are placed on a digital queue and receive a text message on their cell phone to confirm their place in line. When it is a customer’s turn, they receive a text message letting them know where to proceed for service. Once a customer is served, they will receive a final text message allowing them to participate in a survey rating their service experience.

This technology allows the department to manage work loads more efficiently by providing live data to managers and supervisors allowing them to deploy resources when needed and during unexpected surges in demand for services. This also helps the department manage social distancing guidelines and restrictions to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

For more information about the services provided by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department or its convenient locations, please visit OCRecorder.com 

Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen will be offering virtual marriage services to the public by appointment only effective January 18, 2022. This will help reduce crowds at the department’s offices and help couples minimize exposure to COVID-19, allowing them to obtain marriage services from the comfort and safety of their homes. These services are also geared towards helping first-responders and military personnel tie the knot without having to take time off from their busy work schedules. The department will offer virtual marriage appointments only from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and on a first come, first served basis. Appointments will be limited so schedule your appointment soon! Couples must purchase a marriage license and have a virtual civil marriage ceremony performed during their appointment. To complete a marriage license application and to make an appointment, couples must visit the department’s online appointment system at https://cr.ocgov.com/portal_OC/emarriage/. For more information, please call the department’s information line at (714) 834-2500 or visit OCRecorder.com.

Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen is proud to announce that his department is a recipient of a 2021 Innovation Award from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) for its Hitched at Honda Center Program in the Disaster and Emergency Response/Management category and rural population category. The award is the most prestigious presented by CSAC and is awarded to programs deemed the most innovative and effective entries received in 2021. This year CSAC received a record setting 433 entries, the most in the history of the program.

This week, Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen reaffirmed his commitment to fraud prevention by gaining approval from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to continue mailing Real Property Fraud Prevention Courtesy Notices to current property owners when a transfer deed such as a deed, grant, grant deed, quit claim deed, or trustee’s deed has been recorded on a property. The courtesy notices are also sent when a notice of default has been recorded on a property. This popular program will now continue through October 2026.

The courtesy notices are mailed to property owners a few days after a deed affecting the ownership of their property is recorded. Notification is sent to the current owner(s) of record to inform them of any unauthorized transfer of property. Previously, the department sent notices to owners when a grant deed was recorded on their property. The program will now cover more types of deeds and notices of default.

Today, October 13, 2021, the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department achieved a milestone in electronic recording history by reaching 10 million electronically recorded documents. This accomplishment keeps the department as the nationwide industry leader and is a testament to the department’s commitment to bringing the residents of Orange County fast and efficient services.

Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen attributes much of the success to the vision of the late Gary Granville who was the Clerk-Recorder from 1994 to 2002. Under his leadership, Clerk-Recorder Nguyen was part of the team that implemented the first electronic recording system in the nation in 1997. While recording real property documents electronically is a common service today, Orange County changed the industry by implementing the first electronic recording delivery system in the nation.

WASHINGTON – The Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department has been recognized with a second 2021 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

NACo recognized “COVID-19: Hitched with Virtual Wedding Services” in the award category of Information Technology. Dedicated to offering as many safe options as possible, Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen began offering virtual marriage services following Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order allowing marriage services through videoconference. The creative joining of the department’s existing technological resources and online services allowed it to construct a process that was operationally effective, cost effective, and simple. More importantly, this creative use of technology allowed high risk individuals, first responders, and many others who were unable to visit the department’s offices in-person to access essential government services.

WASHINGTON – The Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

NACo recognized “COVID-19: Hitched at Honda Center through Marriage Services”, in the award category of County Administration and Management. The Hitched at Honda Center program allowed the department to reimagine the marriage services process. Through thoughtful planning, training, and management, staff worked from inside ticket booths at Honda Center in Anaheim, California that had all the resources needed to be fully functional despite operating from a remote location. This allowed the department to continue rendering essential marriage services to its customers in a totally reimagined manner despite the pandemic.

After being forced to halt passport services due to pandemic closures, COVID-19 numbers drastically falling, and demand for travel increasing daily, Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen is pleased to announce the resumption of passport services at his department, signaling a steady return to normalcy. One year after halting services due to COVID-19, the department is excited to get passport services up and running again. In what is considered a milestone achievement, effective Monday, May 17, 2021, the department will be offering appointments only for new passports at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana and at its North County branch office in Anaheim. Again, only new passport applications will be accepted. No passport renewal services will be available. Service is by appointment only. No passport services available at Laguna Hills office.

To complete a passport application and to book an appointment, customers must visit OCRecorder.com. Appointments are filling up fast, so book yours now! Applicants must complete their application online and make an appointment prior to visiting the offices. The Old County Courthouse is located at 211 West Santa Ana Blvd. in downtown Santa Ana and offers appointments from 8 am to 4 pm. The North County branch office at 222 S. Harbor Blvd., Ste. 110 in Anaheim, inside the Wells Fargo Building and is offering appointments from 9 am to 4 pm. No walk-in service will be available at either location. For those looking to renew a passport, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s website at travel.state.gov/content/travel.html.