For most San Joaquin County residents, procuring vital records has always involved a trip to Stockton.
But thanks to the planned opening of a new satellite government office in Lodi, residents in the northern part of the county won’t have to make that trek for much longer.
The new center, announced this week by county officials, will provide government services, including passports and copies of birth certificates, and eventually offer a space for weddings and other events.
“We are bringing government to the people, saving our community time and trouble,” District 4 Supervisor Steve Ding said in a news release announcing the new facility. “Residents will no longer need to take time from their workday to drive to the county building in Stockton for routine government business.”
Purchased for $1.3 million, the new building is located at 322 W. Elm St. in Lodi’s historic downtown district, next to City Hall. The space currently houses the ministry campus for Lodi Christian Life, also known as Vida Cristiana de Lodi, where the original church was erected in 1909, according to county staff.
The initial operations of the new facility, slated to open in mid-2027, will incorporate only the county’s recorder-clerk department. But the space eventually will become a one-stop hub for multiple government services, County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk Steve Bestolarides said in announcing the satellite office.
The facility also will ultimately include a venue for weddings and other ceremonies. Each year, the county handles approximately 900 ceremonies at its Stockton office, officials said.
“This new facility is more than a building. It’s a commitment to helping our community,” Bestolarides said.
The space will provide easier access to county services not only for residents in Lodi but also those in remote and unincorporated communities such as Woodbridge, Thornton and Lockeford.
Work is already underway to make the building ADA compliant and upgrade it to the county’s IT infrastructure. While the total cost of the project has not yet been finalized as architectural planning continues, county officials estimate ADA-related upgrades alone will cost between $350,000 and $400,000.
Funding for the project will come from the recorder’s modernization fund and will not affect the city of Lodi’s general fund, Karyn Johnson, the county’s assistant assessor-recorder-clerk, told Stocktonia.