Certificate guide

Death Certificates in the United States

A plain-English guide to ordering a certified copy of a death record from any U.S. county or state vital records office. Pick the state where the event was registered to see county-specific request instructions, fees, and eligibility rules.

Who is eligible to request this record

Certified death certificates are typically released to the surviving spouse, a parent, a child or stepchild, a sibling, a grandparent or grandchild, a legal representative of the estate, or a person who can show a documented direct interest such as an insurer settling a claim.

Common reasons people order death certificates

  • Settling probate, wills, and trusts
  • Closing bank, retirement, and brokerage accounts
  • Filing life insurance, pension, and annuity claims
  • Transferring real-estate titles or vehicle ownership
  • Notifying Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs

What every request looks like

Across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories, the underlying request flow for a certified death certificate is the same. You complete an application that lists the basic facts of the event, you provide a photocopy of valid government-issued photo identification, you pay a state-set fee per copy, and you submit the request to the office that holds the original record.

For death records, the official custodian is generally the centralized state vital records office for events registered after the state began statewide registration, with the relevant county office holding earlier records. Use the state directory below to identify the correct office for your situation.

Documents and information you will need

  • Full legal name as it appears on the original record (including maiden names where applicable).
  • Date of the event — or your best estimate of the year if exact date is unknown.
  • City, town, or county where the event was registered.
  • Name(s) of parents or spouse(s) shown on the original record.
  • A clear photocopy of your government-issued photo identification.
  • Payment by personal check, money order, cashier’s check, or credit card (online portals).
  • A self-addressed stamped envelope when mailing the request.

Browse by state

Pick a state to see fees, the issuing office, and a directory of all county-equivalents within it.

AK Alaska 30 counties AL Alabama 67 counties AR Arkansas 75 counties AS American Samoa 5 counties AZ Arizona 15 counties CA California 58 counties CO Colorado 64 counties CT Connecticut 8 counties DC District of Columbia 1 counties DE Delaware 3 counties FL Florida 67 counties GA Georgia 159 counties GU Guam 1 counties HI Hawaii 5 counties IA Iowa 99 counties ID Idaho 44 counties IL Illinois 102 counties IN Indiana 92 counties KS Kansas 105 counties KY Kentucky 120 counties LA Louisiana 64 counties MA Massachusetts 14 counties MD Maryland 24 counties ME Maine 16 counties MI Michigan 83 counties MN Minnesota 87 counties MO Missouri 115 counties MP Northern Mariana Islands 4 counties MS Mississippi 82 counties MT Montana 56 counties NC North Carolina 100 counties ND North Dakota 53 counties NE Nebraska 93 counties NH New Hampshire 10 counties NJ New Jersey 21 counties NM New Mexico 33 counties NV Nevada 17 counties NY New York 62 counties OH Ohio 88 counties OK Oklahoma 77 counties OR Oregon 36 counties PA Pennsylvania 67 counties PR Puerto Rico 78 counties RI Rhode Island 5 counties SC South Carolina 46 counties SD South Dakota 66 counties TN Tennessee 95 counties TX Texas 254 counties UM U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 1 counties UT Utah 29 counties VA Virginia 133 counties VI U.S. Virgin Islands 3 counties VT Vermont 14 counties WA Washington 39 counties WI Wisconsin 72 counties WV West Virginia 55 counties WY Wyoming 23 counties