Vital records office
The state or county office that registers births and deaths and issues certified copies of the certificates.
What it means
Vital records are held at state level in most states and at county level in some, and several allow ordering from either.
Who may order a certified death certificate is restricted — typically to close family, a personal representative, and people who can show a documented need.
Funeral homes usually order the first copies as part of their service, which is why the first contact a family has with this office is often when they run out.
Why it matters
Every organization that has to be told about a death wants a certified copy, and this is the only place they come from.
It also matters when a death happened in another state or abroad, where the record is held somewhere other than where the family lives.
When you are likely to meet it
- When ordering more death certificates.
- When the death happened away from home.
- When an organization returns a photocopy and asks for a certified one.
How this varies by state
Whether records are held by the state or the county, who may order a certified copy, and what proof of entitlement is required are all set by state law.