Find Government Death Records
Public Death records are instrumental in establishing our present-day vital statistics registration system. The statistical data that can be derived from them are of great value to public health and various other causes. Most states started centralizing death records in the fifties but they have been around at county and district level long before that although they were rather scant compared to those today. Together with Birth, Marriage and Divorce records, Death records form the principal vital records.
As with other public records, death records are governed at state level. That means they are subject primarily to state laws within which are variations from state to state. On the whole, death records are public information and hence retrievable by any member of the public as long as requirements are observed and met. They are mandated by law (Freedom of Information Act, 1966) to be made available as a public service by the authorities, side by side with private sources.
Compared to those of olden days, modern-day death records are very comprehensive. The standard information contained in death records includes personal particulars of the deceased, date and location of death, the name and relationship of the informant and members of the surviving family and burial and funeral notices. Obituaries are often attached too. It must be noted that details on the cause of death are sometimes restricted to close kin and relatives if they are deemed sensitive or confidential.
The central document in death records is the Death Certificate but obituary if there is one can also be of great interest. Death Certificates are usually restrictive in accessibility due to the sensitive information. The cause of death is stated if it is accidental, homicide, suicide or declared in absentia as in the case of missing persons. Otherwise, it’s stated as ‘natural’ for confidentiality reasons (50 years before becoming public information) although law enforcement, health and security authorities can access the actual cause. For some states like Texas, death certificates within the past 25 years are considered protected and there are requirements for requesting them. There are other states with similar treatment.
There are variations in the ways free death records are provided throughout the country also. Foremost, the fees levied among the states vary. The preferred mode of request is also different. Ohio rewards walk-in requests with same-day service while California only accepts mail orders and Texas recommends electronic orders (TexasOnline). Processing times are also vastly different too. It averages 14 weeks in California and 12 months for Death Affidavits. In Ohio, it’s 2 to 3 weeks and 10 business days in Florida.
Under normal circumstances, the most practical way to conduct a Death Records Search is through commercial information brokers online. They largely tap from the separate state repositories also but the data streams are linked into a single database so that their Online Death Records are provided as a nationwide search. This takes away the pain of going state by state for multiple-state residents. They are also instant, discreet and 24/7.
