California Death Records Search
In California, the California Department of Public Health is responsible for maintaining and issuing the official record of all deaths that occur in the state of California. The California Department of Public health maintains California Death Records of 1905-present. If you make a request for post 1970 death records, your request will take about three weeks to process. On the other hand, if you make a request for pre-1970 records, your request will take about seven weeks to provide. Whether you want pre-1970 or post-1970 California death records, you will receive the records only if you’re eligible for them. You can however lookup California death records online for reference only.
People who can request for certified death records in California include the immediate family members of the deceased and people with a financial interest in the record. There are two types of death records that you can request for in California: certified records and uncertified records. The fee for the certified death record is different from the fee for the uncertified death record. There are three ways for you to request for and obtain death records in California: in person, by mail and online. Following is how you can obtain the death record you need through each way.
Where Do I Get a Death Certificate in California?
The first way to make a request for and obtain the California death record you need is in person. To make an in person request for the record, go to the local California Department of Public health office, submit a completed Application for Certified Copy of Death Record, and pay the required fee. Also, you may need to provide a sworn statement. Generally, a sworn statement is required when you’re ordering copy of the California death record. The fee for California death records is $21.
How Do I Get California Death Records By Mail?
Another way for you to make and request for and obtain the California death record you need is by mail. To make a mail request for the record you need, complete and send the aforementioned application along with a sworn statement, a self-addressed envelope, and a pay order or check for the fee to:
California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
Generally, mail requests for California Death Records take fifteen days to process.
Online
The easiest and quickest way to make a request for the California death record you need is online. How can you make an online request for death records in California? The California Department of Public health provides death records online through Vitalcheck, an independent company that the State of California has partnered with to make the records available online. To make an online request for the death record you need, go to the website of Vitalcheck and follow the instructions stated there.
Another way to request for California Death Records is through online public databases. To find out more about the aforementioned records, call the California Department of Public health at 916-445-2684.
Trying to find the date of my fathers death. July 17 or 18 2020 in CA. Earl Ray Orum was his name.
William, we ran a California death record search for your father and only have a CA death record for an Early Orum that passed away in 1964. That being said, since this was a recent death it is probably not posted on many public record websites. You can reach out to the California Department of Public Health to get a CA death verification. You can call them directly @ 916-552-9700
How To Get a California Death Verification
There are a couple of options to get a death verification in California. First you can try looking up California death records on public record websites, since death records are public information. A second option is to contact the California Department of Public Health as they archive all death records in California
looking for a death certificate for my sister who was stillborn? no name was given to her. I found some information at the cemetery where she’s buried. she was a twin. My other sister who survived was born 8-17-1955. Not sure if the other twin was stillborn or died shortly thereafter. I want to get a headstone for her but need a death certificate for the cemetery office.
Thank you~
To obtain the record of your sister’s death you will want to contact the California Department of Health and request to obtain a vital death record. Follow the instructions below to obtain a certified copy of a California Death Record.
Get a Copy of a California Death Certificate
1. Request an authorized death record
2. Fill out the death record request form
3. Complete the sworn statement form
4. Have your request form notarized
5. Pay the fee for a certified copy
6. Mail in your form, processing takes 3-4 weeks
California Deparment of Health Address
Vital Records – MS 5103
1501 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95814
I\’m looking to see if my birth Father has died in California. His name is Samuel Lee Robinson age between 78-81.
Joann, this person has a very common name in California so it’s difficult to know for sure if one of these records is the person you mentioned. You can also contact the California Department of Public Health to verify a death record. You can visit their website or call them directly to inquire. Their phone number is 916-558-1784
I’m trying to find out if a distant cousin has passed away
Carolyn, if you can provide us with the full name of the person of interest we are happy to assist you with a California death record search
Can you look for my girlfriend\’s death certificate Shawna Lynn Campbell died 6-24-2020
Doug, in order to obtain a copy of a California death certificate you will need to contact the California Department of Public Health, they manage all the vital records for California and can assist you with a duplicate copy of a death certificate. Please note that typically only immediate family can obtain a a copy of a CA death certificate unless you have a court order, so you might want to reach out to a family member to assist you with gaining access to this
Trying to find out about my son’s death August 2020
His name was Daniel John Zeiszler.
Dan, we checked our California death records and did not find your son’s death record. Since this was a recent death it might not be posted to all public record repositories. You can try contacting the California Department of Public Health for a CA death verification. You can visit their website or call them directly @ 916-558-1784
Trying to find out if Gary L. Head has passed away,. Lives in Downey, CA.
Michelle, we show multiple listings for a Gary L. Head that have passed away in California. Can you verify the middle name and his year of birth so we can determine if one of these CA death records are the person in question?
Looking to find the death recor dof Mary Jane (Hart) Hale Alvord in Stockton CA after 1910. Hart was her maiden name.
She was last known to get a divorce from Elwood. Rhonemus in Stockton, Ca in January of 1911. She is my great Grandmother and I am desperately trying to find her location of death and burial.
Other places Mary Jane had lived prior to that date was in San Jose, CA and San Franciso, CA under the name of Mary Jane Hale. Mary Jane had been married at least 4 times under the names of Hale, Alvord, and Rhonemus in California.
Please advise as to how I can go forward in searching for her.
Thank you,
Betty S. Jones
Betty, unfortunately this California death record is much older than what we have in our CA death record repository. You can try contacting the CA Department of Public Health as they manage and archive older CA deaths. Another option is to try using a genealogy service or looking up old California newspaper obituaries
I am trying to find the official cause of death of my family member, Tiera Rudolph. Her city of death was Folsom, CA.
Unfortunately we do not show the cause of death in our California death records. This information is typically available on the California death certificate however our California vital record resources are for online reference only and more limited than the information you might find from the California Department of Public Health. You can inquire with them about the “Cause of Death” as well as obtain a copy of the original CA death certificate. A duplicate death certificate can only be obtained by immediate family or a court order.
The gentleman’s name is Raymond Ray Baggs, age 82, lived in Rohnert Park, California
Janice, the only listing we could find was for a Raymond R. Baggs that was born in 1899 and died in 1964 however the age and description do not match the criteria you provided us. You can also check with the California Department of Public Health as this agency manages all the vital records in California, which include California death records
I am looking for a friend of my husband who he met in the Army in Baumholder Germany from 1960-62. I have exhausted all avenues without paying but cannot find out if he is still living. I wanted to let him know that my husband had passed away. Can you help me?
Janice, we are happy to assist you with your search if you give us the full name of the person in question as well as his age and what state he lived in. The more information you can provide us the better chance we have at locating your husband’s friend. We’ll enter all his information into our public record website and hopefully get a hit on his name.
hello. I am looking for an old friend. I believe she must have died. We hadn’t spoken in 7 years. her social media page is gone, her website is gone, her email came back to me, her house was for sale on Zillow. I don’t have her DOB but I have her name and address approx. age as we were friends in a community church setting so I didn’t know exact details. NO ONE seems to know what happened to her. STRANGE! I honestly don’t want to pay to find out if she passed but she was a wonderful lady. I’d just like to know.
Ms. Hall, we are happy to search our California death record database for you if you can provide us with her full name and age. Another option is to contact the California Department of Public Health and make a request for a death verification, they are the managing state agency in California for vital records
I am looking for a death record for Paul Jeandeville. I found a record that the public date was Sept. 12, 1892.
I believe that he was in Los Angeles at the time of death.
Sunni, unfortunately this is a very old California death record that is much older than we carry in our death database index for California. You might want to check with the California Department of Public Health or the California State Archives
Dead or alive?
Have financial interest: bene. Life ins.
Margaret, we are happy to assist you with a California death record search but we’ll need to know more about the person in question. Do you know their full name and date of birth?
We don’t show the date of the California death record in our database. A good option to obtain this California death record information is to contact the California Department of Public Health as they are the managing state agency for death records in California.
How to Order a CA Certified Death Certificate
1. Visit the California Department of Public Health website
2. Download the Death Certificate Pamphlet and fill out form
3. Have your California Death Certificate request notarized
4. Pay the fee for a Certified Death Certificate copy
5. Processing may take 3-4 weeks by mail
I am trying to see if there is a death record for Tamara Lindley Brown in the state of CA. I’ve looked every where. A link keeps coming up from ancestry regarding her death as December 25, 2005, but thats all the information it will give me. I’ve gone to Obituaries.com and it takes me back to ancestory and the same death notice. I want to be certain it is her. Last I heard from her, she was living in a community in Crescent City. She was born in 1960.