South Carolina Death Records

South Carolina Death Records Search

In South Carolina, the Office of Vital Records of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control maintains and issues the records of all deaths that occur in the state of South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control maintains South Carolina Death Records of 1915-present. Death records are not public records and can only be obtained by the immediate family members of the deceased or those with a tangible interest in the record.

Who Can Obtain Certified South Carolina Death Records?

• Parents
• Siblings
• Adult children
• Grandparents
• Adult grandchildren
• Those with a court order

Provided you’re eligible, you can request the South Carolina Office of Vital Records for the death record you need in four different ways including in person, by mail, by phone, and online. Following is how you can obtain South Carolina Death Records through each method.

How to Get South Carolina Death Records in Person

The first way for you to obtain the death record you need is in person. In order to make an in person request for the death record you need, visit the local South Carolina Vital Records office, complete and submit the Vital Records Death Application, present a copy of your valid photo ID and pay the $12 non-refundable fee. 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m is the office hours during which you can visit the Office of Vital Records.

South Carolina Death Records By Mail

The second way for you to make a request for and obtain the death record you need is by mail. To make a mail request for the death record you need, complete and mail the aforementioned application along with a copy of your valid photo ID to:

DHEC Vital Records
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC  29201

In addition to the aforementioned things, mail a pay order or cheque for the fee.

South Carolina Death Record Verification Via Phone

Another way for you to make request for and obtain the death record you need is by phone. To request the death record you need by phone, call 1-877-284-1008 and provide the required information. The fee for phone request is $17 and you can pay it through pay order, check or credit/debit card. Phone request for a South Carolina death record takes 5 to 7 working days to process.

South Carolina Death Records Online

The final way for you to make a request for and obtain the death record you need is online. To make an online request for the death record you need, visit the website of VitalCheck, follow the instructions given there, and pay the $17 fee. In case you didn’t know that already, VitalCheck is an independent company the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has partnered with to make vital records available online.

Another way for you to obtain South Carolina Death Records is through online public databases. To find out more about the availability of death records in South Carolina, call the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control at 803-898-3432.