Washington Death Records Information
The Washington State Center for Health Statistics of Washington State Department of Health maintains and issues the records of all deaths that occur in the state of Washington. The Center for Health Statistics maintains 1907-present. Before 1907, deaths in Washington were recorded and maintained by the county where they occurred. The county registered each death by entering it into a ledger. Of course, things have changed since then. Today, the majority of the Washington Death Records are maintained electronically.
Washington Death Records are not public records and can only be obtained by the immediate family members of the deceased or people with a tangible interest in the record. Immediate family members of the deceased include the parents, siblings, grandparents, adult children, adult grandchildren, and spouse. To obtain the death record you need, you’ll need to provide certain information including the name of the deceased, the city, state, and county where the death occurred and the date of the death. Provided you’re eligible, you can request for and obtain the death record you need in four different ways including in person, by mail, by phone and online. Let’s take a brief look at how you can obtain the death record you need through each method.
Certified Copies of Washington Death Certificates
The first way for you to request for and obtain the death record you need is in person. To make an in person request for the death record you need, complete and submit the Death Certificate Counter Order Form, provide proof of ID and pay the $20 fee.
How To Get Washington Death Certificates By Mail
Another 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 Death Certificate Mail Order Form along with a copy of your valid photo ID and a pay order or check for the fee to:
Center for Health Statistics
Department of Health
PO Box 9709
Olympia WA 98507-9709
How to Get Washington Death Records Over The Phone
The third way for you to make a request for the death record you need is over the phone. To make a phone request for the death record you need, call 360- 236-4313 and provide your credit card number, the credit card expiration date, and the address where you want the record to be delivered to. VitalCheck, an independent company that the Washington Department of Health has partnered with, handles phone requests for Washington Death Records. The fee for phone requests is $31.50.
Get Washington Death Certificates Online
The final way for you to make a request for and obtain the death record you need is online. Just like the phone requests, the online requests for Washington Death Records are handled and processed by VitalCheck. To make an online request for the death record you need, visit the website of VitalCheck, follow the instructions given there, and pay the required fee.
Another way to obtain Washington Death Records is through online public databases. To find out more, call the Washington State Department of Health at 800-525-0127.
