A fellow genealogist asks this question, "I need a Washington death certificate. Where do I get one, and how much will it cost?"

Each state has a vital record office where birth, death, and marriage certificates can be ordered. Most libraries have a copy of Everton's The Handy Book for Genealogists, United States of America. The HandyBook gives addresses for vital records offices in all states. The Washington address is: State Department of Health, Vital Records, PO Box 9079, ET-11, Olympia WA 98504. A caution is given; one must verify current fees. This is true for all states. The prices are always going up.

Go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and read "Where to Write for Vital Records" for online information about vital records for each state. Here you will get information about record availability and the fee for all 50 states. Record availability is important for it was not mandatory to collect death information in all states until the 20th century.

I went to the website to check for current information on Washington. I was switched to Washington State Vital Records' Office where I learned they have death records from July 1, 1907. For records before these dates, I was told to contact the county auditor where the event occurred. For a death record ordered by mail, Vital Records requests (1.) name at death, (2.) approximate date of death, and (3.) city or county of death. The fee is $17.

There is another option for people in the Vancouver area. The Vancouver Family History Center has a number of Washington death certificates on microfilm, mostly from 1907 to the mid 30s. If they don't have the film on hand, you can order the roll of film that you want, and it will come from Salt Lake in a couple of weeks. See the FamilySearch website for catalog numbers. For a little effort and 25 cents, you can get a copy of Grandpa's death certificate. (Note: the microfilmed death certificates do not cover all years. These are from 1907 to 1950. After that, you have to go to Washington Vital Records.)

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© 2000–2009

Connie Lenzen, CG^SM

CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.