Free Vital Records Search — Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records

The California Department of Public Health's Vital Records office (CDPH-VR) handles statewide birth, death, marriage, and divorce record requests, but California is a closed-record state, meaning certified birth and marriage certificates are restricted to the registrant, immediate family, or someone with a court order, and you'll need to submit a sworn statement plus a copy of valid ID, either notarized or through an identity-verification vendor if ordering online. Nothing about ordering a certified copy is free; state and county fees apply, and expedited or vendor-processed orders cost more on top of that. County recorder offices, not the state, actually hold the original county-level records and are often faster for older documents. A gotcha many people hit is confusing an "informational" copy, which doesn't require proving a qualifying relationship but also can't be used for legal purposes like passports, with a certified copy, which can. For a first-time requester, ordering directly from the county recorder where the event occurred is usually faster and cheaper than going through the state office or a third-party expediting service.

In short: Index/ordering online; certified copies restricted and fee-based.

Texas vital records are managed by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Vital Statistics Section, and while there's no free public database of certificate images, DSHS does provide an online index for verification purposes only, not for obtaining a legal copy. Texas restricts certified birth certificates less than 75 years old and death certificates less than 25 years old to qualified applicants, meaning immediate family or legal representatives, requiring ID and sometimes a notarized application, with fees charged per copy regardless of whether the order is approved. Older records fall out of the restricted window and become public, at which point local county clerks, who also hold marriage license records, can be a useful alternative source. A common gotcha is that Texas divorce decrees are not centrally issued by DSHS as full documents, only verification letters, so anyone needing the actual decree must contact the district clerk in the county where the divorce was finalized. First-time filers should double check whether they need a certified copy for legal use or just a verification letter, since the verification option is cheaper and faster to obtain.

In short: Free verification/index search; certified copies fee-based.

Florida vital records, including birth and death certificates, are handled by the Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, and Florida keeps a partially closed system where birth certificates less than 100 years old and death certificates less than 50 years old are restricted to the registrant, immediate family, or legal representatives with proof of relationship and ID. There's no free searchable database of actual certificates; you're paying a state fee per copy whether ordering by mail, in person, or through the county health department, which also processes vital records requests locally in many counties. Marriage and divorce records are actually handled differently, through the Clerk of Court in the county where the license or decree was filed, not through the Bureau of Vital Statistics, which trips up people expecting one-stop service. A related gotcha is that Florida charges the same search fee even if no record is found, since you're paying for the search effort, not a guaranteed result. A practical tip: order from the county health department nearest to where the event occurred if you want faster in-person pickup instead of a multi-week mailed state request.

In short: Birth records closed 100 yrs; certified copies restricted.

New York State vital records are split between the New York State Department of Health, which covers the entire state outside New York City, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which handles birth and death records for all five boroughs separately, a division that catches a lot of first-time requesters off guard. Neither office offers free online access to actual certificates; you pay a fee per certified copy, and New York restricts birth certificates to the registrant or immediate family for a set number of years after birth, requiring ID and proof of relationship for anyone else. Marriage records outside NYC are filed with local town or city clerks rather than the state health department for licenses, though the state does hold marriage certificate copies for a fee as well. A specific gotcha is that NYC birth records more than 100 years old and death records more than 75 years old become public and are transferred to the NYC Municipal Archives, a completely separate office from the Health Department. For someone searching for the first time, confirming whether the event happened inside or outside NYC before requesting anything saves a wrong-office mailing delay.

In short: NYC has its own office; genealogy indexes free, copies fee-based.

Pennsylvania's Division of Vital Records, part of the Department of Health and physically located in New Castle, handles birth and death certificates statewide, and there is no free public database of actual certificate images or full search-by-name lookup online; requests go through the state's online ordering portal or by mail, with a fee charged per copy. Pennsylvania restricts birth certificates for 105 years and death certificates for 50 years to the registrant, immediate family, or those with a documented legal interest, requiring ID with every request. Marriage license records, notably, are not centralized at the state level at all; they're issued and kept by the county Orphans' Court or Marriage License Bureau in the county where the couple applied, so anyone looking for a marriage record needs to go to that specific county rather than the state Division of Vital Records. A related gotcha is that older birth and death records before Pennsylvania's statewide registration began in 1906 may only exist in local church, county, or municipal registers. A practical tip: online orders through the state's vendor-processed portal are typically faster than mailed paper applications but carry an added convenience fee.

In short: Historical birth/death indexes free; recent copies restricted.

The Illinois Department of Public Health's Division of Vital Records processes birth and death certificate requests statewide, but Illinois is a closed-record state for the first several decades after an event, generally restricting birth certificates for 75 years and death certificates for 20 years to the registrant, immediate family, or someone with a documented legal interest, along with ID verification. There's no free way to obtain the actual certificate online; every copy carries a state fee whether mailed, ordered online, or picked up in person in Springfield. Marriage and divorce records in Illinois are handled at the county level by the County Clerk where the license was issued or, for divorce, the Circuit Clerk where the case was filed, not by the state vital records office, a distinction that often confuses first-time searchers. A related gotcha is that Cook County has its own separate vital records processes for Chicago-area events, adding another layer for people unfamiliar with the local structure. For someone new to this, checking whether the record falls outside the restricted window is worth doing first, since records older than the cutoff become public and easier to obtain, sometimes even from county archives without the same proof-of-relationship requirement.

In short: Genealogical index free; certified copies via county clerk.

Ohio's vital records system is unusually decentralized: while the Ohio Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Statistics in Columbus can issue statewide certified birth and death certificates for events since 1908, the original local health districts and county probate courts also keep their own copies, and going directly to the county where the event happened is often faster than the state office. Nothing is free for a certified copy; both state and local health department fees apply per certificate, and Ohio restricts access to birth certificates to qualified applicants for a set number of years, requiring ID and, in some cases, a notarized statement for online or mail orders. Marriage records are handled entirely by the county Probate Court where the license was issued, and divorce decrees come from the Clerk of Courts in the county where the case was filed, neither of which routes through the state health department. A gotcha specific to Ohio is that local health department fees and processing times vary significantly by county, so a request that takes days in one county might take weeks in another. First-timers should call the specific county health district first to confirm current fees and whether walk-in service is available before mailing anything.

In short: Free statewide death index; certified copies fee-based.

Georgia's Department of Public Health, through its Office of Vital Records in Atlanta, issues certified birth and death certificates statewide, and Georgia restricts birth records to the registrant or immediate family for a set number of years, requiring valid ID with every request, whether submitted online, by mail, or in person. No certified copy is free; the state fee applies per certificate regardless of method, and expedited or vendor-assisted online orders add a processing fee on top. Marriage licenses in Georgia are issued and recorded by the Probate Court in the county where the license was obtained, not by the state vital records office, and divorce records come from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the case was filed, so anyone assuming one office covers all four record types will need to redirect their search. A Georgia-specific gotcha is that records for events before the state's vital records system began statewide registration in the 1910s may not exist at the state level at all and might only be found through county courthouses or church records. A practical tip for someone new to this is to have the exact county of the event ready before starting, since it determines which office to contact for anything other than a standard birth or death certificate.

In short: Ordering online; copies restricted to eligible applicants.

North Carolina's Vital Records office, under the Department of Health and Human Services in Raleigh, issues birth and death certificates statewide, and while there's no free public database for obtaining actual certificates, the office does offer both online (through a state-approved vendor) and mail-in ordering, each carrying its own fee. North Carolina restricts birth certificates to qualified applicants for a period of years, generally requiring the registrant, a parent, or another immediate family member with ID, and unauthorized requests are denied without a refund of the search fee in some cases. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded by the Register of Deeds in the county where the license was obtained, and this office, not the state Vital Records division, is where certified marriage certificates typically need to come from, particularly for a certified copy of the actual marriage license rather than a state-level abstract. Divorce judgments similarly come from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county of filing. A useful gotcha to know: North Carolina's state office can issue "uncertified" copies for genealogical or informational use at a lower cost, which is worth requesting if you don't need the record for legal purposes.

In short: Order online; older records via State Archives free to view.

Michigan's Vital Records Division, part of the Department of Health and Human Services in Lansing, processes birth and death certificate requests statewide, and while an online ordering system exists through a state-contracted vendor, there is no free way to view or download an actual certificate; every copy, certified or otherwise, comes with a fee. Michigan restricts birth records to the registrant, immediate family, or legal representatives for a set number of years, requiring ID and sometimes a notarized application for mailed requests. County clerks in Michigan also hold local birth and death records and can sometimes process requests faster than the state office, especially for events more than a few decades old. Marriage records are recorded by the County Clerk where the license was issued, and while the state Vital Records office can also provide certified marriage certificates for events since 1867, going to the county directly is often quicker. A Michigan-specific gotcha is that some pre-1897 birth and death records were never centrally registered and only exist, if at all, in local church or county registers. For first-time requesters, having the exact county of the event on hand speeds up the process considerably, especially for older records.

In short: Genealogy death index free; certified copies fee-based.

New Jersey's Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, part of the Department of Health in Trenton, handles birth, death, marriage, and civil union certificates for events statewide, though for New Jersey, unlike many states, marriage certificates are issued centrally by the state office rather than solely by counties, which surprises some researchers used to other states' county-based systems. Nothing is available for free beyond confirming that the state accepts a request; every certified copy carries a fee, whether ordered by mail, in person, or through the state's online vendor-processed system, and New Jersey restricts records to the registrant, immediate family, and others with a documented legal interest, requiring ID and, for many requests, a notarized application. Divorce records, notably, are not issued by the Vital Statistics office at all; they come from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was finalized. A gotcha specific to New Jersey is that local registrars in individual municipalities also maintain copies and can sometimes process requests faster than the state office in Trenton, particularly for recent events. A practical first step is contacting the local municipal registrar before going through the state system if you need a quick, in-person copy.

In short: Recent records restricted; archives records older than threshold public.

The Virginia Department of Health's Division of Vital Records in Richmond handles birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificate requests statewide, and while there's an online request option through the state's vendor-processed system, it isn't free; every copy carries a state fee, plus additional vendor charges for online or phone orders. Virginia restricts access to birth certificates less than 100 years old and other vital records for shorter windows to the registrant, immediate family, and those with a legitimate interest, requiring ID and, for many requests, notarization. Marriage licenses are issued locally by circuit courts, but Virginia's state Vital Records office does maintain marriage and divorce certificates (essentially abstracts) centrally since the state began registration, so you don't necessarily need to go to the county for a basic certified copy, unlike several neighboring states. A Virginia-specific gotcha is that records from certain independent cities are sometimes filed separately from surrounding counties due to Virginia's unique city-county independence, which can complicate a search if you're unsure which jurisdiction actually processed the original filing. First-time requesters should double check whether they need the state abstract or the original county-issued marriage license, since only the latter is available directly from the circuit court.

In short: Order online; certified copies restricted and fee-based.

Washington State's Department of Health Center for Health Statistics processes birth and death certificate requests statewide, with an online ordering option through a state-approved vendor, though no certificate, certified or otherwise, is free to obtain; state and vendor fees apply per copy. Washington restricts birth certificates to the registrant, immediate family, and those with a legal interest for a set number of years, and requests require ID, with notarization needed for many mail-in applications. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded at the county auditor's office where the couple applied, and while the state Department of Health can issue a certified marriage certificate as well, county records are often faster to obtain, especially for recent marriages. Divorce records come from the Superior Court in the county where the case was filed, not from the state health department, another point that trips up first-time searchers expecting one central office for everything. A Washington-specific gotcha is that county auditor offices vary in whether they offer online record requests versus requiring an in-person or mailed application, so checking the specific county's process before assuming statewide consistency saves time. A useful tip is to request an uncertified "informational" copy when a certified one isn't strictly needed, since it's typically cheaper.

In short: Free index search; certified copies fee-based.

Arizona's Bureau of Vital Records, under the Department of Health Services in Phoenix, handles birth and death certificates statewide, and while there's an online ordering system through a state-contracted vendor, actual certificates always carry a fee; there's no free way to obtain a usable copy online. Arizona restricts birth certificates for 75 years and death certificates for 50 years to the registrant, immediate family, and those with a documented legal interest, generally requiring notarized applications for mail or online requests. County health departments in Arizona also process vital records requests locally and can sometimes turn around walk-in requests faster than the state office in Phoenix. Marriage licenses are issued by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the couple applied, not by the state vital records bureau, and divorce decrees similarly come from the Superior Court in the county where the case was filed. A gotcha specific to Arizona is that some older records, especially from before statehood in 1912 or the early years after, may be incomplete or missing entirely, requiring a search of county or church records instead. A practical tip for someone new to this is to check with the county Clerk of the Superior Court directly for marriage and divorce records rather than starting with the state health department, which won't have those documents.

In short: Genealogy records (births 75+ yrs, deaths 50+ yrs) free online.

Tennessee's Office of Vital Records, part of the Department of Health in Nashville, handles birth and death certificate requests statewide, with an online ordering option through a state-approved vendor, though there's no free way to obtain an actual certificate; state and vendor processing fees apply to every order. Tennessee restricts birth certificates for 100 years and death certificates for shorter periods to the registrant, immediate family, and those with a documented legal interest, requiring ID and, in many cases, a notarized application for mail-in requests. Marriage licenses are issued by the County Clerk in the county where the couple applied, and while the state Vital Records office maintains marriage certificates centrally since statewide registration began, going directly to the county clerk can be faster for a recent marriage. Divorce records come from the Chancery or Circuit Court in the county where the case was filed, not from the state vital records office. A Tennessee-specific gotcha is that records from before the state's centralized registration system started in the early 20th century may only be available through county registers of deeds or historical archives. First-time requesters should confirm whether they need a short-form or long-form certificate, since the short form is often cheaper and sufficient for most non-legal purposes.

In short: Order online; historical records via State Library & Archives.