Vital records document life events — births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. They are maintained by state Vital Records offices (often within the Department of Health) and county clerks. Indexes are frequently searchable online for free, while certified copies are restricted to eligible family members and carry a fee.
Last Updated: June 2026 · Reviewed quarterly by the Searchadex editorial team.
Vital records are the government's register of major life events. The four core types are birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses/certificates, and divorce decrees. Each is created at the time of the event and filed with a government office for permanent recordkeeping.
Access is more restricted than most public records. To protect against identity theft, certified birth and death certificates are typically 'closed' records — available only to the person, immediate family, or legal representatives — for a set number of years. Older records eventually become public and move to state archives.
Responsibility is split. State Vital Records offices hold birth and death records statewide; marriage and divorce records are often held at the county clerk or court where the event occurred, with a statewide index maintained by the state. Genealogical indexes (not certified copies) are often free to search.
Every state maintains a Vital Records office; searchable free indexes and the length of the 'closed' period vary. The table summarizes online access for the 15 largest states.
| State | Free Online? | Official Portal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Partial | CDPH Vital Records | Index/ordering online; certified copies restricted and fee-based. |
| Texas | Partial | Texas DSHS Vital Statistics + TexasFile index | Free verification/index search; certified copies fee-based. |
| Florida | Partial | Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics | Birth records closed 100 yrs; certified copies restricted. |
| New York | Partial | NY State Dept. of Health Vital Records (+ NYC separate) | NYC has its own office; genealogy indexes free, copies fee-based. |
| Pennsylvania | Partial | PA Division of Vital Records | Historical birth/death indexes free; recent copies restricted. |
| Illinois | Partial | Illinois Dept. of Public Health Vital Records | Genealogical index free; certified copies via county clerk. |
| Ohio | Yes | Ohio Dept. of Health + Ohio History Connection index | Free statewide death index; certified copies fee-based. |
| Georgia | Partial | Georgia DPH Vital Records | Ordering online; copies restricted to eligible applicants. |
| North Carolina | Partial | NC Vital Records | Order online; older records via State Archives free to view. |
| Michigan | Partial | Michigan Vital Records (MDHHS) | Genealogy death index free; certified copies fee-based. |
| New Jersey | Partial | NJ Vital Statistics | Recent records restricted; archives records older than threshold public. |
| Virginia | Partial | Virginia Dept. of Health Vital Records | Order online; certified copies restricted and fee-based. |
| Washington | Partial | Washington DOH Center for Health Statistics | Free index search; certified copies fee-based. |
| Arizona | Partial | Arizona DHS Vital Records (azdhs.gov) | Genealogy records (births 75+ yrs, deaths 50+ yrs) free online. |
| Tennessee | Partial | Tennessee Office of Vital Records | Order online; historical records via State Library & Archives. |
Partly. Death records and older birth records often become public, but recent birth and death certificates are restricted to the person and immediate family for a set number of years to prevent identity theft.
You can often search free statewide indexes and genealogical databases to confirm a record exists. Ordering a certified copy almost always requires a fee and proof of eligibility.
Generally the person named, their parents, legal guardian, spouse, or legal representative. Eligibility rules are set by each state's Vital Records office.
Marriage and divorce records are usually held by the county clerk or court where the event occurred, with a statewide index at the state Vital Records office.
It varies by state and record type — commonly 75–100 years for births and 50–75 years for deaths. After that, records move to the state archives and become open.
No. There is no single national database. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics compiles statistics, but actual records are held by each state.
Official portals are perfect for verifying a single record. When you need compiled reports — combined people search, contact data, or multi-source background information — these professional lookup tools go further. They are paid services, not government sources.
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