Search Florida Death Records
The Florida Death Index contains death records of deaths that occurred throughout the state from 1877 to the present day. Florida death records are maintained by the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville and by local county health departments. Searching these death records helps families settle estates, trace genealogy, and obtain certified death certificate copies for legal purposes. Death records from 2009 forward are available at county health offices, while older death certificates must be requested from the state death records office in Florida.
Florida Death Index Quick Facts
Where to Find Florida Death Records
The Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains the central Florida death index at their Jacksonville office. Their address is 1217 N Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. Feel free to call them at (904) 359-6900 for questions about death records. This office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They hold all Florida death certificates from 2009 and earlier. Most historical death records date back to 1917. Some limited death records exist from as early as 1877 in Florida.
County health departments across Florida also issue death certificates. Each of the 67 counties has a local office that handles death records. These offices process death certificate requests for deaths from 2009 to the present. Feel free to visit a county office in person to obtain death records. Many offer same-day service for Florida death certificate requests. Some counties have multiple locations for your convenience. This county offices work with the state Bureau to maintain complete Florida death records.
Visit the Florida Department of Health death certificates page to learn more about obtaining death records. Feel free to also view publications, forms, and applications for death record requests.
The website shows who can order different types of death records. It explains the difference between public death records and restricted death records in Florida.
Types of Florida Death Records
Florida issues two types of death certificates. The first type is a death certificate without cause of death. Any person aged 18 or older may obtain this type of death record. It shows the decedent's name, date of death, and other death facts. The first five digits of the Social Security number are hidden on death certificates. This is a public death record in Florida. Most people need this death certificate type for legal and financial tasks.
The second type includes cause of death information on the death certificate. This death record type is restricted by Florida law. Cause of death remains confidential for 50 years after the death. Only certain people can obtain this death certificate type. Eligible persons include the spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, and siblings of the deceased. Others may obtain death records with proof of interest in the estate. A court order also allows access to cause of death records in Florida.
Social Security numbers on Florida death certificates are always confidential. This department of Health protects this death record information under section 119.071 of Florida Statutes. Even on public death records, most digits are hidden. This protects against identity theft and fraud. Florida takes privacy seriously with all death records.
The forms page lists applications for both types of death records. It also shows death record forms for amendments and corrections. Note: Valid photo ID is required when requesting cause of death information on Florida death certificates.
How to Request Florida Death Certificates
You have three ways to obtain death records in Florida. Feel free to order death certificates online, by mail, or in person. Each death record request method has different processing times and fees. Choose the method that works best for your death record needs in Florida.
VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor for Florida death records. The Florida Department of Health has approved this death certificate service. Visit vitalchek.com to place a death record order online. Feel free to also call VitalChek at 1-877-550-7330 for death certificates. The online death record service charges a $7 processing fee plus state fees. Rush processing is available for faster death certificate service. Most online death record orders process within 3 to 5 business days in Florida.
The VitalChek page explains how to order death records online. It links to the secure death certificate ordering system. Florida recommends using only authorized vendors to protect your death record privacy.
Mail requests for death certificates go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville. Send your death record request to P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042. Include the full name on the death record, sex, date of death, date of birth, and city or county of death. Also include your name and relationship to the decedent on the death certificate request. Payment must accompany your death record request. Mail death record orders take 10 to 15 business days to process in Florida.
In-person visits offer the fastest death certificate service. Visit the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville for death records before 2009. Visit your local county health department for death records from 2009 to present. Bring valid photo identification to obtain death certificates. Same-day death record service is often available. Walk-in hours vary by death record location. Call ahead to confirm office hours in your Florida county.
Florida Death Record Laws and Privacy
Florida Statutes Chapter 382 governs all death records and vital records in the state. This law is called the Florida Vital Statistics Act. It sets rules for registering deaths and issuing death certificate copies. The law protects sensitive death record information while allowing public access to basic death facts. All Florida death records fall under this chapter.
The statutes define who can access restricted death records. Section 382.025 sets the 50-year death record confidentiality rule. After 50 years, cause of death becomes public on death records. The law also sets fee limits for certified death certificate copies. First death certificate copy fees range from $3 to $5. Additional year searches for death records cost $1 to $2 per year. Rush fees for death certificates cannot exceed $10 in Florida.
Section 382.026 lists penalties for misusing death records. False statements on death certificate applications are a felony. Unauthorized copying or altering of death certificates is also a felony. Transporting a body without proper death permits is a misdemeanor. This department may fine death record violators up to $1,000 per offense. These laws protect the integrity of Florida death records.
Florida law requires death registration within 5 days of the death. The funeral director or person in charge of final disposition must file the death certificate. Electronic death filing is required through the state system. The death certificate must include the Social Security number if available. Aliases and "also known as" names may be added to death records at the family's request in Florida.
Florida Death Certificate Fees
The Bureau of Vital Statistics charges fees for death record searches and death certificate copies. A search of one calendar year plus one certified death certificate copy costs $5. Each additional copy of the same death record costs $4. These death certificate fees apply to records from 2009 and earlier at the state office. County health departments may charge different fees for recent death records. Check with your local office for their current death certificate rates in Florida.
Additional fees apply for some death record requests. Searching extra years costs $2 per year when the exact death year is unknown. The maximum death record search fee is $50. Rush service for pre-2009 death records costs $10 extra. This fee applies to same-day walk-in death certificate requests at the Jacksonville office. Shipping and handling adds $1 to death record mail orders in Florida.
Death record fees are non-refundable in most cases. You cannot get a refund if no death record is found. Feel free to get a refund for extra death certificate copies when no record exists. Florida law allows the Department to keep death record search fees. This covers the cost of looking for death records. Always provide accurate death information to avoid extra search fees in Florida.
Note: Death certificate fees may vary slightly between county health departments, so verify costs before visiting a local office for death records.
Information Needed to Search Florida Death Records
To obtain a Florida death certificate, you must provide specific death facts. The Bureau of Vital Statistics needs these death record details to locate the correct record. Accurate death information speeds up the search process. Missing or wrong death facts may cause delays or extra fees in Florida.
Provide the following information when requesting a death record:
- Full name of the decedent as shown on the death record
- Sex of the person listed on the death certificate
- Date of death or range of years to search death records
- Date of birth of the person on the death record
- City or county where the death occurred
- Social Security number if known from death records
- Your full name and relationship to the person on the death certificate
Valid photo ID is required for all death certificate requests involving cause of death. Acceptable forms include driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID for death records. The ID must be current and unexpired. Florida strictly enforces this death record rule for restricted records.
Funeral directors often help families obtain death certificates. They may order death record copies as part of their services. Ask your funeral director about this death certificate option. They understand the death record process and requirements in Florida. This can save time during a difficult period after a death.
Florida County Health Departments
Each of Florida's 67 counties has a health department that handles death records. These offices serve as local points for obtaining death certificates. They issue death certificates for deaths from 2009 to present. This decentralized death record system makes access easier for residents. You do not need to travel to Jacksonville for recent death records in Florida.
County offices offer several benefits for death certificate requests. Many have shorter wait times than the state death records office. Some have multiple locations within the county for death records. Several offer extended hours or satellite death record offices. Most accept walk-in death certificate requests without appointments. Call your local office to learn their specific death record services in Florida.
The related vital records pages show other services available besides death records. Birth, marriage, and divorce records follow similar rules to death certificates. Florida health departments handle all these record types along with death records.
Counties like Duval, Orange, and Miami-Dade have larger vital records offices for death certificates. They process high volumes of death record requests daily. Smaller counties may have limited death record staff. Processing times for death certificates can vary by location. Urban counties often offer faster same-day death record service in Florida.
Florida Death Records for Genealogy
The Florida Death Index is a valuable tool for family historians researching deaths. Death records contain facts needed to build family trees and trace deaths. They confirm names, dates, and places of death in family history. They also show family relationships through death records. Florida's death records date back over 140 years. This long death record history helps trace ancestry through many generations.
Death records older than 50 years are fully public. Cause of death is visible on these older death certificates. Genealogists can obtain death record copies without restrictions. The Bureau of Vital Statistics has death records from 1917 to 2009. Earlier death records from 1877 to 1916 are limited. Not all deaths were recorded in those early years in Florida.
Marriage records complement death records for family research. Both record types help verify family connections and deaths. Florida maintains all these records for public use along with death certificates.
When searching for old death records, provide as much detail as possible. Exact death dates help narrow the search. Knowing the county of death is very helpful for finding death records. Florida's death records are organized by date and location. The Bureau staff can assist with historical death record searches in Florida.
Browse Florida Death Index by County
Each county in Florida maintains death records through their local health department. Select a county below to find local contact information and resources for obtaining death certificates in that area.
Death Records in Major Florida Cities
Residents of major cities obtain death certificates through their county health department. Select a city below to learn about death record access in that area.