Obtaining Certified Copies of ​​Death Certificates

The California Department of Public Health – Vital Records (CDPH-VR) maintains a permanent, public record of every death that has occurred in California since July 1905.

Processing Times for Death Certificates

CDPH-VR's estimated processing times for certified copies of death certificates are listed below, which may occasionally increase as the volume of requests increases. The processing time begins when CDPH-VR receives your request. County Recorder Offices can sometimes process requests faster than CDPH-VR.

If death occurred:

Requesting a Certified Copy