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Death certificate in Pennsylvania

Step-by-step guide to ordering a certified death certificate for an event that occurred in Pennsylvania.

Who issues death records in Pennsylvania

Certified death records for events that occurred in Pennsylvania are issued by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. The office holds a centralized registry going back to 1906, the year statewide registration of deaths began. For events before that year, you will usually need to contact the county where the event occurred or the State Archives.

State officePennsylvania Division of Vital Records
Address101 S. Mercer St, Room 401, New Castle, PA 16101
Phone(844) 228-3516
Websitehttps://www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Birth-Certificates.aspx
Typical turnaround4-6 weeks by mail
Records since1906

Current fees

  • Birth records: $20
  • Death records: $20
  • Marriage records: contact county clerk of orphans court
  • Divorce records: contact prothonotary

Fees change. Always confirm the current amount on the official agency page before mailing payment. Most state offices accept money orders and cashier's checks; many accept credit cards for online and in-person orders.

Eligibility — who can order

Death records in Pennsylvania are also restricted. Eligibility usually includes:

  • Surviving spouse, parents, adult children, siblings, and grandparents of the deceased.
  • The court-appointed executor or administrator of the estate.
  • An attorney representing the estate or a beneficiary.
  • Government agencies acting in an official capacity (Social Security, Veterans Affairs, IRS).

Death certificates come in two variants: a full copy that includes cause-of-death information and a "fact-of-death" copy that omits it. Most estate administration requires the full copy; genealogy and property transfers often only require the fact-of-death copy.

For a deeper comparison of acceptable photo-ID alternatives — particularly useful when an ID has expired or you have only secondary documents — see this independent ID-substitution checklist .

How to order

By mail

Download the office's application form from https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Birth-Certificates.aspx, complete it in full, attach a clear photocopy of an acceptable photo ID, and mail it with a money order or cashier's check for the fee to:

Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records
101 S. Mercer St, Room 401, New Castle, PA 16101

Include a self-addressed stamped envelope only if the office's instructions request one; many offices use their own outbound mailing system at no extra cost.

In person

Most state vital records offices offer walk-in service during business hours at the address above. In-person service is the fastest mail-route alternative — often same-day. Bring an acceptable photo ID, the completed application, and the fee in cash or card (some offices do not accept personal checks at the counter).

Online

Pennsylvania partners with VitalChek as its approved online vendor for expedited orders. Online ordering adds a service fee on top of the state fee and a shipping charge for overnight delivery, but it can shave weeks off the wait when you need a record in a hurry. Always start at the official agency page (https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Birth-Certificates.aspx) and follow its link out to VitalChek; do not respond to unsolicited search ads from look-alike sites.

If you are gathering this death certificate as part of a larger genealogy project, this US family-history research walkthrough covers complementary record sets (census, military, immigration) that pair well with vital records.

Processing time

The published turnaround for standard mail orders to the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records is 4-6 weeks by mail. Add 5-10 business days for delivery in each direction. In-person and approved online orders are almost always faster. If your need is urgent — a passport appointment, a closing date, an immigration filing — order in person if you can travel to the office, or use the approved online vendor with overnight delivery.

County offices in Pennsylvania

You can also request informational copies of older death records from the county where the event occurred. The most populous Pennsylvania counties:

Don't pay twice. If a non-government search site asks for a fee just to "look up" a Pennsylvania death certificate, walk away. The fee schedule above is the only fee the issuing office charges, and it includes the search.