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Vital Records by State

Office addresses, current fees, form numbers, and county shortcuts for all 50 states. Select your state for a complete guide.

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Request from the state where the event occurred — not where you live now. A California resident born in Ohio must request their birth certificate from Ohio. Your home state has no record of events that occurred in another state. See our out-of-state records guide for the full process.

Four Things to Know Before You Request

  1. County offices are almost always faster than the state office. In most states, the county health department or county clerk in the county where the event occurred can issue certified copies same-day. The state office by mail takes 4–14 weeks.
  2. New York City is a completely separate jurisdiction from New York State. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island → NYC DOHMH. Everything else in New York → NYS Department of Health in Albany. Sending to the wrong office adds months.
  3. Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island use town clerks. In these states, vital records are registered at the town level, not the county or state level. Contact the town clerk where the event occurred.
  4. Divorce decrees come from the county court — not the health department. The state vital records office maintains a divorce index but does not hold the full decree. For a certified copy of a divorce decree, contact the county court clerk where the divorce was filed.

Select Your State

Alabama — $15
Alaska — $30
Arizona — $20
Arkansas — $10
California — $29 ★
Colorado — $20
Connecticut — $20 †
Delaware — $25
Florida — $9 ★
Georgia — $25
Hawaii — $10
Idaho — $16
Illinois — $15
Indiana — $8
Iowa — $15
Kansas — $15
Kentucky — $10/$6 ★
Louisiana — $15
Maine — $15 †
Maryland — $10
Massachusetts — $14 †
Michigan — $34
Minnesota — $26/$13
Mississippi — $17
Missouri — $14
Montana — $12
Nebraska — $14
Nevada — $20
New Hampshire — $15 †
New Jersey — $25
New Mexico — $10
NYC vs NYS — read first
New York — $30/$15 ★
North Carolina — $24
North Dakota — $7 ★
Ohio — $25
Oklahoma — $15
Oregon — $25
Pennsylvania — $20
Rhode Island — $22 †
South Carolina — $12
South Dakota — $15
Tennessee — $15
Texas — $22 ★
Utah — $30
Vermont — $10 †
Virginia — $12
Washington — $25
West Virginia — $12
Wisconsin — $20
Wyoming — $13

★ = Notable feature (low fee, fast processing, or special rules — see state guide).
† = Town-clerk model — contact the town clerk where the event occurred, not a county or state office.
Fees shown are for birth certificates (first copy). Death certificate fees may differ — see individual state guides.
View sortable all-states fee comparison table →

Fastest and Cheapest States (Quick Reference)

CategoryStateDetails
Fastest mail processingNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, Idaho1–3 weeks typical; some offer same-day walk-in at state office
Lowest death cert feeKentucky ($6), North Dakota ($7), Florida ($10 / $5 add'l)Kentucky death certs are $6 each — cheapest in the US
Best bulk pricingTexas ($20 first + $3 each add'l), Florida ($10 first + $5 each add'l)Order 15 Texas death certs for ~$62 total
Slowest mail processingNew York (8–14 wks), California (8–14 wks), New Jersey (6–12 wks), Texas (8–12 wks)For these states, county or online ordering is strongly recommended
Highest feesMichigan ($34/copy), New York State ($30/copy), Utah ($30/copy)Michigan is the most expensive state for vital records

Generate Your Personalized Checklist

Select your state, record type, and relationship — get a printable checklist of exactly what to submit, where to send it, and the current fee.

Open Checklist Generator Compare All State Fees