How to Get a Death Certificate in California

California issues two kinds of certified copies: authorized and informational. Anyone can order an informational copy. Only these people can order an authorized copy:

• A parent or legal guardian, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner of the person who died
• Surviving next of kin and others listed in Health and Safety Code section 7100
• An attorney representing the person who died or their estate
• Any person or agency appointed by a court or empowered by statute to act for the person who died or their estate
• Funeral establishments, ordering on behalf of the family
• Law enforcement and government agencies on official business

Executors and administrators. The state application asks executors and administrators to include "a copy of the court order or documentation identifying you as executor or administrator." CDPH does not list exactly which documents it accepts, so call CDPH Vital Records at (916) 445-2684 to confirm before you mail your request.

If you can't meet the requirements for an authorized copy, you can still receive an informational copy.

California has two kinds of places that issue death certificates: local county and city offices, and the state office in Sacramento.

Local offices (start here for a recent death)

CDPH recommends ordering from the county health department or the county recorder for the first 3 months after a death. Records reach the state database only after the county records them, and CDPH says you can often get a certificate more quickly from the county.

• County recorders (all 58 counties) have death certificates for all years.
• County health departments (the local registrar) have death certificates for the current year and the year before.
• Either office can issue certificates only for deaths that happened in that county.
• A few areas work differently. The cities of Berkeley, Long Beach and Pasadena run their own local registrars. Berkeley keeps records for 2 years and Long Beach for 1 year, after which you order from the county recorder. In San Francisco, death certificates come from the Office of Vital Records at City Hall. In Alameda and Solano counties, CDPH's directory sends all requests to the County Recorder.
• You can order in person at the county office where the death was registered. Some county offices also take online orders. Hours, appointment rules, payment methods and processing times vary by county.
• Find the right office in the CDPH County Registrar and Recorder Directory, and contact it to confirm its fees and how it takes orders.

State office: CDPH Vital Records

The California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR) holds every California death since July 1905, so it can issue a certificate no matter which county the death happened in.

• By mail only. Complete the Application for Certified Copy of Death Record (VS 112) and mail it with payment to: California Department of Public Health, Vital Records - MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410.
• Processing time: about 4 to 6 weeks from the day CDPH receives your request. Certificates are returned by USPS First Class Mail, and shipping time is extra.
• No walk-ins. CDPH Vital Records does not have a public counter.
• No online orders. Since July 1, 2026, CDPH no longer accepts applications submitted through online third-party vendors. A vendor may still take your order online, but it then either mails your application to CDPH (where it waits in line as a mail order) or sends it to the county where the death happened. CDPH cannot help with vendor fees or refunds.
• No phone orders. Customer service is available at (916) 445-2684 (CA Relay 711 or 1-800-735-2929), Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Pacific.

Fees. CDPH charges $26 per certified copy, with no reduced price for extra copies. The fee went up on January 1, 2026. Pay by check or money order in US dollars, payable to "CDPH Vital Records." No cash. If no record is found, CDPH issues a Certificate of No Public Record and keeps the fee as a search fee. Once CDPH accepts an order, it does not cancel or refund it.

County fees may be different from the state's. Los Angeles County, for example, charges $26 per copy but adds a $1.75 fee for card payments in person, and LA County Public Health adds a $10.50 processing fee for online orders. Contact your county office to confirm its fees.

For an authorized copy by mail (state or county):

• The application. For the state, use form VS 112.
• A notarized sworn statement. The VS 112 includes a sworn statement where you name the person who died and your relationship to them. Sign it in front of a notary. CDPH rejects an authorized-copy request without a notarized sworn statement as incomplete. One sworn statement can cover several records requested at the same time.
• Proof of your role, if you are an executor or administrator: a copy of the court order or documentation identifying you as executor or administrator.
• Payment: $26 per copy for the state, by check or money order.

Signing outside the US. A sworn statement notarized by a foreign notary needs an apostille attached. No apostille is needed if it was notarized by a US ambassador, minister, consul, vice consul or consular agent, or by a judge of a foreign court of record that has a seal.

In person at a county office. The official takes your sworn statement on the spot, so you don't need a notary. Bring a valid photo ID.

Online through a county's vendor. For an authorized copy, Los Angeles County, for example, requires you to pass an online identity check or send in a notarized Certificate of Identity.

Informational copies don't need a sworn statement.

In California, both types are "certified copies." The difference is what they can be used for.

• Authorized certified copy. Can be used to establish the identity of the person named on the certificate. Only the people listed under "Who Can Order" can get one, and they must provide a sworn statement.
• Informational certified copy. Contains the same information, but carries the legend "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." Depending on the year, signatures and Social Security numbers may be blacked out. Anyone can order one.

If you are handling an estate and qualify, the authorized copy is the one that can establish identity. Ask each bank, insurer or court which type it needs.

The funeral home's role. By law, the funeral director (or the person acting in place of one) prepares the death certificate and registers it with the local registrar. This must happen within 8 calendar days after the death and before burial or cremation. A funeral home employee can also order authorized copies on behalf of the family. Ask your funeral home whether it can order copies for you.

Official sources give different answers on when copies can first be ordered:

• The state application (VS 112) says death records are available two weeks after the date of death.
• LA County Public Health says certificates are available 10 days after the certificate is registered.
• CDPH recommends ordering from the county for the first 3 months, because the state gets the record only after the county records it.

If you order from CDPH before the record reaches the state database, you will get a Certificate of No Public Record and the fee is kept. For a recent death, contact the county office where the death happened to confirm when copies are ready.

Banks, insurers and courts settling an estate often ask for their own certified copy. In California each copy costs $26 at the state, with no discount for ordering more, but ordering enough at once saves you a second wait of several weeks. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

Most typos, misspellings and missing information are fixed with form VS 24, Affidavit to Amend a Record. See the CDPH VS 24 instructions for what to include and where to send it.

• Within the first year after death, the funeral home that helped register the certificate may submit the amendment electronically. Ask the funeral home first.
• Two people with knowledge of the facts must sign and complete the affidavit.
• Fees: within the first year, there is no fee to register the amendment, but copies are not included, so each certified copy is $26. After that, the fee is $26, which includes one certified copy of the amended certificate.
• Processing time: CDPH's average is 7 to 9 weeks.

Questions about amendments can go to CDPH Vital Records at (916) 445-2684.

Many websites offer to order California death certificates for you, often with their own service fees on top of the official fee. Some still say you can order from the state online, which is no longer true: since July 1, 2026, CDPH accepts mail applications only. A vendor that takes your order online either mails it to CDPH, so you still wait the normal mail time, or sends it to the county.

The official channels are:

• CDPH Vital Records, by mail only, from the CDPH death records page
• County recorders and county or city health departments, listed in the CDPH County Registrar and Recorder Directory

Some counties use a vendor for their own online orders. Los Angeles County, for example, uses VitalChek. To be safe, start from your county's official website and follow its links.