How to Get a Death Certificate in Nevada

Nevada death certificates are confidential. State law lets a certified copy go only to someone with a "direct and tangible interest" in the record. That means a close blood or marriage relationship, a legal relationship, or a need tied to a legal process. The same rule applies at the state office and at both local health districts.

People who can order include:

• A parent or surviving spouse listed on the certificate, or the informant listed on it
• Close relatives by blood or marriage within the second degree, such as a spouse, child, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild, with proof of the relationship
• The executor, personal representative or administrator of the estate, with letters of administration, a court order or another document naming them
• The funeral director (or a designee) from the funeral home listed on the certificate, within 180 days after the death is registered

The state's proof list covers other situations, such as legal relationships and legal needs. Contact the office to confirm whether you qualify.

If you do not qualify, you can ask for a $10 verification that confirms a record exists, but you will not receive a certified copy.

Which office to use depends on the county where the death happened. Nevada has two local health districts that issue death certificates, plus the state office.

1. Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), Las Vegas: Clark County deaths from 1988 on

• Address: 280 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107. Phone (702) 759-1010.
• Online: SNHD's own death certificate application. After SNHD reviews your request, it emails you for payment. Allow 2 to 4 weeks for processing, then delivery by first-class mail.
• By mail: Southern Nevada Health District, Attn: Vital Records, P.O. Box 3902, Las Vegas, NV 89127. Pay by money order payable to SNHD. Personal checks are not accepted.
• In person: SNHD does not offer same-day service for death certificates. You can drop a mail application in the lobby drop box, or pick up an online order you already paid for. Pickup orders are held for 60 days.
• Fees: $38 for the first copy (includes a $13 fee for registering the certificate with the State Registrar) and $25 for each extra copy in the same request. SNHD waives the $13 fee if you can show it was already paid.

For a Clark County death before 1988, order from the state office.

2. Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH), Reno: Washoe County deaths

• Address: 1001 E. Ninth Street, Building B, first floor, Reno, NV 89512. Phone (775) 328-2455 (the state's site lists (775) 328-2456, so try the other number if one does not connect).
• In person: the order window is open 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Bring original documents. NNPH accepts checks, money orders, cash, MasterCard and Visa.
• By mail: pay by check or money order. Estimate 3 to 4 weeks for processing and delivery.
• Online: NNPH does not take online orders itself. It sends online customers to VitalChek, which charges an extra fee.
• Fee: $25 per copy.

3. State Office of Vital Records, Carson City: any Nevada county

For a death in any of Nevada's other counties, order from the state. By law the state can also issue Clark and Washoe County death certificates, and it lists a $25 price for them, but its website points those families to SNHD and NNPH. If you plan to order a Clark or Washoe certificate from the state, call (775) 684-4242 first to confirm.

• Address: 4150 Technology Way, Suite 104, Carson City, NV 89706. Phone (775) 684-4242.
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except state holidays. Only one family is allowed in the lobby at a time.
• By mail: send the Application for a Certified Copy of Death Certificate, a copy of your photo ID, proof of relationship, and payment. Pay by check, money order, cashier's check or credit card, payable to "Office of Vital Records." Never mail cash.
• In person: cash is accepted only at the customer service window.
• Online or by phone: VitalChek at vitalchek.com or 877-456-5410. The state calls this the fastest way to order. The state lists online death certificates at $42 to $45, depending on the county, plus $20 for expedited delivery.
• Fees: $25 per copy for deaths in Carson City, Clark, Douglas, Lyon, Mineral or Washoe County, and $22 for any other county.

The state does not publish a processing time for mail or in-person orders, so contact the office to confirm. If no record is found, the state and NNPH keep a non-refundable $10 search fee (SNHD says it may apply one).

Photo ID: A copy of your photo ID is required with every request. The state's identification list lists the photo IDs it accepts. Without one, send two documents from its secondary list instead. SNHD online orders need a clear copy of a driver's license, U.S. passport or current U.S. military ID. If you cannot upload one, order by mail.

Proof of relationship: The application says the request will be rejected without enough proof, unless you are the informant, the listed surviving spouse, or a parent listed on the certificate. The state's proof list gives examples:

• Children and siblings: your own birth certificate
• Grandparents: the birth certificate of your child
• Grandchildren and step-relatives: your birth certificate plus documents linking you to the person who died
• Executors, personal representatives and administrators: letters of administration, a court order or another document naming you, plus a copy of your ID

Payment for the full amount must come with the request.

Nevada issues certified copies only to qualified applicants. The state does not list a separate "informational" copy. A certified copy issued by the State Registrar is accepted as evidence of the facts in it in all courts. Banks, insurers and courts handling an estate need certified copies.

If you are not a qualified applicant, you can ask for a $10 verification. It confirms that a death record exists, but it is not a certificate.

No official source says whether Nevada offers a certified copy without the cause of death. Contact the office to confirm.

The funeral director gets the medical certification of the cause of death from the doctor, nurse practitioner, health officer or coroner, adds the burial details, and files the completed death certificate with the local registrar within 72 hours of the death. If the coroner is investigating, the certificate is filed once the investigation is finished, which can take longer.

You can order right after the death, but SNHD holds orders until the death is registered. If a Clark County order has not arrived within 10 days, call SNHD at (702) 759-1010.

The funeral director or a designee from the funeral home listed on the certificate can order certified copies for 180 days after the death is registered, and many families get their first copies through the funeral home.

Banks, insurers, government agencies and the probate court may each want their own certified copy, and some keep it. At SNHD, extra copies ordered in the same request cost $25 each, while a new request later starts again at $38 for the first copy unless you can show the $13 registration fee was already paid, so ordering extras up front can save money. See our guide on how many copies to plan your count.

All changes to Nevada death certificates are made by the state Office of Vital Records, even for Clark and Washoe County deaths. Corrections cannot be made online.

• Form: the Application for a Correction of a Death Record packet. It includes the application, an Affidavit for Correction of a Record (listing each change and why), and a Supplemental Affidavit.
• Two different signers: the person who signs the Supplemental Affidavit cannot be the same person who signs the Affidavit for Correction. Both affidavits must be notarized.
• Evidence: include documents that support the change.
• Fee: $45 per person of record, which includes the correction and one certified copy. Pay by check, money order or cashier's check payable to the Office of Vital Records. No cash.
• Where: mail to 4150 Technology Way, Suite 104, Carson City, NV 89706, or use the office's exterior drop box.
• Time: about 4 weeks for a complete packet.

The official ways to get a Nevada death certificate are:

• Southern Nevada Health District in Las Vegas, for Clark County deaths from 1988 on
• Northern Nevada Public Health in Reno, for Washoe County deaths
• The state Office of Vital Records in Carson City, in person or by mail
• VitalChek, the state's only online vendor, at vitalchek.com or 877-456-5410

The state warns that some companies charge customers high fees to "process" or "help apply" for certificates the Department of Health issues. To be safe, start from the Nevada vital records page and follow its links.