Ordering From the State Instead
You can also order from the state office. Ordering methods, fees and wait times are on our Ohio death certificate guide.
Who Can Order a Certified Copy
Ohio is an open-records state. You do not have to be a family member to order a death certificate. By law (ORC 3705.23), the state or a local registrar must issue a certified copy to anyone who signs an application and pays the fee. In practice, you need the basic facts: the deceased's full name, date of death, and the city or county where the death happened.
The one exception: the Social Security number. For the first 5 years after a death, the deceased's Social Security number is left off certified copies. Only certain people can ask for a copy that shows it, and they must prove their identity. They include:
- The spouse
- A child, grandchild or great-grandchild
- The executor or administrator of the estate, or an attorney representing them
- An agent under the deceased's power of attorney
- A licensed funeral director (or their employee or agent) acting for one of these people
- Others listed in the law, such as county veterans service officers, law enforcement and anyone authorized by law to act for the deceased or the estate
What to Bring or Send
For a standard certified copy:
- The deceased's full name, date of death, and the city or county where the death happened
- A signed application (the state uses form HEA 2701; local offices may use their own)
- Payment: $21.50 per copy at the state, or the local office's fee
No ID is needed for a standard copy. Cincinnati, for example, says no identification is required because Ohio is an open state.
For a copy that shows the Social Security number (deaths within the last 5 years): on the state application, check the box requesting a copy with the SSN and attach a copy of your identification showing you are an authorized requester. Some local offices ask for more. Summit County, for example, asks for proof of identification plus proof of relationship. We did not find a list of acceptable ID types on the ODH pages we reviewed, so contact the office to confirm what it accepts.
Official sources disagree in one case: Summit County Public Health's page says ID and proof of relationship are not required unless you want the SSN shown, but also says they are required for all death record requests. If you are ordering there, call ahead to confirm.
Certified vs. Informational Copies
ODH lists only certified death record copies. We did not find a separate informational copy of a recent death record on the state's pages. Under Ohio law, a certified copy is treated "for all purposes the same as the original."
The real choice in Ohio is whether the copy includes the Social Security number. For the first 5 years after death, the SSN is left off unless an authorized person asks for it and proves their identity. Executors and administrators are on that list. If you are not sure which version a bank, insurer or agency will accept, contact them to confirm before you order.
When Certificates Are Available
The funeral director registers the death with the local registrar in the district where the death happened (ORC 3705.16). The funeral director gathers the personal details, usually from the family, and gets the cause of death certified by the doctor or coroner. The doctor or coroner must complete and sign the medical part within 48 hours of being notified of the death.
Burial or cremation cannot happen until the local registrar (or sub-registrar) issues a permit, which requires a death certificate (or, for burial, a provisional one) to be filed first (ORC 3705.17). When a provisional certificate is used, the complete certificate is due within 5 days after the death. Since late 2025, funeral homes, coroners and physicians register deaths electronically in the Ohio Vital Records System.
We did not find a statewide figure from ODH for how soon after a death you can order copies. If the cause of death is pending with a coroner, the certificate can take longer to complete. Funeral directors can request certified copies, so ask your funeral home whether copies are included in its services.
How Many Copies You Need
The number you need depends on how many banks, insurers and agencies will ask for a certified copy as you settle the estate. At the state, every copy costs the same $21.50, with no discount for ordering more at once. For help estimating, see our guide on how many copies.
Fixing an Error
Corrections to Ohio death records are made by affidavit or amended record (ORC 3705.22).
- Personal details (such as a name or date): a sworn affidavit from someone with personal knowledge of the correct fact. Funeral homes and local registrars can create these affidavits in the state's electronic system. For records outside a local office's area or from before 2007, a paper affidavit form is used.
- Cause of death and other medical information: only the attending physician named on the record or the coroner of the county where the death happened can correct it.
- One correction per item: once an item has been corrected, it cannot be changed again without a court order.
We did not find a family-facing correction guide or a correction fee on the ODH pages we reviewed. Contact the funeral home or your local vital statistics office to confirm the steps.
Only Order From Official Sources
Official ways to order an Ohio death certificate:
- The Ohio Department of Health, online through the VitalChek portal it links to, by mail, or in person
- Your local health department's vital statistics office, found in the ODH Local Vital Statistics Directory
Other websites may offer to order an Ohio death certificate for you, but they are not listed by ODH. Start from the ODH website or your local health department's own site to make sure you are ordering from an official source.