How to Get a Death Certificate in Tennessee

Tennessee limits certified copies to close family and people who can show a legal need for the record.

Family members who need only ID:

• The spouse, parent, or son or daughter of the person who died

People who must also send documents showing their right to the record (Entitlement Guidelines):

• Executors and administrators: a copy of the letters testamentary, the will, or probate court documents
• Beneficiaries: a copy of the policy naming them as beneficiary
• Legal guardians, legal representatives, and attorneys: documents showing who they represent
• An ex-spouse who needs the certificate for Social Security benefits: a letter from Social Security saying it is needed
• Anyone with a court order for release

Funeral directors can order copies when the certificate is given or mailed to the funeral home that handled the services.

A spouse, parent, or child can also send someone else to pick up a copy. That person needs a signed statement from the family member giving permission, plus a copy of both people's signed government ID.

The state accepts a power of attorney only while the person named on the certificate is living, so it cannot be used to order a death certificate.

Tennessee works differently from most states. Any county health department can issue a death certificate for any death registered with the state, no matter which county it happened in. Every Tennessee county has a local health department. You can also order from the state office by mail, in person, or online.

County health departments (in person)

Walk in to any county health department with your ID and payment. Hours and payment methods vary by office, so call ahead. Find your local office on the Local Health Departments page.

Six larger counties (Davidson, Shelby, Knox, Hamilton, Madison, and Sullivan) have health departments run by local government rather than the state. One of them, Shelby County, gives conflicting information on its own page about whether it issues certificates for deaths outside Shelby County. If the death happened in another county, call the metro office before you go to confirm.

State Office of Vital Records (in person)

Tennessee Vital Records, 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243. The entrance is on the Rosa Parks Blvd. side of the building. Open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No appointment is needed, and in-person requests are usually filled the same day. The window accepts cash, check, credit or debit cards, and money orders.

By mail

Fill out the Application for Certified Copy of a Tennessee Certificate of Death (PH-1663) and mail it to Tennessee Vital Records, 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243. Send a check or money order payable to Tennessee Vital Records. Do not send cash. The office lists about 3 days to process mail orders (as of June 2026), not counting mail time both ways. Times change with volume. If you have not heard back within 45 days, the form says to write or call the office.

Online

The state's only authorized online vendor is VitalChek, which you can reach from the state's How do I get my certificate page. VitalChek charges its own processing and shipping fees on top of the $15 state fee. The state does not publish the amount; you see it at checkout. Processing is about 3 days (as of June 2026), plus shipping.

By phone

The state does not describe phone ordering. Use one of the methods above.

Phone: Tennessee Vital Records, (615) 685-4700. The mail application (PH-1663) prints an older number, (615) 741-1763. If one does not work, try the other.

Older deaths: The state office keeps death records for 50 years. For deaths from 1914 to 1975 (and 1908 to 1912), contact the Tennessee State Library and Archives. There are no statewide death records for 1913.

• The application. Use form PH-1663 for mail orders. It asks whether you want the cause of death shown.
• Valid ID. A current driver's license (with issue and expiration dates) is one accepted form. See the state's Identification Requirements for the full list and what to send if you do not have a primary ID.
• For mail orders: a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID that shows your signature. Or have the application signed and notarized; a notarized application needs no other ID.
• Proof of your right to the record, if you are not the spouse, parent, or child. For an executor or administrator, that is a copy of the letters testamentary, the will, or probate court documents.
• Payment: $15 per copy. By mail, a check or money order payable to Tennessee Vital Records.

If no record is found, the $15 search fee is not refunded.

Certified copies from the Tennessee Office of Vital Records always have a raised seal. Tennessee offers two versions of the certified copy:

• Without cause of death
• With cause of death

You choose on the application by answering "Do You Want the Certificate to Show Cause of Death?" The cause of death is available to the spouse, parent, or child, or to an attorney or agency acting for the estate or a qualifying family member.

Others need documents:

• A beneficiary must show that the cause of death is required to pay out the policy.
• An executor or administrator must use an application that specifically requests the cause of death and include proof of appointment.

The state also has a separate Application for Verification of Death Information (PH-3055), listed on its Applications page. A verification confirms facts from the record. It is not a certified copy of the death certificate. Before ordering, check which version the bank, insurer, or court is asking for.

A certificate can be issued only after it has been completed and registered.

• The funeral home fills in the personal details (name, dates, family information), assigns the doctor or medical examiner who will certify the cause of death, and releases the record. Only a funeral director can release it.
• The doctor or medical examiner should complete the medical part within 48 hours of the death.
• State law requires the death certificate to be filed within 5 days of the death and registered before burial or cremation.

If the medical part is delayed, the certificate is delayed too. The state asks funeral homes to print a draft copy and review it with the family before filing. That review is the easiest time to catch a misspelled name or a wrong date.

The funeral home can also order certified copies for you when they are delivered to the funeral home.

Many banks, insurers, and agencies want their own certified copy, and some do not return it. In Tennessee every copy costs the same $15, so there is no discount for ordering several at once. Plan around how many places will ask. See our guide on how many copies to make a list before you order.

Under the state's vital records rules, a correction to a death certificate can be requested by:

• The next of kin
• The informant listed on the death certificate
• The funeral director who filed it

Only the doctor who signed the medical certification or the medical examiner can change the date of death or the cause of death. The state's instructions for funeral homes also list the time and place of death as items only the doctor or medical examiner can change.

If the error is a personal detail the funeral home entered, start with the funeral home. Funeral homes follow the state's instructions for requesting changes.

Cost and timing:

• Changes within the first 6 months after the death are free.
• Changes made 6 months or more after the death cost $15.
• The state's instructions for funeral homes add that changes made 1 year or more after the death also need supporting evidence.
• Amendments take about 2 weeks to process (as of June 2026), once the record is on file.
• Records are not amended once 50 years have passed since the death.

For the forms and documents a family member needs to send, call Tennessee Vital Records at (615) 685-4700.

Tennessee death certificates are issued only through these official channels:

• Any county health department in Tennessee (find yours)
• The Tennessee Office of Vital Records in Nashville, in person or by mail (tn.gov/health/vr.html)
• VitalChek, the only online vendor authorized by the state

Other websites may offer to order a Tennessee death certificate for you. These unofficial sites may charge extra fees on top of the state fee and then place the same order you could place yourself. The state fee is $15 per copy. If a site is not one of the channels above, you do not need it.