How to Get a Death Certificate in Washington County, Utah

You can also order from the state office. Ordering methods, fees and wait times are on our Utah death certificate guide.

Utah law limits who can get a certified death certificate. You can order one if you are:

• An immediate family member of the person who died: spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild
• The deceased person's guardian
• A designated legal representative, such as an attorney, physician, funeral service director, genealogist, or other agent. Legal representatives need a letter of legal need from the entity that requires the certificate.
• Anyone with documentary proof of relationship or legal need (the "Other" box on the application)

Once 50 or more years have passed since the death, the record is public and anyone can order it.

The state does not spell out what an executor or estate administrator must show. If you are ordering in that role, contact the Office of Vital Records at (801) 538-6105 to confirm what to send.

• The application (Form DHHS-OVRS-200)
• Current ID: one item from the application's "Primary" list, such as a driver's license or government photo ID, U.S. passport, military ID, tribal ID, or permanent resident card. Or two items from the "Secondary" list, such as a Social Security card, vehicle registration, utility bill, insurance card, or pay stub.
• Proof of relationship: for example, a birth certificate showing the deceased as your parent, or a marriage certificate. Legal representatives need a letter of legal need.
• Payment: $35 for the first copy and $10 for each extra copy of the same record ordered the same day

For mail orders, include a clear photocopy of the front and back of your ID, or the application will be returned. Novelty IDs and Utah Driving Privilege Cards are not accepted.

If you don't have acceptable ID, your spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, or adult child can use their ID to request the certificate, along with proof of relationship.

If something is missing from your application, you have 90 days to send it before the fee expires. All fees are non-refundable.

The state's fee schedule and application describe certified copies only. If no record is found, you get a "certificate of search" instead. The state's pages do not mention an informational copy or a version without the cause of death. Contact the Office of Vital Records to confirm if you need one.

Death records become public after 50 years, and anyone can then order them.

If you need an apostille (for use in another country), you get the certified copy first, then contact the Lt. Governor's office.

In Utah, a death certificate must be filed within five days of the death and before burial or cremation. The attending physician (or in some cases the Office of the Medical Examiner) must certify the cause of death before the record can be registered.

The funeral director normally files the death record with the state. A burial transit permit is needed before remains are moved from the place of death.

Families who handle arrangements themselves, without a funeral director, complete the state's Dispositioner Report of Death Worksheet. It must be signed in person in front of local health department staff in the county where the death occurred.

The state does not publish how many days after death copies are usually ready to order. Your funeral director can tell you when the record has been registered.

Many banks, insurers, and agencies want their own certified copy, and extra copies of the same record are only $10 each when ordered on the same day as the first. Ordering a few at once is usually cheaper than placing a second $35 order later. For a checklist of who typically asks for one, see our guide on how many copies.

To correct a death record, file an Affidavit to Amend a Vital Record (Form 901) with the state Office of Vital Records or a local health department, with the required fees. The application lists a $25 amendment fee.

• Two witnesses who know the facts must complete and sign the affidavit, and both signatures must be notarized.
• The state's pages disagree about the informant (the person who gave the information on the record). One page says it is "ideal" for a witness to be the informant; another says one witness "must" be the informant. Plan on having the informant sign if possible, and call (801) 538-6105 to confirm.
• The person asking for the change must be 18 or older.
• Changes to marital status, spouse, or informant details need signatures from the original informant and the surviving spouse. If the informant has died, an immediate family member may sign instead, with proof of the informant's death.
• Changes to medical items, including cause of death, must be made by the physician who certified the cause of death.
• Each item can be corrected by affidavit only once.
• If documents are unavailable or not accepted, a court order may be needed (Form 902).

You can mail the affidavit with the fees, proof of ID, and an application for a new certificate. Amendments take about 6 to 12 weeks. See the state's Amend a Vital Record page for details.

Utah's online portal says third-party vendors are not authorized to order vital records from the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics. Utah does not use VitalChek.

The official ways to order are:

• Online through the state portal at secure.utah.gov/vitalrecords
• By mail to Vital Records, PO Box 141012, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1012
• In person at a local health department vital records office, listed in the state directory

If a website isn't one of these, don't use it.