How to Get a Death Certificate in Iron County, Wisconsin

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

Wisconsin limits certified copies to people with a "direct and tangible interest" in the record. On the application, you check the box that describes you:

• The current spouse, or a current domestic partner registered in the Wisconsin vital records system
• A child, brother or sister, or grandparent
• A parent whose name is on the certificate and whose parental rights were not terminated
• The legal custodian or guardian of the person who died
• A representative authorized by any of the people above, including an attorney
• Anyone who shows the certificate is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right

Grandchildren, stepparents, stepchildren and stepbrothers or stepsisters can get a certified copy only as an authorized representative or through the personal or property right category.

If you are relying on a property right, you write what that interest is on the form. The application asks you to include "any additional proof or authorization required," but the state does not list specific documents. If you are handling an estate, contact the office to confirm what it needs.

Anyone can order an uncertified copy, but it cannot be used for legal or identity purposes. The rules are in Wis. Stat. 69.20.

For a certified copy, you need the completed Wisconsin Death Certificate Application (F-05280), payment, and a photocopy of your ID. Expired documents are not accepted.

Send a copy of one of these:

• State-issued driver's license or ID card
• U.S. government-issued photo ID
• U.S. or foreign passport
• Tribal or military ID card

Or send copies of two of these:

• Bank or earnings statement
• Current, dated and signed lease
• Health insurance card
• Utility bill or traffic ticket
• Vehicle registration or title

Your street address on the form cannot be a P.O. box. For mail orders to the state, pay by cash, check or money order in U.S. funds, made out to "State of Wis. Vital Records." Include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope and any proof or authorization that applies to you.

The $20 fee covers the search and the first copy. It is not refunded if no record is found, and the state does not accept cancellations. If you do not know the year of death and it may fall between October 1907 and 1958, the state charges $20 for each five-year period it searches.

Wisconsin issues certified and uncertified copies.

• Certified copy: printed on security paper with a raised seal and the registrar's signature. This is the version that can be used for legal purposes.
• Uncertified copy: the same information on plain paper, stamped to show it cannot be used for legal or identification purposes.

For deaths on or after September 1, 2013, you also pick one of two versions of a certified copy. Both cost the same:

• Fact of Death: leaves out the cause of death, manner of death and final disposition. The state says most financial transactions only need this one.
• Extended Fact of Death: includes the cause and manner of death and final disposition. Insurance claims usually use this one.

Certified copies of either version go only to people with a direct and tangible interest. An uncertified copy shows the cause of death details only if 50 years have passed since the year of death, or the person asking has a direct and tangible interest or is a direct descendant. If you are not sure which version a bank or insurer wants, ask them before you order.

A licensed funeral director normally files the death record. State law sets these steps (Wis. Stat. 69.18):

• The funeral director sends the record to the physician, coroner or medical examiner within 24 hours of being notified of the death.
• When the person's own physician certifies the death, the physician completes the medical part within 6 days after death is pronounced. Coroner and medical examiner cases follow separate rules and can take longer.
• The funeral director files the record within 2 days of getting the medical certification.

Certificates can be issued once the record is filed. No official source gives a typical number of days, and delays are likely if the cause of death is still pending. The funeral director can tell you when the record has been filed.

Banks, insurers, retirement plans and the probate court may each want their own certified copy. In Wisconsin, extra copies cost only $3 each when ordered at the same time as the first, but ordering again later costs $20 again. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your count.

How you fix a mistake depends on when the death happened.

• Less than one year ago: the funeral director can correct personal details, such as name, date of birth, marital status or address. Changes to the cause of death must come from the doctor, coroner or medical examiner who certified it. Some Register of Deeds offices can also process changes to their own county's death records within this window.
• More than one year ago: a court order is needed.

To start, mail a certified copy to the Wisconsin Vital Records Office with a note explaining what is wrong and what it should say. If you do not have a copy, apply for one and include that explanation. The state will send the court order forms and instructions if they are needed. Details are on the state's amendments page.

The official ways to order a Wisconsin death certificate are:

• A county Register of Deeds office or the Milwaukee or West Allis city health office
• The Wisconsin Vital Records Office by mail
• VitalChek, the state's contracted vendor, online or at 877-885-2981

Other websites may offer to order a certificate for you, but they are not on this list of official channels. Start from the state's vital records page to be sure you are in the right place.