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How to Find United States Birth Records Washington Births

The Washington Territory was established in 1853. Statehood was granted in 1889. Statewide registration of births in Washington began in 1907.

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Next Step: When did the birth occur?

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 * Birth Records
 * Choose a time period:


 * Before 1891
 * 1891 to 1907
 * 1907 to present
 * Birth year unknown


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Births before 1891
Washington did not record births on the state level at this time. Before 1891, births were not required to be recorded by the county or the state. A few counties began keeping record of births as early as 1869. Delayed birth records may provide early dates. Search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births 1891 to 1907

 * 1848 – Oregon Territory created, included present day Washington state
 * 1889 – Washington Territory organized
 * 1891 – Washington law required counties to record births
 * 1907 - Statewide registration of births began on July 1

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during this time period, try the following databases.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

STEP ONE: Find Birth Information
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the Washington State Department of Health.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Washington State Department of Health office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. Return to top: Choose another birth year

Restrictions for Obtaining Birth Records
State law restricts who may obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate. A certified copy may be issued to:


 * The person named on the record
 * The current spouse of the person named on the record
 * The current domestic partner of the person named on the record
 * A parent of the person named on the record
 * A sibling of the person named on the record
 * A child of the person named on the record
 * A grandparent of the person named on the record
 * A person authorized in writing by one of the above. The written authorization must accompany the request and the relationship of the authorizing party to the subject of the record must be clearly explained.
 * A person who can demonstrate that the record is required to protect a personal or property right.
 * If you do not meet one of the above criteria, you cannot receive a certified copy of a birth certificate.
 * An uncertified copy of a birth certificate is available to anyone who applies. An uncertified copy will contain the same information as a certified copy but will not be acceptable for legal purposes, such as obtaining identification.

If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search other records with birth information. Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

 * Learn more about U.S. birth records
 * How to find U.S. birth records
 * How to find U.S. marriage records
 * How to find U.S. death records
 * United States Record Selection Table
 * U.S. Vital Records Overview
 * United States Vital Records
 * Locating United States Vital Records
 * United States Death Records
 * United States Marriage Records