How to Find Florida Death Records

How to Find United States Deaths Florida Deaths

Statewide registration of deaths began in 1899 in Florida; however, general compliance did not begin until 1917. Counties have copies of these records.

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Next Step: When did the death occur?

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 * Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's death record:


 * Deaths before 1877
 * Deaths from 1877 thru 1917
 * Deaths from 1917 to the Present


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Deaths before 1877
Before 1877, no deaths were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s death date and place.

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths from 1877 thru 1917
Some counties in Florida began to keep death records in 1877. Statewide registration started in 1899 but not every death was recorded. General compliance throughout the state began in 1917.

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

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

Deaths after 1917
The state of Florida began recording deaths in 1917.

STEP ONE: Find Death Information
For deaths that exist during this time period, try the following databases. Try each link.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
To get an image of the certificate, you can either order the corresponding Family History Library film IF the indexed information included a film number OR you can order a copy of the death certificate for a fee from the following locations:


 * Florida Department of Health
 * VitalChek

Death records are also maintained at the county level. County copies may be obtained at the Register of Deeds office in the county where the event occurred.

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

Restrictions for persons who died within the last 50 years: To obtain a copy of the death certificate with information on the cause of death for those who died within the last 50 years, you must be:


 * The decedent's spouse, parent, child, grandchild, or sibling
 * Documentation that demonstrates his or her interest in the estate of the decedent;
 * Any person who provides documentation that he or she is acting on behalf of any of the previously mentioned persons.
 * NOTE: A copy of the certificate with information about the cause of death cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 50 years have passed from the date of the death.

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

Related Wiki Articles

 * How to Find United States Birth Records
 * Learn more about U.S. Death Records
 * United States Record Selection Table
 * U.S. Vital Records Overview
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 * Locating United States Vital Records
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