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How to order a District of Columbia death certificate

Who holds it: DC Health, Vital Records Division; records from August 18741

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Who may order and what is restricted
  3. Related records in District of Columbia
  4. How District of Columbia handles it
  5. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  6. Sources

Fee

$18; VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)2

Who may order

Spouse or domestic partner named on the certificate, named parent, adult child or grandchild, sibling, grandparent, legal guardian, legal representative, law enforcement, or an interested party with proof of tangible interest or legal need1

How to search and order

How to get it
Online, phone, mail or in person via kiosks1

Who may order and what is restricted

Restrictions
Closed for 75 years, then public3
Birth certificates: who holds it
DC Health, Vital Records Division, 2201 Shannon Place SE; records from August 18744
Birth certificates: fee
$23; fee is a non-refundable search fee and includes one copy if found. VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)2
Probate: who holds it
Register of Wills, Probate Division, DC Superior Court, 515 5th Street NW, Room 3145

How District of Columbia handles it

  • Marriage records are at the Superior Court, not DC Health; birth and death are at DC Health6

The District's own offices, searches and fees: District of Columbia death certificates.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any District of Columbia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: death certificates in every state. Everything else in District of Columbia: District of Columbia public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 6 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Death CertificatesDC Health
  2. Vital RecordsDC Health
  3. D.C. Code § 7-231.24 (vital records confidentiality and disclosure)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
  4. Birth CertificatesDC Health
  5. Request for Probate Searches and CopiesDistrict of Columbia Courts
  6. MarriageDistrict of Columbia Courts