Who keeps birth certificates and how to order one
Every state keeps birth records in its vital records office, and many also let a county or city office issue copies. Certified copies are usually limited to the person named, close family and legal representatives, and require ID.
On this page
Certified copy or informational copy
A certified copy is the legal document you need for a passport, a driver's license or benefits. Some states also issue informational or genealogical copies to anyone else. In San Joaquin County, California, people who cannot meet the criteria for a certified copy "may receive an informational copy"1, and Los Angeles County notes that "informational copies cannot be used for legal purposes"2.
Ordering
You can usually order in person, by mail or online. When a state uses an online ordering service, order through the link on the state's own vital records site; other sites charge extra and only pass your order on. The table below gives the state office and its fee for a certified copy.
Birth certificates by state
| State | Who holds it | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ADPH Center for Health Statistics | $15.00 search fee incl. one certified copy |
| Alaska | State only: Alaska Department of Health, Health Analytics & Vital Records (formerly Bureau of Vital Statistics), offices in Juneau (P.O. Box 110675, Juneau 99811-0675 | $30 first certified copy, $25 each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time |
| Arizona | ADHS Bureau of Vital Records (state registrar), Phoenix | $20.00 per certified copy from ADHS (Certificate of Birth Registration) under A.A.C. R9-19-105 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records (Little Rock) | $12.00 first copy, $10.00 each additional copy ordered at the same time |
| California | CDPH-Vital Records (statewide, since July 1905) and the County Recorder of the county of birth | $31 per certified copy at CDPH-VR (effective Jan. 1, 2026) |
| Colorado | CDPHE Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics (Denver) and local (county) vital records offices. | $25.00 first certified copy |
| Connecticut | Town registrar of vital statistics (usually the town clerk, at the town vital records office) and the State Vital Records Office (DPH). Births since Jan. 1, 2003: any town or the state can issue copies. Earlier births: only the town of birth, the town where the mother lived at the time, or the state. | $30 from the State Vital Records Office |
| Delaware | Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Vital Statistics (central office: Jesse Cooper Building, 417 Federal St., Dover | $25.00 per certified copy (fee kept as a search fee if no record is found) |
| District of Columbia | DC Health, Vital Records Division, 2201 Shannon Place SE | $23 |
| Florida | Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics (Jacksonville) | DOH mail/walk-in: $9 first computer-generated certification (includes non-refundable search fee) |
| Georgia | Georgia DPH State Office of Vital Records (1919-present) and all 159 county vital records offices | $25.00 (includes one certified copy or not-on-file letter) |
| Hawaii | State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring (Vital Records), Honolulu | $10.00 first certified copy, $4.00 each additional copy, plus $2.50 General Administration Fee per increment of up to 5 copies (1 copy = $12.50 total). |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (Boise) | $16 per certified copy. VitalChek online adds a $10.50 non-refundable fee |
| Illinois | IDPH Division of Vital Records (Springfield) and the county clerk of the county of birth | IDPH: $15 long-form certified (information collected at birth) or $10 short-form certified |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records (state records from October 1907) and local health departments where the birth occurred (faster) | State (IDOH): $10.00 first certificate, $4.00 each additional copy in the same order |
| Iowa | Iowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics (state registrar, Des Moines) and the County Recorder of each county (local registrar). County recorders can issue certified copies of births from 1986 to present statewide | $20 per certified copy (also the non-refundable search fee if no record is found) |
| Kansas | KDHE Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221 (statewide, births from July 1, 1911 | $20 per certified copy (each additional copy of same record also $20) |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics (Cabinet for Health and Family Services), Frankfort | $10 search/certified copy (search fee even if no record) |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records Registry (Center for Vital Records and Statistics), New Orleans | $15.00 per certified birth certificate |
| Maine | DRVS (state, 1892 to present) and municipal clerks | $15.00 per certificate |
| Maryland | Maryland Department of Health, Vital Statistics Administration, Division of Vital Records (Baltimore) | $10 per certified copy (MDH) |
| Massachusetts | City/town clerk of the place of birth (and of parents' residence) and the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS, Dept. of Public Health), 1936-present | RVRS: $20 in person |
| Michigan | MDHHS Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics (from 1867) | $34.00 search including one certified copy |
| Minnesota | MDH Office of Vital Records and county vital records offices | $26 certified |
| Mississippi | MSDH Office of Vital Records, 222 Marketridge Dr., Ridgeland (mail: P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700) | $17 first certified copy (long form), $6 each additional copy ordered at the same time |
| Missouri | DHSS Bureau of Vital Records (state registrar), births 1910-present (some delayed certificates earlier) | $15 per certified copy (state or local) |
| Montana | Montana DPHHS Office of Vital Records, PO Box 4210, Helena MT 59604 | $16 per certified or informational copy (state fee schedule effective September 21, 2024) |
| Nebraska | DHHS Office of Vital Records (Lincoln), statewide from 1904 (birth certificates from 1912 | $17 per certified birth certificate (mail: check/money order to "Vital Records"). No-fee certified birth certificate for voters without a Nebraska driver's license/state ID who need it to obtain a state ID for voting. |
| Nevada | State Registrar, Office of Vital Records (DPBH), 4150 Technology Way, Suite 104, Carson City | State office: $25.00 per certified birth certificate in person/mail |
| New Hampshire | City/town clerks (all 234) and the NH Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA, Secretary of State), 9 Ratification Way, Concord | $15 search fee (includes one certified copy if found |
| New Jersey | Local Registrar (vital records office) of the municipality where the birth occurred, or the NJ Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. The state holds the most recent 100 years | $25 search + one certified copy/certification/No Record Statement |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Vital Records (Bureau of Vital Records & Health Statistics), Department of Health, Santa Fe | $10 per certified copy, non-refundable search fee |
| New York | Outside NYC: NYS Department of Health Vital Records (since 1881) and the local Registrar of Vital Statistics where the birth occurred. NYC (five boroughs): NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene | NYS DOH: $30 by mail |
| North Carolina | NC Vital Records (1913 to present) and the county Register of Deeds where the birth occurred | $24 search (one copy included if found), per three-year period, nonrefundable |
| North Dakota | ND HHS Vital Records Unit, Bismarck. | $15.00 per copy. No uncertified copies. |
| Ohio | ODH Bureau of Vital Statistics (Dec. 20, 1908–present) and local health departments (local registrars) | $21.50 per certified birth record (search fee, charged even if no record found) |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), Vital Records Service | $15.00 non-refundable search fee including one certified copy if found |
| Oregon | Oregon Health Authority, Center for Health Statistics (state vital records office, Portland). Most county vital records offices (county health department or county clerk) issue birth certificates only for about six months after the event. | $25 computer-issued (short form) or $30 full-image (long form) birth certificate from OHA |
| Pennsylvania | PA Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, for births registered in Pennsylvania since 1906 | $20 per certified copy |
| Rhode Island | RIDOH Center for Vital Records (Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston) and city/town clerks | $22 first copy in person |
| South Carolina | State only: SC DPH Vital Records (formerly DHEC). Any Vital Records office can issue for any county | $12 search including one certified copy |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Health, Vital Records (221 W. Capitol Ave, Pierre) | $15 per copy (search fee, non-refundable) |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Office of Vital Records (Nashville) and every county health department (statewide electronic issuance) | $15.00 per certified copy (first and each additional) |
| Texas | DSHS Vital Statistics Section (state) | $22.00 certified copy (long or short form) at DSHS |
| Utah | Utah DHHS Office of Vital Records and Statistics (OVRS), births 1905-present | $25 first certified copy |
| Vermont | Vermont Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (Statewide Registration System, January 1909 to present) | $10.00 per certified copy (+$2 online processing) |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (State Registrar), Richmond | $15 per certified copy or search (no refund if not found) |
| Washington | Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics (state registrar), July 1, 1907-present | $25 per certified or informational copy (statutory) |
| West Virginia | WV Vital Registration Office (Health Statistics Center), 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston | $12 per copy (includes non-refundable search fee) |
| Wisconsin | DHS Wisconsin Vital Records Office (state registrar), plus 72 county registers of deeds and the Milwaukee and West Allis city health offices as local vital records offices. | $20 first copy (certified or uncertified, long or short form) |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Health, Vital Statistics Services (state registrar), Hathaway Building, 2300 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne | $25.00 per certified copy (state Vital Statistics Services). |
Each state links to its guide, where every office and fee carries its official source and check date. Fees shown are the state’s fee for a copy; the state guide lists the others.
Get copies from the office, not a look-alike site
Searching an official index costs nothing or the fee the office sets. Some commercial sites that rank for record searches sell subscriptions or reports that are not certified copies. How to tell them apart.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 2 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Birth CertificatesSan Joaquin County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, California
- Birth records: mail requestLos Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk