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How to order a Minnesota death certificate

Who holds it: MDH Office of Vital Records and county vital records offices1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Fees
  3. Who may order and what is restricted
  4. Older records and indexes
  5. Related records in Minnesota
  6. How Minnesota handles it
  7. Death certificates in Minnesota counties with a full guide
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Sources

Fee

$13 certified2

Who may order

Certified copy: parent, child, spouse named on the record, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, personal representative, successor, trustee, attorney, others listed by MDH3

How to search and order

Online verify
Free online index for deaths from 1997 on4

Fees

Fee noncertified
$132

Who may order and what is restricted

Public access
All death records are public, so anyone may buy a noncertified copy3
ID required
ID and a signature before a notary or county staff3

Older records and indexes

Dates covered
1908 to present at all offices; before 1908 from the county of death2
Birth certificates: who holds it
MDH Office of Vital Records and county vital records offices1
Birth certificates: fee
$26 certified2
Probate: who holds it
District court (court administrator in the county)5
Older records: deaths
Certificates 1908 to 2001, death cards 1904 to 19076

How Minnesota handles it

  • Registered land. Land registered under ch. 508 has a registrar of titles alongside the county recorder7
  • Vital records at any county. Birth and death certificates can be issued by any county from one statewide system8
  • Marriage licenses from the local registrar. Any county's local registrar can issue; the copy comes from the issuing county9

Death certificates in Minnesota counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Anoka CountyAnoka County Vital Records10—$13 first certified copy; $6 each additional of the same record issued at the same time11
Carver CountyLand Records & Vitals Department12—$13.00, including a non-certified copy13
Dakota CountyDakota County Service & License Centers14—$13 first certified copy; $6 each additional15
Hennepin CountyHennepin County Vital Records16—Certified copy $13 (each extra $6); certified requests must be notarized16
Olmsted CountyProperty Records & Licensing: Vital Records and Licensing17—$13 first certified copy; $6 each additional copy (2.15% credit-card convenience fee)18
Ramsey CountyRamsey County Vital Records Office19—Certified $13 for one copy, $6 each additional copy of same record; noncertified $13 per copy20
Washington CountyWashington County Vital Records; county death records 1870-1997 only at the Government Center21—$13 first certified copy; $6 each additional at the same time21
Wright CountyRecorder's Office22—$13.00 first copy; $6.00 each additional copy of the same record purchased at the same time23

For any other county, see the county list on the Minnesota guide.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota: Minnesota public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. About the Office of Vital RecordsMinnesota Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  2. Available Records and ServicesMinnesota Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  3. Who Can Order RecordsMinnesota Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  4. Verify a Death (1997 - present)Minnesota Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  5. Minn. Stat. 524.1-302 Subject matter jurisdictionMinnesota Revisor of Statuteschecked November 4, 2026
  6. Vital Records: Death RecordsMinnesota Historical Society Librarychecked November 4, 2026
  7. Minn. Stat. 508.31 Registrar's bondMinnesota Revisor of Statuteschecked November 4, 2026
  8. Directory of County OfficesMinnesota Department of Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Minn. Stat. 517.07 Marriage licenseMinnesota Revisor of Statuteschecked November 4, 2026
  10. Vital Records | Anoka County, MN - Official WebsiteAnoka Countychecked November 4, 2026
  11. Death Records | Anoka County, MN - Official WebsiteAnoka Countychecked November 4, 2026
  12. Land Records & VitalsCarver County, MNchecked November 7, 2026
  13. Vital Records Fee ScheduleCarver County, MNchecked November 7, 2026
  14. Birth CertificatesDakota Countychecked November 4, 2026
  15. Certified Death CertificatesDakota Countychecked November 4, 2026
  16. Death certificateHennepin Countychecked November 4, 2026
  17. Property Records & LicensingOlmsted County, Minnesotachecked November 4, 2026
  18. Death Certificate Request (form, in the county 2026-10 files folder)Olmsted Countychecked November 4, 2026
  19. Ramsey Countychecked November 4, 2026
  20. Ramsey Countychecked November 4, 2026
  21. Birth and Death RecordsWashington County, Minnesotachecked November 4, 2026
  22. DepartmentsWright County, MNchecked November 4, 2026
  23. Birth and Death CertificatesWright County, MNchecked November 4, 2026