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How to order a North Carolina death certificate

Who holds it: NC Vital Records (1930 to present) and Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred, not county of residence1

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 North Carolina
  6. How North Carolina handles it
  7. Death certificates in North Carolina counties with a full guide
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Sources

State fee

$24 search (one copy included if found), per three-year period, nonrefundable2

Who may order

Same list as birth, plus funeral directors3

Processing time

2 business days for 2022 to present; 11 business days for 1930 to 20214

How to search and order

Additional copies
$15 each2

Fees

County certified fee
$10.00 at the Register of Deeds5

Who may order and what is restricted

Confidential intermediary
Agency acting as confidential intermediary may get a certified copy3

Older records and indexes

Pre
NC State Archives; a few delayed records back to 19096
Birth certificates: who holds it
NC Vital Records (1913 to present) and the county Register of Deeds where the birth occurred1
Probate: who holds it
Clerk of Superior Court; wills filed after death become public record7
Older records: vital records route
Start with county or Archives, not NC Vital Records6

How North Carolina handles it

  • Vital records price gap. County Register of Deeds certified copies of birth, death and marriage cost $10.00 by statute versus $24 at NC Vital Records5
  • Official pages give different payment instructions. NC Vital Records fees page says mail payment payable to NC Vital Records2
  • Official pages give different payment instructions. NC Vital Records order page says mail payment goes to VitalChek1
  • No online vital search. Vital records are not free public records; no online lookup8

Death certificates in North Carolina 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
Alamance CountyAlamance County Register of Deeds9——
Brunswick CountyBrunswick County Register of Deeds10—$10.00 per certified copy10
Buncombe CountyBuncombe County Register of Deeds, Vital Records11—$10 certified; $0.25 non-certified12
Cabarrus CountyRegister of Deeds13—$10 certified, $1 uncertified by mail (deaths filed in Cabarrus)13
Catawba CountyCatawba County Register of Deeds - Vital Records14—$10 per certified copy14
Cleveland CountyCleveland County Register of Deeds15—$10.00 certified16
Craven CountyRegister of Deeds, Vital Records17—Certified copy fee: $10 each18
Cumberland CountyCumberland County Register of Deeds - Vital Records Section19—$10.00 certified copy20
Davidson CountyDavidson County Register of Deeds21—$10 per certified copy22
Durham CountyDurham County Register of Deeds, Vital Records Department23—$10 per certified copy; NCDAVE statewide copy $24 cash only23
Forsyth CountyRegister of Deeds: certified $10, uncertified $.50 (deaths in Forsyth County)24——
Gaston CountyGaston County Register of Deeds25—$10 certified25
Guilford CountyGuilford County Register of Deeds – Vital Records Section26—$10 per certified copy27
Harnett CountyHarnett County Register of Deeds28—Certified copy fee: $10.00 at the Register of Deeds29
Henderson CountyHenderson County Register of Deeds – Vital Records/Real Estate Division30—$10.00 certified copy31
Iredell CountyRegister of Deeds: deaths in Iredell County 1913-present; certified copy $1032——
Johnston CountyJohnston County Register of Deeds, Vital Records33—Died in Johnston County: certified $10.00, uncertified $0.1034
Mecklenburg CountyOffice of Vital Records35—$10 per certified copy at Register of Deeds36
Moore CountyMoore County Register of Deeds37——
New Hanover CountyNew Hanover County Register of Deeds38—$10.00 per certified copy; $.25 uncertified38
Orange CountyOrange County Register of Deeds - Vital Records39——
Pitt CountyPitt County Register of Deeds for deaths occurring in the county; $10 certified copy40——
Randolph CountyRandolph County Register of Deeds41—$10 each, no personal checks42
Robeson CountyRobeson County Register of Deeds43—$10.00 at the Register of Deeds44
Rowan CountyRowan County Register of Deeds45—$10 cash per certified copy46
Wake CountyWake County Register of Deeds47—$10 per certified copy of a Wake County death certificate; statewide (died in NC 2021-present) search and copy at the downtown office $24, additional copies $1547
Wayne CountyWayne County Register of Deeds48—$10 per certified copy (deaths in Wayne County)49

For any other county, see the county list on the North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina: North Carolina 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. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Order a CertificateNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  2. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Fees and PaymentNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  3. G.S. 130A-93NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  4. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: General Issuance Certificates Processing DatesNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  5. G.S. 161-10NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  6. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: ResearchNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Estates | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  8. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: FAQsNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  9. Obtain a Birth, Marriage, or Death CertificateAlamance County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  10. Birth, Death, and Marriage RecordsBrunswick Countychecked November 4, 2026
  11. Register of DeedsBuncombe County, North Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  12. Death CertificatesBuncombe County, North Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  13. Birth, Marriage and Death RecordsCabarrus Countychecked November 4, 2026
  14. Register of Deeds - Vitals General InformationCatawba County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  15. Birth, Death & Marriage CertificatesCleveland County, NCchecked November 8, 2026
  16. Register of Deeds fee schedule 2026-2027Cleveland County, NCchecked November 8, 2026
  17. Register of DeedsCraven Countychecked November 8, 2026
  18. Order a Vital RecordCraven Countychecked November 8, 2026
  19. Vital Records – General InformationCumberland County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  20. Vital Records Fee ScheduleCumberland County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  21. Site MapDavidson Countychecked November 4, 2026
  22. Recording Fee ScheduleDavidson County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  23. Vital RecordsDurham County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  24. Register of Deeds FeesForsyth Countychecked November 4, 2026
  25. Register of Deeds: Birth & Death CertificatesGaston Countychecked November 5, 2026
  26. Vital RecordsGuilford County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  27. Death CertificatesGuilford County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  28. Harnett County, NC home pageHarnett Countychecked November 7, 2026
  29. G.S. 161-10NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  30. Vital Records RequestHenderson County, NCchecked November 4, 2026
  31. Register of DeedsHenderson County, NCchecked November 4, 2026
  32. Death Records | Iredell County, NCIredell County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  33. Vital Records (Register of Deeds)Johnston County, NCchecked November 7, 2026
  34. Register of Deeds FAQsJohnston County, NCchecked November 7, 2026
  35. Mecklenburg County Register of DeedsMecklenburg County, North Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  36. Uniform Fee ScheduleMecklenburg County, North Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  37. Site MapMoore Countychecked November 7, 2026
  38. Births, Deaths & Marriage License Certified CopiesNew Hanover Countychecked November 5, 2026
  39. Birth, Death and Marriage CertificatesOrange County, NCchecked November 4, 2026
  40. Register of DeedsPitt County Register of Deedschecked November 5, 2026
  41. Site MapRandolph Countychecked November 4, 2026
  42. Register of Deeds FeesRandolph Countychecked November 4, 2026
  43. Robeson County Administration home pageRobeson County, North Carolinachecked November 7, 2026
  44. G.S. 161-10NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  45. Birth CertificatesRowan County Register of Deedschecked November 7, 2026
  46. Death CertificatesRowan County Register of Deedschecked November 7, 2026
  47. Birth, Death & Marriage CertificatesWake County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  48. Public RecordsWayne County, NCchecked November 7, 2026
  49. Death RecordsWayne County, NCchecked November 7, 2026