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How to order a North Dakota death certificate

Who holds it: ND HHS Vital Records Unit (State Registrar).1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Older records and indexes
  3. Related records in North Dakota
  4. Death certificates in North Dakota counties with a full guide
  5. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  6. Sources

Fee

$15.00 first copy; $10.00 each additional copy ordered at the same time. No uncertified copies.1

Who may order

Three types. Complete (cause of death and SSN): relative, authorized representative, funeral director, court order, and others in § 23-02.1-27(2). Facts of death (SSN, no cause): those people plus a licensed attorney needing it for a legal determination. Informational (no cause, no SSN): general public.2

How to search and order

How to request
vrcerts.hhs.nd.gov/searchDeath Online, by mail, or by appointment; public death index available.3

Older records and indexes

Index
statemuseum.nd.gov/deaths State Historical Society index excludes deaths within the past year.4
Birth certificates: who holds it
ND HHS Vital Records Unit, Bismarck.3
Birth certificates: fee
$15.00 per copy. No uncertified copies.5
Probate: who holds it
District court, through the Clerk of District Court in the county of the case. Case information is in the free NDCRI search.6

Death certificates in North Dakota 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
Burleigh CountyND HHS Vital Records Unit (state)7——
Cass CountyND HHS Vital Records Unit (State Registrar)8—$15.00 first copy; $10.00 each additional copy ordered at the same time. No uncertified copies.8

For any other county, see the county list on the North Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota: North Dakota 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. Certified Copies of Death RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  2. N.D.C.C. ch. 23-02.1 Vital StatisticsNorth Dakota Legislative Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  3. Vital RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  4. Vital Records: Birth, Death, Marriage, and DivorceState Historical Society of North Dakota, State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  5. Certified Copies of Birth RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  6. Case search Help - FAQNorth Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026
  7. Vital RecordsND Health and Human Serviceschecked November 7, 2026
  8. Certified Copies of Death RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026