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How to order a Tennessee birth certificate

Who holds it: Tennessee Office of Vital Records (Nashville) and every county health department (statewide electronic issuance)1

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. More details
  6. Related records in Tennessee
  7. How Tennessee handles it
  8. Birth certificates in Tennessee counties with a full guide
  9. Official warnings
  10. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  11. Sources

Fee

$15.00 per certified copy (first and each additional); no-record letter $15.002

Who may order

Restricted: the registrant, mother, father (only if listed), son, daughter, husband, wife; legal guardians, legal representatives and attorneys with documentation3

Ordering online

VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor (extra vendor fees); the state office does not take online orders directly1

Fee charged

Processing time

In person: same day; mail: 3 days; online: 3 days (as of 6/23/2026)4

How to search and order

In person
Tennessee Vital Records, 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243; Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00; no appointment needed1

Fees

Verification fee
$15.002

Who may order and what is restricted

Law
T.C.A. §§ 68-3-205 and 68-3-206; Rules July 1, 1200-.11 and -.123
ID required
Mail: copy of government-issued photo ID with signature or a notarized application1

Older records and indexes

Years covered
Office of Vital Records keeps births for 100 years; older births (1908-1912, 1914-1925) are at the Tennessee State Library and Archives5
Before adoption
After an adoption the original birth record is sealed. People adopted in Tennessee apply to the Department of Children's Services. People born in Tennessee but adopted in another state need a court order (from the adoption court or the Davidson County Chancery Court). Fee to open a sealed file and provide one copy: $30.006

More details

Verification
Anyone may get a verification of birth facts (not a certified copy) for $15.007
Death certificates: who holds it
Tennessee Office of Vital Records and every county health department1
Death certificates: fee
$15.00 per certified copy (first and each additional)2
Older records: vital transfers
Births go to TSLA after 100 years; deaths, marriages and divorces after 50 years5

How Tennessee handles it

  • Any county health department can issue any Tennessee birth or death certificate1

Birth certificates in Tennessee 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
Blount CountyBlount County Health Department8——
Bradley CountyBradley County Health Department9——
Davidson CountyMetro Public Health Department, Vital Records Division10——
Hamilton CountyHamilton County Health Department, Office of Vital Records11—$15.00 per certified copy11
Knox CountyKnox County Health Department, Vital Records Division12—$15 per copy12
Madison CountyJackson-Madison County Regional Health Department13—$15 per long-form certified copy; amendments $20 (from July 1, 2025)14
Maury CountyMaury County Health Department15——
Montgomery CountyCounty Health Department issues certified copies; $15.0016——
Putnam CountyPutnam County Health Department, Cookeville Clinic17—$15.00 each17
Rutherford CountyRutherford County Health Department18——
Sevier CountySevier County Health Department19—$15 for each copy20
Shelby CountyShelby County Health Department Office of Vital Records21——
Sullivan County———
Sumner CountyAny Tennessee county health department, including Sumner's, can issue birth and death certificates registered statewide22——
Washington CountyWashington County Health Department23——
Williamson CountyWilliamson County Health Department24—$15.00 per certified copy (state fee)25
Wilson CountyWilson County Health Department26—$15.00 per certified copy (first and each additional); no-record letter $15.0027

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

Official warnings

  • Vital records: VitalChek is the only state-authorized online vendor; other sites are not official1

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 Tennessee office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in Tennessee: Tennessee 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. How do I get my certificate? (In Person, Local County Health Department, Mail, or Online)Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  2. FeesTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  3. Entitlement GuidelinesTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  4. How long will it take?Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  5. Genealogy ResearchTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  6. I was adopted. How can I obtain copies of my original birth record before the adoption?Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Genealogy Research (TDH program page, pre-Help-Center)Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  8. Site MapBlount County, TNchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Bradley County, TN home pageBradley County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  10. Vital Records at Metro Public HealthMetro Nashville, Public Health Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
  11. Vital Records - Birth/Death CertificatesHamilton County Health Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Vital Records Division - Health DepartmentKnox County, Tennesseechecked November 4, 2026
  13. Site MapMadison County, Tennesseechecked November 7, 2026
  14. Birth / Death RecordsMadison County, Tennesseechecked November 7, 2026
  15. Departments A - HMaury Countychecked November 4, 2026
  16. Tn-mon-healthMontgomery County Government, TNchecked November 4, 2026
  17. Birth & Death Certificates | Putnam County Health DepartmentPutnam Countychecked November 8, 2026
  18. Health FormsRutherford County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  19. HealthSevier County, Tennesseearchived copychecked November 7, 2026
  20. Vital Records (Health)Sevier County, Tennesseearchived copychecked November 7, 2026
  21. Birth/Death CertificatesShelby County Health Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
  22. How do I get my certificate? (In Person, Local County Health Department, Mail, or Online)Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  23. Washington County TN: health-departmentWashington County, Tennesseechecked November 5, 2026
  24. Vital RecordsWilliamson County Health Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
  25. Vital Records feesTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  26. HealthWilson County, Tennesseechecked November 4, 2026
  27. FeesTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026