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How to order a Wisconsin death certificate

Who holds it: DHS Wisconsin Vital Records Office; county registers of deeds; Milwaukee and West Allis city health offices.1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who may order and what is restricted
  2. Related records in Wisconsin
  3. How Wisconsin handles it
  4. Death certificates in Wisconsin counties with a full guide
  5. Official warnings
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Fee

$20 first copy; $3 each additional copy at the same time; fee not refundable if no record found.2

Who may order

Certified copy: direct and tangible interest (immediate family, etc.). Uncertified copies available to others; cause/manner of death and disposition ("Extended Fact of Death") only if 50 years have passed, or the applicant has a direct and tangible interest, or is a direct descendant.2

Processing time

Mail up to 2 weeks plus mail time per form (DHS page: about 10 business days); VitalChek about 5 business days.2

Who may order and what is restricted

Restrictions
Two versions: Fact of Death (no cause/manner/disposition; enough for most financial transactions) and Extended Fact of Death (with cause, manner, disposition; used for insurance).1
Birth certificates: who holds it
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.3
Birth certificates: fee
$20 first copy (certified or uncertified, long or short form); $3 each additional copy of the same record at the same time; $20 expedited service (statute). Mail searches by the state office: each search period has a $20 search fee and searching extra periods costs $20 each (nonrefundable). VitalChek adds its own fee.1
Probate: who holds it
Register in probate of each county (appointed by the circuit judges); probate is a circuit court case type and appears on WCCA.4
Older records: vital record indexes
Pre-1907 birth, death and marriage indexes searchable on the Wisconsin Historical Society website; the State Vital Records Office publishes no online indexes but allows in-person index research by appointment.5

How Wisconsin handles it

  • Registers of deeds are local vital records offices: any of the 72 county registers of deeds can issue birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates that are enabled for statewide issuance, not just events in their own county3
  • DHS state vital records counter is closed to walk-ins (mail, VitalChek online/phone only; local offices still serve in person)3

Death certificates in Wisconsin 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
Brown CountyBrown County Register of Deeds6—$20.00 first copy; $3.00 each additional7
Dane CountyDane County Register of Deeds - Vital Records Section8—$20.00 search and first copy; $3.00 each additional9
Dodge CountyRegister of Deeds10—$20; additional copies of the same document at the same time $310
Eau Claire CountyEau Claire County Register of Deeds - Vital Records11—$20 first certified copy, $3 each additional (state statute)12
Fond du Lac CountyRegister of Deeds13—$20 first copy; $3 each additional14
Jefferson CountyRegister of Deeds15—$20 first copy; $3 each additional copy at the same time; fee not refundable if no record found.16
Kenosha CountyKenosha County Register of Deeds - Vital Records17—$20 first copy; $3 each additional18
La Crosse CountyLa Crosse County Register of Deeds19—$20.00 first copy, $3.00 each additional copy at the same time20
Manitowoc CountyRegister of Deeds: Vital Records Department21—$20.00 first copy22
Marathon CountyMarathon County Register of Deeds23——
Milwaukee CountyRegister of Deeds: Vital Records24—$20 for first copy + $3 for each additional copy24
Outagamie CountyRegister of Deeds25—$20.00 first copy; $3.00 each additional copy25
Ozaukee CountyOzaukee County Register of Deeds, Vital Records26—$20; additional copies $3 each26
Racine CountyRacine County Register of Deeds - Vital Records27—$20.00 first copy; $3.00 each additional28
Sheboygan CountyRegister of Deeds29—$20 first copy; $3 each additional copy at the same time; fee not refundable if no record found.30
St. Croix CountyRegister of Deeds31—$20 first copy + $3 each additional copy of the same record32
Walworth CountyRegister of Deeds33—Certified copy fee: $20; $3 for each additional copy ordered at the same time33
Washington CountyRegister of Deeds - Vital Records34—$20.00 first copy, $3.00 each additional copy34
Waukesha CountyWaukesha County Register of Deeds, Vital Records Division35—$20.00 first copy + $3.00 each additional copy36
Winnebago CountyRegister of Deeds37——

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

Official warnings

  • VitalChek is the only DHS-linked online vendor and charges an extra fee (Wisconsin Department of Health Services)38

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin: Wisconsin 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. Vital Records: Requesting a Vital RecordWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  2. F-05280 Wisconsin Death Certificate ApplicationWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  3. Vital RecordsWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  4. Wis. Stat. ch. 851 Probate - Definitions and General Provisions (register in probate)Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau)checked November 4, 2026
  5. Family History CollectionsWisconsin Historical Society (state agency)checked November 4, 2026
  6. Brown County home pageBrown County, Wisconsinarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  7. Register of Deeds Fee Schedule (PDF)Brown County Register of Deedsarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  8. Dane County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  9. Dane County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  10. Vital RecordsDodge County, Wisconsinchecked November 7, 2026
  11. Register of Deeds OfficeEau Claire County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  12. Wis. Stat. ch. 69 (vital records; s. 69.22 fees)Wisconsin Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  13. Register of Deeds Fee ScheduleFond du Lac Countychecked November 7, 2026
  14. F-05280 Wisconsin Death Certificate ApplicationWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  15. Register of DeedsJefferson Countychecked November 8, 2026
  16. F-05280 Wisconsin Death Certificate ApplicationWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 8, 2026
  17. Kenosha Countychecked November 4, 2026
  18. Kenosha Countychecked November 4, 2026
  19. Register of Deeds: Vital Records InformationLa Crosse County, Wisconsinchecked November 7, 2026
  20. Register of Deeds: FeesLa Crosse County, Wisconsinchecked November 7, 2026
  21. Vital RecordsManitowoc Countychecked November 8, 2026
  22. Death certificate applicationWisconsin DHS form posted by Manitowoc Countychecked November 8, 2026
  23. Register of DeedsMarathon Countychecked November 7, 2026
  24. Vital Records | Register of Deeds | Milwaukee CountyMilwaukee County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  25. Vital Records (Register of Deeds)Outagamie County, Wisconsinchecked November 7, 2026
  26. Vital RecordsOzaukee Countychecked November 4, 2026
  27. Register of DeedsRacine Countychecked November 4, 2026
  28. Birth/Marriage/Death/Divorce CertificatesRacine County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  29. Sheboygan County home pageSheboygan Countychecked November 7, 2026
  30. F-05280 Wisconsin Death Certificate ApplicationWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  31. Vital Records | St. Croix County, WISt. Croix County, Wisconsinchecked November 4, 2026
  32. Fee Schedule | St. Croix County, WISt. Croix County, Wisconsinchecked November 4, 2026
  33. Vital RecordsWalworth County, Wisconsinchecked November 4, 2026
  34. Register of DeedsWashington County, WIchecked November 4, 2026
  35. Register of DeedsWaukesha County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  36. Vital RecordsWaukesha County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  37. Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce CertificatesWinnebago County, Wisconsinarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  38. Vital Records: Application FormsWisconsin Department of Health Serviceschecked November 4, 2026