New York Death Records
New York death records go back to 1881 for most of the state. The New York State Department of Health keeps these files for all 62 counties, though New York City runs its own system for the five boroughs. You can search for death records by name and get copies through the state or from the local town clerk where the death took place. Each county has its own clerk offices and court system that can help you find what you need. Some records are also free to look up at the New York State Archives in Albany. Whether you need a death certificate for a legal claim, an estate case, or family research, this page shows you how to get it done.
New York Death Records Overview
Where to Find New York Death Records
New York has a dual system for death records. The New York State Department of Health keeps death records from 1881 to present for all of New York State except New York City. The five NYC boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island fall under a totally different system. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in one of those boroughs, you have to go through the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene instead. This split means you need to know where the death took place before you can figure out which office to call.
For the rest of the state, death records live in two places. The town, village, or city clerk where the death happened has a copy. The state also has one on file in Albany. Most people find it faster to go through the local clerk since the state office is dealing with big delays right now. The local registrar of vital statistics can pull the file and make you a certified copy, often in the same week. The state can take months. Under New York Public Health Law, both the local and state offices can issue certified copies of death certificates.
The New York State Archives also keeps death record indexes on microfiche from 1880 to 1943. You can search these indexes for free in person at the Cultural Education Center in Albany. The archives staff will search and abstract the indexes for you if you send a written request, though there is a fee for that service.
The screenshot above shows the NYS DOH death certificates page where you can start the process of ordering a certified copy by mail or online.
How to Get New York Death Records
There are three ways to get a death certificate in New York. You can order by mail, by phone, or online. Each method has its own cost. Mail orders cost $30 per copy. You send a filled out form with your ID and a check or money order to the Vital Records Certification Unit at P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Make the check out to "NYS Department of Health." They take personal checks, postal money orders, and certified checks. Do not send cash.
Online and phone orders go through VitalChek, the only vendor the state has approved. These cost $45 plus a processing fee. You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or ACH electronic check. The higher cost gets you faster processing in most cases, but the state warns that even online orders face delays right now.
You need to show ID when you apply. One form of valid photo ID works. That means a driver's license, state ID card, passport, or military ID. If you don't have a photo ID, you can send two documents that show your name and address, like a utility bill and a letter from a government agency dated in the last six months. People who apply from a foreign country must also include a copy of their U.S. passport along with their other ID.
The NYS DOH genealogy page above explains how to get uncertified copies of older death records for family history research at reduced fees.
Note: The NYS DOH does not have death records for New York City or for Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers before January 1, 1914. Contact those cities directly for older records.
Who Can Get New York Death Records
Not just anyone can get a death certificate. The spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the person who died can order one. Other people need a documented lawful right or claim. For example, if you need the death certificate to claim an insurance benefit or settle an estate, you can get one. You just need a letter from the agency or court that explains why you need it. A New York State Court Order also works if you don't fit into the other groups.
The rules are a bit different in New York City. The NYC Department of Health splits requests into two types. Close family members like a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild can get both the standard death certificate and the confidential medical report that shows the cause of death. More distant relatives like nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles can only get the standard certificate without the cause of death.
Death records over 50 years old are open to the public. Anyone can ask for them without proving a relationship. The NYC Department of Records and Information Services, also called the Municipal Archives, handles public requests for historical death records in the five boroughs.
New York Death Records for Genealogy
The state offers a separate genealogy track for researchers. Under New York Public Health Law, the Department of Health can provide uncertified copies of death certificates that have been on file for at least 50 years. Direct line descendants (children, grandchildren, great grandchildren) can get copies without the 50 year wait. They just need to prove their relationship.
The genealogy fee starts at $22 for a search covering one to three years. The cost goes up the wider your search window gets. A four to ten year search runs $42. An eleven to twenty year search costs $62. It keeps climbing from there, all the way up to $202 for an 81 to 90 year search. Each record you ask for gets its own fee. So if you want a death record and a birth record, you pay for each one separately. Processing a genealogy request can take eight months or longer according to the NYS DOH genealogy page.
If you can visit Albany in person, the New York State Archives on the 11th floor of the Cultural Education Center has microfiche indexes to deaths from 1880 to 1943. You can search these yourself for free. You can also drop off completed applications at the archives, and they will deliver them to the Vital Records office at 800 North Pearl Street by interagency mail. The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) publishes guides to vital records in each county that can help you figure out where to look.
The State Archives page shown above has details on indexes available and how to submit requests for New York death records through their facility.
Death Records in New York City
New York City handles death records through its own Department of Health, separate from the state. A death certificate in NYC costs $15 per copy. There is also a processing fee on top. Online orders through VitalChek come with a $9.30 processing fee. In person orders at 125 Worth Street in lower Manhattan have a smaller $2.75 processing fee. You can also ask the funeral home that handled arrangements to order copies for up to one year after the death.
The NYC Municipal Archives is where you go for older death records. They have Bronx death records from 1898 to 1948, Brooklyn deaths from 1847 to 1948, Manhattan deaths going back to 1795 (with some gaps), and Queens and Staten Island deaths from 1898 to 1948. The archives are at 31 Chambers Street, Room 103, New York, NY 10007. You can reach them at (212) 639-9675. Their hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
The NYC DOH page above shows the current fees and procedures for ordering death certificates for deaths that happened in any of the five boroughs.
Note: As of December 1, 2024, the NYC Health Department no longer accepts new requests for certified copies of 1949 death certificates. Those records are moving to the Municipal Archives.
Death Records Fees in New York
Costs vary depending on where and how you order. Here is a breakdown of what you can expect to pay for New York death records from different sources:
- NYS DOH by mail: $30 per copy
- NYS DOH online or phone: $45 plus vendor processing fee
- NYC Department of Health: $15 per copy plus processing fee ($9.30 online, $2.75 in person)
- Local town or city clerk: Typically $10 per certified copy
- Genealogy copies from NYS DOH: Starting at $22 for a 1 to 3 year search
The local clerk fee is usually the cheapest route if you know which town or city the death took place in. Most clerks charge $10 for a certified copy. Some may charge a bit more. The state fee covers a search of three years of records. If you don't know the exact year, each wider search window adds to the cost. Foreign applicants must pay by check drawn on a U.S. bank or by international money order.
Death Records and Surrogate's Court
When someone dies in New York, their estate often goes through Surrogate's Court. This is the court that handles wills, probate, and estate administration. Every county has its own Surrogate's Court. The records there can include the will, letters testamentary, estate inventories, and related filings. These are not death certificates, but they contain information about the deceased that can be useful for legal matters and genealogy.
The WebSurrogate system from the New York State Unified Court System lets you search Surrogate's Court records online. You can look up cases by name and find case details, filing dates, and some documents. Not all counties are fully online yet, but the system is growing. If you need records from a county that is not on WebSurrogate, contact the Surrogate's Court clerk in that county directly.
The WebSurrogate system shown above allows free online searches of Surrogate's Court records across multiple New York counties.
Free New York Death Records Resources
Several free tools exist for searching New York death records. The New York State Death Index covers records from 1880 to 1956 and is free to search online. It won't give you the actual certificate, but it tells you the name, date, and county of death so you know where to send your request. The NYC Municipal Archives has a free online database for searching historical vital records in the five boroughs.
Reclaim The Records is a nonprofit that has used Freedom of Information requests to make government vital records indexes available to the public for free. They have obtained several New York death record indexes and made them searchable online. The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society also offers guides and some free lookup tools for researchers working with New York vital records.
The free New York State Death Index shown above lets you search death records from 1880 to 1956 without charge.
Browse New York Death Records by County
Each of New York's 62 counties has its own system for death records. Pick a county below to find local contact info, fees, and resources for death records in that area.
Death Records in Major New York Cities
Residents of major cities get death records through the clerk in their town or through the county system. Pick a city below to find out where to go for death records.