Albany Death Records Lookup

Death records in Albany, New York have a unique twist that trips up many people. Albany is one of only three cities in the state where death records before January 1, 1914 are not at the New York State Department of Health. For those older records, you have to go through the Albany City Local Registrar. Records from 1914 onward are at both the local office and the state. This page explains exactly where to get Albany death records depending on the time period and how to deal with the pre-1914 gap that catches many researchers off guard.

Where to Get Albany Death Records

For Albany death records, there are two city offices to know about. The first is the Albany City Bureau of Vital Statistics, which is the Local Registrar. This office is at Room 254M, City Hall, Albany, NY 12207. The phone number is (518) 434-5045. This is where you go for death records, especially anything before 1914. The city has death records going back to 1870, which makes their collection older than what the state has.

The second office is the Albany City Clerk at Room 202, City Hall, Albany, NY 12207. Phone is (518) 434-5090. The city clerk handles marriage records and some other vital records. For death certificates specifically, the Local Registrar in Room 254M is who you want.

The City of Albany website shown below provides department contact information and city services.

From this site you can find the vital statistics office contact details and current hours.

Pre-1914 Albany Death Records

This is the part that confuses people. Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers are the three cities in New York where birth and death records before 1914 were never sent to the state. If you call the NYS Department of Health asking for an Albany death record from 1905, they will tell you they do not have it. You have to go local.

The Albany City Local Registrar at Room 254M, City Hall keeps death records from 1870 to the present. That means they have records going back over 150 years. For pre-1914 records, this is your only option. No other state or county office has these files. The NYS DOH genealogy page confirms this and lists the Albany Local Registrar as the contact for pre-1914 records.

For death records from 1914 onward, you have more choices. You can still go to the Local Registrar, or you can go through the state. The state accepts mail orders at $30 per copy and online orders at $45 plus a processing fee. But for anything before 1914, the city is it.

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society publishes an Albany County guide for genealogists that covers these records in detail. Their guide explains the split between city and state records and helps researchers figure out which office to contact.

Albany County Resources for Death Records

Albany is the seat of Albany County. The Albany County Hall of Records is at the Albany County Courthouse, Room 218, 16 Eagle Street, Albany, NY 12207. Phone is (518) 487-5100. They keep deeds, mortgages, divorce records, Supreme Court records from 1919, naturalization indexes from 1821 to 1860, and tax rolls for Albany County towns from 1813 to 1990. They do not issue death certificates, but they can be helpful for related records.

The Albany County Surrogate's Court handles wills, probate, and estate administration. If someone died in Albany and left an estate, the Surrogate's Court will have the probate file. You can search some of these records online through the WebSurrogate system.

Because Albany is the state capital, you also have direct access to the New York State Archives at the Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Avenue. The archives have death record indexes on microfiche from 1880 to 1943 that are free to search in person. Staff are there Monday through Saturday, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Phone is (518) 474-8955. You can drop off applications for state vital records at the archives, and they will send them to the DOH processing center at 800 North Pearl Street by interagency mail.

How to Order Albany Death Records

For in-person requests, visit the Local Registrar at Room 254M, City Hall with your photo ID and the fee. The typical fee for a certified death certificate from the city is $10. Call ahead at (518) 434-5045 to confirm current fees and hours since they can change.

For mail requests to the city, send a letter with the name of the deceased, date of death, your relationship, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order. Mail it to Local Registrar, City of Albany, Room 254M, City Hall, Albany, NY 12207.

For records from 1914 onward, you can also use the state. Mail orders to the NYS DOH cost $30 per copy. Send to Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Online orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a fee. The toll-free number for the state is (855) 322-1022. Keep in mind the state is dealing with big delays. The local office is usually faster.

Genealogy copies of death records at least 50 years old cost $22 for a one to three year search at the state level. Processing can take eight months or more. The city office may be faster for genealogy requests too, so it is worth asking them first.

Albany Death Records for Genealogy

Albany has a rich set of genealogy resources. The city's death records go back to 1870, earlier than most places in the state. The New York State Archives, just a short drive from City Hall, has free microfiche indexes for deaths from 1880 to 1943. You can search those yourself or ask staff to search for a fee.

The New York State Death Index at newyorkdeathindex.com covers 1880 to 1956 and is free to use. It gives you the name, date, and county of death so you know which office to contact. The Albany County Hall of Records has tax rolls that go back to 1813 and naturalization indexes from the 1820s, which can help build out a family history alongside death records.

The Dutch colonial period left many early records in Albany. While these predate formal death registration, they can contain burial records and other references to deaths. Researchers interested in Albany's earliest residents may want to check with the Albany County Hall of Records or the State Archives for guidance on these collections.

Nearby New York Cities

Other cities near Albany with death records pages on this site: