Greece Death Records

Death records for the Town of Greece do not go through the Greece town clerk like they do in most New York towns. Greece is in Monroe County, which is one of only four counties in New York that run a consolidated registration district for vital records. That means all death records for Greece get forwarded to the Monroe County Office of Vital Records. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Greece, you contact the county office, not the town. This page explains how that system works and where else you can search for death records in the Greece and Rochester area.

Where to Get Greece Death Records

The Monroe County Office of Vital Records is the place to go for Greece death records. The address is 740 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. Phone is (585) 753-5141. They take calls Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The office itself is open 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, but you need an appointment. No walk-ins are accepted. No same-day appointments either. Plan ahead.

This office has birth and death records from 1880 to the present for all of Monroe County, which includes Greece. A certified copy of a death certificate costs $30. They accept cash, check, money order, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover only). The cardholder must be present for credit card payments. Make checks payable to Monroe County Vital Records.

You can also order by mail. Download the death certificate mail-in application from the county website. Fill it out and send it with your payment and a copy of your ID. There is also an online ordering option through their system.

The state-level New York State Department of Health screenshot below shows the statewide ordering portal that also covers Greece death records from 1881 forward.

The state DOH page covers ordering procedures that apply to all New York death records including those from Greece and Monroe County.

Monroe County Consolidated District

Monroe County is one of four counties in New York with a consolidated registration district for vital records. This is an important detail. In most New York counties, death records stay with the town clerk where the death happened. In Monroe County, all towns (including Greece) forward their records to the county health department. The Greece Town Clerk does not issue death certificates for recent deaths.

Monroe County has records from 1880 to the present. One limitation: full images of certificates are not available before 1928. If you need a pre-1928 death certificate image for something like a dual citizenship application, you may need to contact the state office in Albany at (855) 322-1022.

The Monroe County Clerk at 39 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614, handles land records, court records, and other filings but does not issue death certificates. Phone is (585) 753-1600. The Monroe County Records and Archives at City Place, 50 West Main Street, 7th Floor, Rochester, has historical county records. Phone is (585) 753-7367.

How to Order Greece Death Records

There are four ways to get a death certificate for someone who died in Greece. You can go in person by appointment, order by mail, order online, or go through the state.

For in-person visits, call (585) 753-5141 to make an appointment. Bring photo ID. They accept a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. If you do not have photo ID, bring two pieces of official mail no older than six months that show your current address. Only one customer per appointment, and you can get up to two different certificates per visit. Multiple copies of the same certificate are fine.

Mail orders go to Monroe County Office of Vital Records, 740 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. Include the completed application, payment, and a copy of your ID.

The state is another option. Mail orders to the NYS DOH cost $30 per copy. Online and phone orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a fee. The state mailing address is P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. The state is slower, but it works if you cannot get an appointment at the county office.

Who Can Get Greece Death Records

Only the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased can get a certified death certificate. Others need proof of a lawful right or claim. A court order works. So does a letter from an insurance company or government agency saying they need the record. Attorneys handling estates can also request death certificates with documentation.

For genealogy research, death records on file for 50 years or more are available as uncertified copies. The county takes genealogy applications by mail only, and processing takes 8 to 10 weeks. The fee depends on the number of years searched.

Greece Death Records for Genealogy

The Rochester Public Library has a Local History and Genealogy Division that is one of the best in upstate New York. They were the first library outside Albany to have the NYS vital record indexes, getting them in 2001. Their collection includes microfiche indexes to births (1881-1942), marriages (1881-1964), and deaths (1880-1956). This is a free resource you can use in person.

The Greece Town Historian has transcripts of some early records from 1848 to 1849, before the county started keeping files. The Greece Town Clerk may also have some pre-1880 records that stayed at the town level. Contact the town historian for guidance on these older records.

The New York State Death Index covers 1880 to 1956 and is free to search. The New York State Archives has microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943. The WebSurrogate system lets you search probate records from the Monroe County Surrogate's Court online.

Nearby New York Cities

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