Rochester Death Records Search

Rochester death records are handled through the Monroe County Office of Vital Records. Monroe County is one of four counties in New York that uses a consolidated system for vital records. This means the towns in Monroe County forward their birth and death records to the county health department. You do not go to the Rochester city clerk for death certificates. Instead, you go to the Monroe County Vital Records office at 740 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623.

Rochester Death Records at Monroe County

Monroe County is a consolidated registration district. That is a big deal for death records. Towns within the county forward their vital records to the Monroe County Office of Vital Records. This means one office handles death records for all of Monroe County, including Rochester, Greece, Irondequoit, and every other town in the county.

The office is at 740 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. The phone number is (585) 753-5141. You can call Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM. They are open for in-person visits by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3:30 PM. No walk-ins. No same-day appointments.

Here is the City of Rochester official website.

The City of Rochester website has links to city services and resources.

For death certificates specifically, you need to go to the Monroe County office, not the city clerk.

Rochester Death Records Fees and Ordering

A certified death certificate from Monroe County costs $30. This is higher than most town clerks in other counties, which typically charge $10. The consolidated system has its own fee structure. Payment can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, and Discover only). The cardholder must be present for credit card payments.

There are three ways to order. You can go in person by appointment. You can mail in an application. Or you can order online. The county has mail-in application forms for death certificates and genealogy requests available on their website.

In-person appointments are limited. You can only get one appointment at a time. Each appointment is for one customer, and you can request a maximum of two different eligible certificates per visit (for example, a parent and child). Multiple copies of the same certificate are allowed in one appointment. Processing is done while you wait, usually in minutes.

Mail orders take longer. Send the completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to Monroe County Vital Records. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Rochester Death Records Availability

Monroe County has birth and death records from 1880 to the present. There is an important note for older records: full images are NOT available before 1928. If you need a pre-1928 death record for dual citizenship or other purposes that require the full image, contact the Albany Vital Records office at 1-855-322-1022. The county can provide information from the index, but the actual certificate image may be limited.

For records before 1880, you may need to check church records, cemetery records, or town historian files. Rochester has some early records, but coverage before the state mandate is inconsistent.

Eligibility and Identification

You must be an eligible applicant and present valid ID. Accepted photo IDs are:

• Driver's license or state-issued non-driver ID
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military photo ID

If you do not have a photo ID, you can bring two pieces of official mail showing your name and address. Each must be a utility bill or government letter dated within the past six months. The office checks these carefully.

Eligible applicants include the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased. Attorneys on firm letterhead and people with court orders can also request copies. Funeral homes have their own mail-in application process.

State-Level Alternative

You can also request Rochester death records through the NYS Department of Health. The state fee is $30 by mail or $45 plus a vendor fee online through VitalChek. Processing through the state takes longer than going through Monroe County directly. The state is a good backup if you cannot get an appointment at the county office or if you are out of state.

Genealogy requests through the state can take eight months or longer. Monroe County processes genealogy requests in about 8 to 10 weeks, which is still a wait but much faster than the state.

Rochester Death Records for Genealogy

The Rochester Public Library's Local History and Genealogy Division is a major resource. It was the first place outside Albany to have the NYS vital record indexes, getting them in 2001. They hold NYS Vital Records Index microfiche covering births from 1881 to 1942, marriages from 1881 to 1964, and deaths from 1880 to 1956. This is a free resource for researchers.

The Monroe County Clerk at 101 County Office Building, 39 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614 has court records and land records but does NOT issue death certificates. The phone is (585) 753-1600. The Monroe County Records and Archives at City Place, 7th Floor, 50 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614 has additional historical records. Phone: (585) 753-7367.

The New York State Death Index is free to search and covers 1880 to 1956. The WebSurrogate system lets you search Monroe County probate filings online. The NYS Archives has microfilm indexes and a guide to researching vital records across the state.

Nearby Qualifying Cities

Other qualifying cities in Monroe County include Greece and Irondequoit. Both use the same Monroe County Vital Records office as Rochester. If the death happened in either of those towns, the process and office are exactly the same. To the west, Buffalo in Erie County has its own system with the pre-1914 exception. To the east, Syracuse in Onondaga County is another qualifying city with its own clerk handling death records.