Find Death Records in Smithtown

Death records for Smithtown are filed with the Smithtown Town Clerk at Town Hall on West Main Street. Smithtown is one of ten towns in Suffolk County on Long Island. The Suffolk County Clerk does not keep death records at all. That task falls to each town clerk in the county. If a death happened in Smithtown, the town clerk is your source for a certified copy. This page explains how to get Smithtown death records, what ID you need, who can request them, and what other offices can help with your search.

Where to Get Smithtown Death Records

The Smithtown Town Clerk is the primary office for death records in Smithtown. The address is Town Hall, 99 West Main Street, P.O. Box 646, Smithtown, NY 11787-0646. Phone is (631) 360-7620. You can also email them at townclerk@tosgov.com. The clerk keeps records for births, marriages, and deaths that took place within the Town of Smithtown.

To get a death certificate, you need to give them the full name of the person who died, the date of death, and where it happened. You also need to show valid photo ID and prove your relationship to the deceased. A certified copy costs $10. You can pick it up in person or request it by mail.

The Town of Smithtown website shown below has department pages and contact info for the clerk's office.

Use this site to find current hours and forms for requesting Smithtown death records.

Suffolk County and Smithtown Death Records

Smithtown is in Suffolk County. An important thing to know about Suffolk County is that the county clerk's office does not keep birth, marriage, or death records. Those are all at the town level. Suffolk has ten towns, and each one has its own town clerk who acts as registrar. If a death happened in Smithtown, go to the Smithtown clerk. If it happened in Huntington next door, go to the Huntington clerk. There is no central county office for death certificates.

The Suffolk County Clerk is at 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901. Phone is (631) 852-2000. They handle land records, court filings, and business records, but not vital statistics. The Suffolk County Surrogate's Court at 320 Center Drive in Riverhead handles wills and probate. Phone is (631) 852-1746. If you need estate records related to a death in Smithtown, that court is where you go.

The Suffolk County Historical Society at 300 West Main Street, Riverhead, has genealogy collections including cemetery transcriptions, wills, deeds, and town records on microfilm. Phone is (631) 727-2881.

Requesting Smithtown Death Records by Mail

If you cannot visit Smithtown Town Hall in person, you can mail your request. Write to the Town Clerk at 99 West Main Street, P.O. Box 646, Smithtown, NY 11787-0646. Include the name of the deceased, the date of death, your relationship to them, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order for $10 made out to the Town of Smithtown.

You can also go through the New York State Department of Health. The state keeps death records from 1881 forward for all of New York outside NYC. Mail orders to the state cost $30 per copy. Send them to Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Online orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a processing fee. The local clerk is almost always faster than the state, which has been dealing with long processing delays.

For genealogy research, the state offers uncertified copies of death records on file for 50 years or more. The base search fee is $22 for a one to three year window. Wider searches cost more. Processing takes about eight months at the state level. The town clerk can also help with genealogy searches for Smithtown records.

Who Can Get Smithtown Death Records

Under New York Public Health Law, death certificates are restricted to immediate family and those with a legal need. The spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the person who died can request a copy. Others need to show a documented lawful right or claim, such as a letter from an insurance company, a court order, or proof they need it for an estate proceeding.

Valid photo ID is required. That means a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. If you lack photo ID, two documents showing your name and address will work. For children requesting a parent's record, bring your birth certificate showing the parent's name. Siblings need a birth certificate that shows shared parents.

Death records over 50 years old are open for genealogy use. Direct line descendants can access records without the 50-year wait if they can prove their relationship and that the person is deceased. The NYS DOH genealogy page has full details on these rules.

Smithtown Death Records for Genealogy

Smithtown has a long history going back to 1663. The Town Historian, Bradley Harris, is based at Town Hall and can help with historical research. Published town records from 1898 include early vital statistics. The First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, founded in 1675, has records of marriages and baptisms from the Reverend Joshua Hartt spanning 1772 to 1826.

The New York State Death Index covers Smithtown deaths from 1880 to 1956 and is free to search at newyorkdeathindex.com. The New York State Archives in Albany has microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943 that you can search in person for free. Some state census records for Suffolk County are also at the Suffolk County Historical Society.

If you need to cast a wider net, the New York State Department of Health has records from 1881 onward. And the WebSurrogate system from the state court system lets you search probate records online, which can turn up useful information about deceased individuals in Smithtown.

Nearby New York Cities

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