Queens County Death Records

Queens County death records are handled through the New York City system, not the New York State Department of Health. As one of the five boroughs of New York City, Queens has its own process for death certificates. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issues death certificates for all deaths in Queens from 1949 to the present. For older records dating before 1949, the NYC Municipal Archives is where you need to go. The Queens County Clerk at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica does not keep death records. This page walks you through every step for getting Queens County death records.

Getting Queens County Death Records (1949 to Present)

The NYC Department of Health handles death certificates for Queens County. Their main office is at 125 Worth Street, CN4, Room 133, New York, NY 10013. Phone: (212) 788-4520. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. This is the same office that handles death records for all five NYC boroughs.

A death certificate costs $15. There is a processing fee on top of that. Online orders through VitalChek come with a $9.30 processing fee. In person orders have a smaller $2.75 security fee. VitalChek is the only vendor the city has authorized for online orders. Watch out for unauthorized vendors that charge high fees. If you run into one, you can file a complaint with the NYC Department of Consumer Protection or call 311.

You can also order by mail. Send your application with a check or money order payable to "NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene" to the Worth Street address. Include a copy of your photo ID and a notarized signature. Mail orders take at least 30 days. In person visits can get same day service. Online orders process within 24 hours plus shipping time.

The screenshot below shows the NYC DOH page for ordering death certificates.

This NYC DOH page is the starting point for ordering death certificates for any death that occurred in Queens County or any other NYC borough.

Who Can Request Queens County Death Records

Not everyone can get a death certificate. Close relatives get full access. The spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild can request both the standard death certificate and the confidential medical report showing cause of death. The informant listed on the certificate and the person in control of disposition can also get both.

More distant relatives have limited access. Nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, great-grandchildren, and grandnieces or grandnephews can get the standard death certificate but not the cause of death report. Others need to show a legal right. An insurance policy, will, bank statement, or property deed that includes both your name and the name of the deceased can work.

You need a valid photo ID. Queens death records requests accept a driver's license, NYC benefits card with photo, passport, IDNYC Municipal Card, permanent resident card, military ID, university ID with current transcript, or an Access-A-Ride card. Without photo ID, two documents showing your name and address dated within 60 days will work.

Historical Queens County Death Records (Before 1949)

For deaths in Queens County before 1949, you need the NYC Municipal Archives. The Archives is at 31 Chambers Street, Room 103, New York, NY 10007. Phone: (212) 788-8580 or (212) 639-9675. Hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Queens death records at the Archives cover 1898 to 1948. There are also scattered earlier records from Long Island City starting in 1871 and from other towns and villages before they joined New York City in 1898. The Archives charges $5 per certificate if you know the exact year. If they need to search, it costs $10. You can research microfilmed records in person for free. Certified copies ordered at the counter cost $11.

The Historical Vital Records of NYC project is digitizing original birth, marriage, and death records from 1855 to 1949. You can search, browse, and download records or order certified copies through this system. Non-certified PDF copies have a $3.50 service fee. Certified copies cost $18 each and take 8 to 10 weeks to process.

Queens County Surrogate's Court

The Queens County Surrogate's Court is at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435. Phone: (718) 298-0400. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This court handles wills, probate, estate administration, letters testamentary, letters of administration, and guardianship records.

Surrogate's Court records are not death certificates, but they contain useful details about deceased persons. Estate files list the date of death, heirs, and property. For genealogy or legal work, these records fill in gaps. The WebSurrogate system lets you search estate proceedings online for free.

The Queens County Clerk at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard maintains court records, property records through the ACRIS system, and marriage licenses post-1949. Phone: (718) 286-3000. They do not have death records.

Queens County Death Records Fees

• NYC DOH death certificate: $15 per copy
• Online processing fee (VitalChek): $9.30
• In-person processing fee: $2.75
• Additional copies (same order): $3 each
• Express delivery: $20
• Municipal Archives (exact year known): $5
• Municipal Archives (search required): $10

Cash is not accepted at the NYC DOH. Pay with check or money order by mail, or credit card online. The $15 fee is much less than the $30 to $45 the state charges for records outside NYC.

Free Resources for Queens Death Records

FamilySearch has the New York City Municipal Deaths index covering 1795 to 1949. This includes Queens from 1898 forward. The German Genealogy Group has a NYC death index from 1868 to 1948 that is nearly complete and free to search. The Italian Genealogical Group hosts the same indexes.

Ancestry.com has the New York City Death Certificates index from 1862 to 1948, though it has some gaps. If you have a library card, many public libraries offer free access to Ancestry's databases. The NYC Municipal Archives online portal lets you search historical vital records for free, though ordering copies costs money.

Reclaim The Records has obtained several New York vital records indexes through Freedom of Information requests and made them available for free on the Internet Archive and FamilySearch.

Important Notes About Queens County Death Records

Queens County is part of New York City. The New York State Department of Health does not have Queens death records. Do not send requests to Albany for a death that happened in Queens. That office only covers the 57 counties outside NYC. All five NYC boroughs, including Queens, go through the city system.

There is one historical exception. The NYS DOH does have birth records from Queens for the period 1881 through 1897, before Queens was fully part of NYC. But for death records, the city system is the only path.

Death records over 50 years old become public under New York law. The NYC Department of Records and Information Services handles public requests for those older records through the Municipal Archives.

Nearby Counties

Queens borders several other NYC counties and Nassau County on Long Island: