Find Death Records in Saratoga County

Saratoga County death records are held by the town clerks across the county. The county seat is Ballston Spa. The Saratoga County Clerk at 40 McMaster Street in Ballston Spa only keeps marriage licenses from 1908 to 1935 when it comes to vital records. Death records and birth records are a town clerk function. This page covers every source for Saratoga County death records, from local clerks to the state health department, the county historian, and genealogy archives.

Where to Get Saratoga County Death Records

Death certificates in Saratoga County come from the town clerk where the death took place. The Saratoga County Clerk at 40 McMaster Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020 does not have death records. Phone: (518) 885-2213 or (518) 885-5381. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The only vital records at the County Clerk are marriage licenses from 1908 to 1935.

The county has many towns. Ballston, Charlton, Clifton Park, Corinth, Day, Edinburg, Galway, Greenfield, Hadley, Halfmoon, Malta, Milton, Moreau, Northumberland, Providence, Saratoga (which includes Schuylerville and Victory Mills), Stillwater, Waterford, and Wilton all have their own town clerks. The cities of Saratoga Springs and Mechanicville also have clerks who keep death records.

As an example, the Town of Ballston Clerk charges $11 per copy. Their office is at 323 Charlton Road, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. You can get records in person, by mail, or by email if you include a photocopy of your driver's license. Mail requests go to Town of Ballston, P.O. Box 67, Burnt Hills, NY 12027. There is also a gray locked mailbox at the rear of Town Hall for drop off requests. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Saratoga County Clerk screenshot below shows the office that handles other county records.

The Saratoga County Clerk page above shows the types of records maintained at the 40 McMaster Street office, though death records must be obtained from town clerks.

Ordering From the New York State Department of Health

The New York State Department of Health keeps Saratoga County death records from 1881 to the present. Mail orders cost $30 per copy. Send to the Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Online and phone orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a processing fee.

You need the spouse, parent, child, or sibling relationship, or a documented legal claim. Include one valid photo ID or two documents with your name and address. Make checks payable to "NYS Department of Health." The state is dealing with significant delays. The local town clerk is almost always quicker. Call (855) 322-1022 for state office questions.

Saratoga County Surrogate's Court

The Saratoga County Surrogate's Court is at the County Courthouse, 30 McMaster Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. Phone: (518) 451-8870 or (518) 884-4722. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The court is in Building 3 of the Saratoga County Complex. Wills and estate files go back to 1791.

Estate files from the Surrogate's Court often include the death date, heirs, and property lists. The WebSurrogate system lets you search probate records online for free. For genealogy and legal work, these records fill gaps that a death certificate alone may not cover.

Genealogy and Historical Death Records

The Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts is at 40 McMaster Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. Phone: (518) 884-4749. Email: lroberts@saratogacountyny.gov. Office hours are Tuesday through Thursday by appointment. The Historian's Office has surname files, historic landownership maps, town files, and the Henry C. Ritchie Saratoga County Families Collection.

The Historian's Office also has historical vital records for several towns. Charlton has records from 1847 to 1942. Greenfield has death records from 1882 to 1901. Hadley covers deaths from 1883 to 1932. Northumberland has deaths from 1880 to 1913. Providence has records from 1889 to 1912. The Town of Saratoga, including Schuylerville and Victory Mills, has deaths from 1891 to 1919. These records and vital records indexes are available on microfilm reels at the Historian's Office.

The Brookside Museum (Saratoga County Historical Society) at 6 Charlton Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020 has local history collections. Phone: (518) 885-4000. The New York State Death Index on FamilySearch covers Saratoga County deaths from 1880 to 1956 and is free to search. The New York State Archives has death indexes on microfiche from 1880 to 1943 that you can search for free in person in Albany.

The Saratoga County Clerk has digitized over 20 million records including land records and court records. While these are not death records, they can help researchers track families and property transfers after a death. Reclaim The Records has made several New York vital records indexes available for free on the Internet Archive and FamilySearch.

Saratoga County Death Records Fees

• Town clerk (e.g., Ballston): $11 per copy
• NYS DOH by mail: $30 per copy
• NYS DOH online or phone: $45 plus vendor processing fee
• Genealogy copies from NYS DOH: starting at $22
• County Clerk record searches: $5 per name search

Fees vary slightly by town. Most are in the $10 to $15 range per certified copy. The town clerk route is always cheaper than going through the state. Some town clerks accept email requests if you include a photocopy of your driver's license.

Nearby Counties

Saratoga County borders several other counties. If the death happened near a county line: