Search Tompkins County Death Records

Tompkins County death records can be obtained through the county's consolidated vital records system. Unlike most New York counties where each town clerk acts as the sole registrar, Tompkins County has a Health Department office that handles vital records requests. The county seat is Ithaca, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. Tompkins County was formed in 1817 from parts of Cayuga, Seneca, and Broome counties. Death records date back to 1880 when the state began requiring registration. The Health Department charges $30 for the first certified copy and $15 for each additional copy.

Tompkins County Death Records at the Health Department

This is what makes Tompkins County different from most other counties in New York. The Tompkins County Health Department has a dedicated Vital Records Section at 55 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Call (607) 274-6642 for questions. They handle birth and death certificate requests for the entire county.

The fee structure here is higher than the standard $10 you see at most town clerks in New York. Tompkins County charges $30 for the first certified copy of a death certificate and $15 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. This is the same fee the state charges for mail orders, so keep that in mind when deciding which office to use.

To request a death certificate, you need to fill out an application form, sign it, include a copy of your valid ID, and attach the right fee. You can do this in person or by mail. Send mail requests to the Vital Records Section at the address above. Valid ID means a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID.

The state resource page below can help guide you through the process of requesting death records from Tompkins County or the state office.

The state portal accepts death record requests for all New York counties, including Tompkins County, though the local Health Department is usually faster.

Tompkins County Clerk's Office

The Tompkins County Clerk is at 320 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Call (607) 274-5431 or email countyclerkmail@tompkins-co.org. The clerk keeps land records from 1817, marriage records from 1908 to 1935, divorce records, court records, and naturalization records. The clerk does not hold death certificates.

If you need copies of documents from the clerk's office, standard copies cost $0.65 per page. Certified copies add $5 per document. Exemplified copies are $10 extra. Document recording costs $40 with a $5 per page fee and a required cover sheet. These fees apply to land records and court documents, not vital records.

Town Clerks in Tompkins County

Even though the Health Department handles the main vital records office, individual town clerks in Tompkins County also maintain death records for events in their towns. The towns are Caroline, Danby, Dryden, Enfield, Groton, Ithaca (town), Lansing, Newfield, and Ulysses. The City of Ithaca has its own city clerk too.

Town clerks charge $10 per certified copy, which is less than the Health Department's $30 fee. If you know which town the death happened in, you may want to try the town clerk first. Marriage licenses are $40 at the town level. The same ID requirements apply. Eligibility rules are the same as everywhere in New York: spouse, parent, child, or sibling can get a copy, plus anyone with a documented lawful claim.

Tompkins County Death Records and Surrogate's Court

The Tompkins County Surrogate's Court is at 320 North Tioga Street, PO Box 70, Ithaca, NY 14850. Call (607) 277-0622 or (607) 216-6655. Probate records here go back to 1817 when the county was formed. The court handles wills, estate administration, guardianships, and adoptions.

There are some special rules for Tompkins County probate records. All adoption records are sealed and cannot be accessed without a court order. Estate tax returns filed between May 1990 and January 2001 are also sealed. Documents with social security numbers, firearms inventories, and death certificates within probate files have limited access too.

The court accepts e-filed proceedings since May 2013, except for guardianships, trust matters, and adoptions. You can search the index of court files during business hours. Some older files are only on microfilm. The index book from 1818 to 1910 is only available on microfilm. The WebSurrogate system offers online searches of some Tompkins County court filings.

State Death Records for Tompkins County

The New York State Department of Health has Tompkins County death records from 1880 forward. Mail orders cost $30. Online orders are $45 plus a vendor fee. Send mail requests to P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. State processing takes at least eight months right now.

Since the Tompkins County Health Department also charges $30, you might not save money going through the state. The local office will almost certainly get your request done faster. For genealogy copies of records over 50 years old, the state charges $22 for a three-year search.

Historical Death Records in Tompkins County

The History Center in Tompkins County is at 401 East State/MLK Jr. Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Call (607) 272-4557. They have local history materials, including family files and genealogical records. The Tompkins County Historian is at 125 East Court Street, Ithaca. The Tompkins County Public Library at 101 East Green Street also has a local history section.

Cornell University has published a guide to historical resources in Tompkins County from 1988 that includes references to family histories and genealogies. This can be useful if you are trying to trace a family line that includes death records from the area. The Association of Public Historians of New York State has a directory of municipal historians in Tompkins County.

Free Online Death Record Resources

The New York State Death Index is free and covers 1880 to 1956. Search by name to find which town a death was recorded in. FamilySearch has several free collections, including the New York State Death Index with images, New York Deaths and Burials (1795-1952), and Church and Civil Deaths (1824-1962).

The New York State Archives has death record indexes on microfiche from 1880 to 1943. These are free to view in person at the Cultural Education Center in Albany. Ancestry.com has paid collections with Tompkins County death data as well.

For death records from before 1880, look into church records and cemetery inscriptions. The History Center in Tompkins County and the county historian's office are good starting points for these older records.

Nearby Counties

If the death may have occurred near the Tompkins County border, check these neighboring counties.