State Vital Records Offices

Alabama: State office has birth and death records since January 1908, marriage records since 1936, and divorce records since 1950.

Alaska: The Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning 1 January 1913, and divorce records Beginning 1January 1950.

Arizona: The Office of Vital Records maintains birth records beginning in 1884 and death records beginning in 1887.

Arkansas: The Division of Vital Records maintains birth and death records beginning 1 February 1914, marriage records beginning 1 January 1917, and divorce records beginning 1 January 1923.

California: The Registrar maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning 1 July 1905, and divorce records from 1962 to June 1984.

Colorado: The Vital Records Section maintains birth records beginning in 1910 and death records beginning in 1900.

Connecticut: The Vital Records Section maintains birth records beginning in 1910 and death records beginning in 1900.

Delaware: The Office of Vital Statistics maintains birth records beginning in 1921, and death and marriage records beginning in 1953. Earlier records are maintained at the Hall of Records.

District of Columbia: The Vital Records Branch maintains birth and death records beginning 1 August 1874. The Marriage Bureau maintains marriage records beginning in 1811.

Florida: The Office of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning in 1917, and marriage and divorce records beginning 6 June 1927. Some birth records are available from 1865, and some death records from 1877.

Georgia: Birth and death records begin 1 January 1919. Marriage and divorce records begin June 1952.

Hawaii: Birth, marriage, divorce, and death records begin in 1853.

Idaho: The Office of Vital Statistics has birth and death records beginning 1 July 1911, and marriage and divorce records beginning 1 May 1947.

Illinois: The Department of Public Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1916. The individual counties maintain marriage and divorce records.

Indiana: The Department of Health maintains birth records beginning October 1907 and death records beginning January 1900. Most counties have earlier birth and death records.

Iowa: The Department of Public Health holds birth, marriage, and death records from 1 July 1880.

Kansas: The Office of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning 1 July 1911, delayed birth certificates beginning in 1875, marriage records beginning 1 May 1913, and divorce records beginning 1 July 1951.

Kentucky: The Office of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1911, and marriage and divorce records beginning 1 June 1958.

Louisiana: The Vital Records Registry maintains birth records for 100 years and marriage and death records for 50 years. The State Archives maintain older records.

Maine: State office has birth, marriage, divorce and death records since 1892. Records from 1892 to 1922 are available at the Maine State Archives. For earlier records, write to the municipality where the event occurred.

Maryland: For records earlier than 1 January 1969, write to the State Archives, which has restrictions on birth records for 100 years and death records for 20 years, but will provide abstracts of the restricted records.

Massachusetts: The Registrar maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning in 1900. Birth, marriage, and death records, 1841-1900 are maintained by the State Archives. The individual towns where the event occurred maintain earlier records, where they are extant.

Michigan: The Registrar of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1867, marriage records beginning April 1867, and divorce records beginning 1 January 1897.

Minnesota: The Section of Vital Statistics maintains birth records beginning 1 January 1900 and death records beginning 1 January 1908.

Mississippi: The Vital Records Office maintains birth and death records beginning 1 November 1912, and marriage records from 1 January 1926 to 30 June 1938.

Missouri: The Bureau of Vital Records maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1910. The individual counties maintain marriage and divorce records.

Montana: The Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning in late 1907.

Nebraska: The Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning in 1904, and marriage and divorce records beginning 1 January 1909.

Nevada: The Section of Vital Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning 1 July 1911.

New Hampshire: The Bureau of Vital Statistics maintains vital records beginning in 1640, with restrictions on birth records after 1901 and on marriage, divorce, and death records after 1938.

New Jersey: The State Registrar of the New Jersey Department of Health maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning June 1878, but may not respond to genealogical requests. Birth, marriage, and death records, May 1848-May 1878, are maintained by the State Archives.

New Mexico: The Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics maintains birth and death records beginning in 1889. The individual counties maintain all other records.

New York State: The Vital Records Section of the New York Department of Health maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning in 1881 and divorce records beginning in 1963, except those that occurred in New York City, and those that occurred in Albany, Buffalo, or Yonkers before 1914. The current waiting period before genealogical requests are filled is over one year.

New York City: The Division of Vital Records of the New York City Department of Health maintains birth records beginning in 1910 and death records beginning in 1949. The Municipal Archives maintain earlier records. The Municipal Archives maintains birth and marriage records beginning in July 1847, and death records beginning in 1795. The earliest records are incomplete, and the coverage of each Borough is different.

North Carolina: The Vital Records Section of the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources maintains birth records beginning 1 October 1913, marriage records beginning 1 January 1962, divorce records beginning 1 January 1958, and death records beginning 1 January 1930.

North Dakota: The Division of Vital Records of the North Dakota Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 July 1893, and marriage records beginning 1 July 1925.

Ohio: The Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Ohio Department of Health maintains birth records beginning 20 December 1908 and death records beginning 1 January 1937. Death records, 20 December 1908 through December 1936, are maintained by the Ohio Historical Society.

Oklahoma: The Division of Vital Records of the Oklahoma Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning October 1908.

Oregon: The Vital Statistics Division of the Oregon Health Division has records since January 1903, marriages since January 1906, and divorce records since 1925. Some earlier records for the City of Portland since approximately 1880 are available from the Oregon State Archives.

Pennsylvania: The Division of Vital Records of the Pennsylvania State Department of Health has birth and death records since January 1906. For earlier records, write to Register of Wills, Orphans Court, in county seat of county where event occurred.

Rhode Island: The Division of Vital Records of the Rhode Island Department of Health maintains birth and marriage records beginning 1 January 1894, and death records beginning 1 January 1944. Earlier records are maintained at the Rhode Island State Archives.

South Carolina: The Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1915, marriage records beginning 1 July 1950, and divorce records beginning 1 January 1962.

South Dakota: The Center for Health Statistics of the South Dakota Department of Health maintains records beginning 1 July 1905; there are some earlier birth records.

Tennessee: The Vital Records Office of the Tennessee Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1914, and marriage and divorce records beginning 1 July 1945.

Texas: The Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Texas Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1903.

Utah: The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics of the Utah Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1905.

Vermont: The Vital Records Unit of the Vermont Department of Health maintains birth, marriage, divorce, and death records up to ten years old. The Public Records Division of the General Services Center maintains birth, marriage, divorce, and death records more than ten years old.

Virginia: The Division of Vital Records maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning 1 January 1853 and ending 1895, and beginning 14 June 1912. Many of the pre-1912 records are available without writing to the Division of Vital Records. From the founding of Virginia in 1607 until the dissolution of the State Church in 1785, the local parishes of the Church of England were the official government agencies charged with recording births and burials.

Washington: The Center for Health Statistics of the Washington State Department of Health maintains birth and death records beginning 1 July 1907, and marriage and divorce records beginning 1 January 1968.

West Virginia: The Division of Vital Statistics of the West Virginia State Health Department maintains birth and death records beginning 1 January 1917, marriage records beginning 1 January 1964, and an index to marriages beginning in 1921.

Wisconsin: The Section of Vital Statistics of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services maintains birth, marriage, and death records beginning 1 January 1907. Records as early as 1814 are available, but less than half the births, marriages, and deaths before 1907 were recorded. A list of the earliest records on file arranged by county is available.

Wyoming: Wyoming State Vital Records Services maintains birth and death records beginning July 1909, and marriage and divorce records beginning May 1941.

 

Finding Aids

These publications assist in locating addresses of state vital record offices in the United States, determining the cost of a certificate, and, the first reference listed outlines the information you must provide to obtain the desired document.

Kemp, Thomas J., comp. International Vital Records Handbook. 3rd ed., Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces. Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1996.

© Palladium Interactive, Inc. 1997.