Death Certificates

The operating procedure for obtaining a vital statistic record in Pinellas County, such as a birth and death record, is on an appointment basis. There are also options such as mail-in orders, faxed orders, or online orders. Walk-in orders will be accepted; however, appointments will be given preference so wait times will vary. Walk-ins will not be accepted after 3:45pm to process everyone by close of business at 4:30pm. If you would like to make an appointment call our office during normal business hours. Please scroll down below to obtain more information on how to request orders by mail or fax. All online orders can be made by clicking on Certificates located in the toolbar above and choosing the VitalChek link in blue.

General Death Certificate Information

Death certificates are public record without cause of death. Anyone may obtain certified copies without the cause of death information. The cause of death becomes public information after 50 years from the date of death. By Florida law, the cause of death is considered confidential prior to that time.

Death certificates which includes the cause of death may only be issued to the decedent's spouse, parent, and (if of legal age) child, grandchild, or sibling, or anyone who provides a will, insurance policy or other document that demonstrates their interest in the estate of the decedent or anyone who provides documentation that he or she is acting on the behalf of any of the previously mentioned persons, or by court order.

If the death occurred in another county in Florida, please visit:
FL Dept of Health County Dept Listing

If the death occurred in another state, please go to the following link to obtain address information to order the certificate:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm

Quick Links to Death Certificate Forms

• Application for a Florida Death Record - ENGLISH (PDF, 228KB)
• Application for a Florida Death Record - SPANISH (PDF, 235KB)
• Affidavit to Release Death Certificate (PDF, 89KB)
• FL Dept of Health Certificates and Registries
• Death Records from other states

Additional Information

If you are a beneficiary on a life insurance policy, a certificate will be issued to you with the cause of death provided the following is supplied with your request and payment. The life insurance policy must name the applicant as beneficiary. This may be in the form of a copy of the policy or a letter from the insurance provider dated no more than 2 years ago stating the applicant is a beneficiary of the registrant’s insurance policy.

If you are requesting the cause of death, you must state your relationship to the deceased. Proof of identity is required to prove eligibility. Acceptable forms of identification are Florida Driver’s License, Florida State ID Card, U.S. Passport, or Military ID Card. Expired forms of identification will not be accepted. Must include a copy of a valid form of identification. If a relationship is not stated, you will be issued a certified copy without the cause of death information.

If the death did not occur in Florida, please go to the following link to order certificates from other states: http:///www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm

Types of Death Certificates Available in Pinellas County:

Certified Certificates are available for death years 2009 to the present.

Cause of Death NOT Needed For:

• Probate
• Title Companies
• Vehicle Title Transfers
• Taxes
• Property Claims
• Credit Card Companies

Fees

When Ordering from DOH-Pinellas

Certified Computer Certificate: $9.00

• (AVAILABLE FOR FLORIDA DEATHS 2009 TO PRESENT)
• Computer generated copy of the original record
  

Additional computer certificates on the same record: $9.00

Optional Purchase:

• Notary Services for amendment forms only $10.00

Regular Orders:

• Orders not rushed will be processed within 5-10 business days. This does not include postal transit time to and from our office.

Rush Orders: $5.00

• Mark the outside of the envelope “RUSH”.
• Orders are processed within 3 business days of receipt. This does not include postal transit time to and from our office.

Payment Methods

When Ordering from DOH-Pinellas

In Person:

• Checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are acceptable forms of payment. Current ID is required in person. Acceptable forms of ID are Driver’s License, State ID Card, issued by Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Military ID, or Passport.

By Mail:

• Check or money order should be made payable to Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are also accepted. Credit card number, expiration date, 3 digit security code on backside of credit card and billing address are required. Include a copy of the applicant's valid identification. Orders will be returned unprocessed if the requests are incomplete.

By Fax:

• Credit cards only (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). Our Fax number: (727) 507-4335. Credit card number, expiration date, 3-digit security code on backside of credit card and billing address are required along with a copy of current ID. Acceptable forms of ID are Driver’s License, State ID Card, issued by Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Military ID, or Passport.

Please Note:

• • The applicant must use their own credit card and their billing address in order to have their requests processed. If a card holder other than the applicant is paying for the service that card holder must complete the payment section and sign application on the CC Holder’s Signature line for request to be processed.
  • All faxed requests have rush and overnight delivery options for additional fees.
  • After faxing your application and required ID, please contact our office at 727-507-4330 ext. 6316 to verify your faxed request was received and the ID is clear to read.

  Delivery Methods

  When Ordering from DOH-Pinellas

  USPS:

  • Certificates mailed via U.S. Postal Service - Included with the purchase of certificate.

  Overnight: $17.00

  • Requests for overnight delivery must be marked “OVERNIGHT”.

  How to Order Death Certificates

  When Ordering from DOH-Pinellas

  Please Provide the following Information on death application or hand-written letter:

  • Full name of the deceased person
  • Date of death (month, day and year)
  • If the date of death is unknown, give an approximate date of death. If the record is not located, this office keeps the search fee.
  • Name of Funeral Home (if known)
  • City of Death

  Additional Information Required:

  • Applicant’s name - Signature and printed
  • State your relationship to the deceased
  • Mailing address
  • Daytime phone number

  Please Note:

  • Requests may be ordered by mail, by fax, online or brought in person to the Vital Statistics office.
  • Please mail your request to:
  • Florida Department of Health in Pinellas
  • Vital Statistics
  • 8751 Ulmerton Road, Suite 1700
  • Largo, FL 33771
  • The applicant must use their own credit card and their billing address in order to have their requests processed. If a card holder other than the applicant is paying for the service that card holder must complete the payment section and sign application on CC Holder’s Signature line for request to be processed.
  • All faxed requests have rush and overnight delivery options for additional fees.
  • After faxing your application and required ID, please contact our office at 727-507-4330 ext. 6316 to verify your faxed request was received and the ID is clear to read.