Death Certificates

Last updated 4/24/2025.

A death certificate is a record of the death of a person. Information in this record: 

  • Includes circumstances and cause of death. 
  • Serves several important legal and statistical uses. By law, a death certificate serves as the State's legal record and is prima facie evidence in all courts. 

There are two types of death certificates: 

  1. Authorized Certified Copy – only given to Authorized Individuals with a notarized Sworn Statement.
  2. Informational Certified Copy – given to all other individuals. A Sworn Statement is not needed.

A certified copy of a death certificate costs $24.00.  

  • This fee is set by the State.
  • The cost for finding a record is NOT refundable if the record is not found. 

On this page:

Call the office at (619) 692-5733 if you have questions. 

Request a Death Certificate

A copy of a death certificate can be requested for anyone who died in San Diego. For deaths occurring:

  • More than 2 years ago, contact the San Diego Recorder/Clerk.
  • Within the last 2 years, contact OVRS or see the steps below. 

Death certificates cannot be sent by email.

In-Person

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1. OVRS is open Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Address **Please note new interim location effective October 25, 2024**
5530 Overland Avenue, Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92123

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2. Have these ready:

  • Decedent’s (person who died) full name,
  • Decedent’s date of death,
  • Decedent’s place of death, and
  • A valid government issued picture ID.
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3. Complete payment of $24.00 per copy. There are two ways to pay:

  • Debit card, credit card, tap to pay; or
  • Check, or money order, payable to County of San Diego.
Red, orange, and blue VitalChek logo. VitalChek is a third-party website authorized to process requests online for the Office of Vital Records and Statistics.

Online

VitalChek is a third-party website that processes requests online for the Office of Vital Records and Statistics.

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1. Visit VitalChek.com.

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2. Go to "Order Certificate", then choose "Death Certificates."

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3. Fill out the online application.

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4. Complete payment with credit card, debit card or electronic check.

  • Certificate fee is $24.00 per copy.
  • VitalChek processing fee is $12.95.
  • Shipping fee is no cost for regular mail, or $19.00 for Express UPS.

For more information, visit VitalChek online, or call 1-877-459-1061.

 

Mail

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1. Fill out the Application for a Death Certificate/Disposition of Human Remains.

  • If you are requesting a Certified Copy of more than one person, you must complete a separate application for each person.
    • For Authorized Certified Copies, only one Notarized Sworn Statement that lists each person is needed.
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2. Complete payment of $24.00 per copy with check, or money order, payable to County of San Diego

  • Cash not accepted.
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3. Mail completed Application for a Death Certificate and payment to:

County of San Diego Vital Records
P.O. Box 429001
                 San Diego, CA 92142

Resources

 

For more information, call the Office of Vital Records and Statistics at (619) 692-5733 or send an email.