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Ten Copies

The Clerk's desk

A word from the Clerk's desk

Each day we tackle the issues people face when in need of a certificate: county versus state, who may request, what to bring, how many copies. Fees that cannot be confirmed are not invented.

  1. October 14, 2026

    Each insurer keeps the paper

    Count the policies, not the companies you hope will share one certificate. A claim packet usually wants its own certified copy. Ask whether that company returns it.

  2. October 13, 2026

    Social Security still wants a certified copy

    A funeral home report starts the death notice. It does not always replace the paper Social Security asks for when you go in. Ask the office, and set one certified copy aside.

  3. October 2, 2026

    The DMV wants its own paper

    A title transfer is a separate errand from the bank. Some motor vehicle offices want an original or certified death certificate. Others accept a photocopy on a named form and hand the paper back. Read that state's form and set one certified copy aside.

  4. September 30, 2026

    Ask the funeral home what it already ordered

    The funeral firm often orders the first certified copies. Count that stack, and the line on the statement, before you pay the vital records office for a second wait.

  5. September 25, 2026

    Place of death, not the home address

    Order the certified copy from the state, and usually the county, where the death occurred. The home address on the mail is not the office that holds the record.

  6. September 23, 2026

    What VitalChek actually is

    VitalChek Network, Inc. is a private company some vital records offices use for internet and phone orders. You still pay the office fee, plus their processing charge. It is not a shortcut around who may request. This desk takes no cut.

  7. September 17, 2026

    Walk-in beats mail when you can

    If you can reach the office that issues the copy, a counter visit is usually faster than a mail pouch. Read today's hours before you drive. Mail at some state desks is measured in weeks.

  8. September 16, 2026

    Executor papers beat a family story

    Vital records counters go by the list on their application, not by who talks first. Bring the papers that list names you. This desk does not tell you to open an estate.

  9. September 15, 2026

    Why a scan is not a certified copy

    USA.gov says banks, insurers, and Social Security want a certified copy. A phone photo or copier print is not that document. Ask before you mail the last paper.

  10. September 14, 2026

    How soon the record exists

    A certified copy cannot be issued until the funeral director has filed the certificate and the registrar has registered it. Ordering the next morning often fails.

  11. September 10, 2026

    Search unclaimed property while you wait

    State treasurers hold dormant accounts, uncashed checks, and old insurance. Official searches are free. This is not a substitute for the certified copies banks still want.

  12. September 3, 2026

    Maricopa County deaths

    A Phoenix-area death is a Maricopa County vital-records copy. The state Bureau of Vital Records is the other Arizona desk, not the first window for a recent local death.

  13. September 1, 2026

    King County, not Olympia

    A Seattle-area death is a King County vital-records copy. Olympia is the statewide backup, not the first window.

  14. September 1, 2026

    Miami-Dade vs Jacksonville

    A death in Miami-Dade from 2009 to the present can be copied at county health. Older deaths, and cheaper extras, go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville.

  15. August 30, 2026

    There is no record on file

    A no-record letter is not a certified copy. Check the place and year of death before you pay a second vendor.

  16. August 30, 2026

    Military deaths and DD Form 1300

    DD Form 1300 is a Report of Casualty. Banks and VA still often want a civilian certified death certificate. This desk does not process military records.

  17. August 30, 2026

    Opening a safe-deposit box

    The bank that holds the box will tell you which papers it keeps. Plan on a certified death certificate. This desk does not tell you who may open the box.

  18. August 30, 2026

    Small-estate affidavits still want a copy

    If a bank or court clerk asks for a small-estate affidavit, they almost always want a certified death certificate attached. This desk does not tell you whether that affidavit is available in your state.

  19. August 30, 2026

    Consular Report of Death Abroad

    A U.S. citizen who dies outside the United States is not a state vital record. Start with the State Department. You may still need the foreign local death certificate.

  20. August 30, 2026

    The name or cause is wrong

    Corrections are a vital-records errand, not a photocopy job. Forms differ by state. Banks want a new certified copy after the record is fixed.

  21. August 30, 2026

    When you need an apostille

    An apostille is not a notary stamp. It is a separate certificate, usually from a state Secretary of State, that foreign offices use to recognize a U.S. death certificate.

  22. August 30, 2026

    Harris County and the $3 extra copy

    Houston-area deaths split by city limits. Wherever you order, extras on the first request are cheap. Texas DSHS extras are $3.

  23. August 30, 2026

    Cook County deaths, not Springfield

    If the death was in Chicago or suburban Cook County, start with the Cook County Clerk. Springfield is the statewide mail backup, with cheaper extra copies.

  24. August 30, 2026

    El Paso, Texas, not Colorado

    There are two El Paso Counties. This desk is Texas. Colorado Springs is the other one, with a different fee table.

  25. August 30, 2026

    Austin deaths are not the Travis County Clerk

    The Travis County Clerk keeps 1903 to 1956. A death inside Austin city limits goes to the City of Austin. Outside Austin, it may be a Justice of the Peace.

  26. August 30, 2026

    San Antonio deaths are usually the city clerk

    Bexar County's own page sends hospital deaths to the City of San Antonio. Confirm the place of death before you mail 100 Dolorosa.

  27. August 30, 2026

    Sacramento County is not the state mailbox

    CDPH and the Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder both sit in Sacramento. They are different desks. If the death was in the county, use the county address.

  28. August 30, 2026

    Orange County, California, not Florida

    A death in Santa Ana or Anaheim is an Orange County, California record. The first 30 days go to the Health Care Agency. After that, the Clerk-Recorder.

  29. August 30, 2026

    City of Dallas is not the county clerk

    If the death was inside Dallas city limits, the Dallas County Clerk will send you to the city. Confirm the place of death before you stand in line.

  30. August 30, 2026

    The five boroughs are not Albany

    A death in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island is an NYC Health record. New York State in Albany does not issue it.

  31. August 29, 2026

    Los Angeles County vs the state of California

    If the death was in L.A. County, start with the county. Sacramento is the slow backup, not the first desk.

  32. August 29, 2026

    The desk is open

    Fifty-two jurisdictions, eight field guides, and a copies calculator. One new page will ship each night.

Next from the desk

  1. 1Who may request a closed record
  2. 2Mail a money order, not cash
  3. 3The funeral home is often the informant
  4. 4The hospital was in the next county
  5. 5Cause of death is not always on the copy
  6. 6A certification is not a certified copy
  7. 7Some mail applications must be notarized
  8. 8Old deaths sit at the state archives
  9. 9A pending cause is still a death certificate
  10. 10An informational copy is not for the bank
  11. 11Some windows want exact cash
  12. 12State holidays close the window
  13. 13Order from the office, not a search ad
  14. 14The nursing home county is the desk
  15. 15A good-faith estimate is not the final count
  16. 16Canceling the license is not the title
  17. 17An electronic report is not your copy
  18. 18The policy locator is not the claim