Field guides/3 min
The death was in another state
You order from the state where the person died, not the state where they lived, and not the state where they will be buried.
Place of death controls
A Florida resident who dies in a Georgia hospital is a Georgia record. A Virginian who dies in a DC hospital is a District of Columbia record. Burial in Ohio does not make it an Ohio certificate. Order from the vital records office of the place of death.
New York is two systems
Deaths in the five boroughs go to the New York City Health Department. Deaths in the rest of the state go to New York State Vital Records in Albany. Writing to the wrong one wastes a month.
Deaths abroad
A U.S. citizen who dies overseas is not in the state system. The U.S. Department of State issues a Consular Report of Death Abroad. That document is the one banks want. Start at travel.state.gov, not your county clerk.