Ontario Death Certificate Information

Ontario does not maintain death records. San Bernardino County handles all vital records for Ontario and every other city in the county. The San Bernardino County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk office processes death certificate requests for events anywhere in San Bernardino County. Main offices are located in San Bernardino at 222 West Hospitality Lane, with additional offices in Joshua Tree and Needles. You can visit any office in person during business hours, order online through Permitium or VitalChek, or submit a mail request with the proper forms and payment. The county maintains death records from the 1850s and charges $26 per certified copy.

San Bernardino County Maintains Ontario Death Records

California assigns vital records to county offices. Cities have no authority to issue death certificates.

All Ontario death records come from San Bernardino County. The Assessor/Recorder/Clerk office operates locations in San Bernardino, Joshua Tree, and Needles. The main office at 222 West Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Walk in service is available during business hours at all locations.

San Bernardino County has maintained death records since the 1850s when the county was established. All records for Ontario and other county cities are stored in the same system. The county charges $26 per copy, which is the standard California fee. Online orders add service fees on top of the base certificate cost.

The county also operates a Public Health Department that issues recent death certificates through a separate Permitium portal. Both the Recorder and Health Department can provide certified copies for qualifying individuals.

Three Ways to Request Certificates

Walk in. Order online. Mail a request.

Visit a county office with valid photo identification and payment. Staff search the database and print certificates for recent deaths while you wait. Older records may require retrieval from archives, which takes a few days. Bring $26 per copy in cash, check, money order, or credit card. The main San Bernardino office is closest to Ontario.

Online ordering uses Permitium or VitalChek. The county operates a Recorder portal and a Public Health Department portal, both using Permitium. VitalChek is also available. Fill out the online form, pay by credit card, and choose delivery method. Processing and service fees apply. Standard mail takes two to three weeks. Expedited shipping costs extra but arrives faster.

Mail applications require a form downloaded from the San Bernardino County vital records page. Complete it and include payment by check or money order made out to San Bernardino County. Send to the address on the form. Processing takes three to four weeks plus mailing time in both directions.

Authorized vs Informational Copies

California law creates two types of death certificates. The type you can get depends on your relationship to the deceased.

Authorized copies go to immediate family members and certain other qualified persons under Health and Safety Code Section 103526. This includes spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild. Court appointed representatives, estate attorneys, and government officials on official duty also qualify. You must submit a notarized sworn statement declaring your relationship under penalty of perjury. Authorized copies have full legal validity for all purposes.

Informational copies are available to anyone without relationship proof or notarization. These certificates display "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" stamped across them. They work for genealogy and personal records but cannot be used for legal purposes like estates or insurance. The price is the same $26 as authorized copies.

How Long Processing Takes

Timelines vary by ordering method and record age. Recent deaths need time to enter the system.

Death records become available approximately two weeks after the death occurs. The funeral home files paperwork, a physician certifies cause of death, and county staff process the record. Do not order before this waiting period or the county will not find it and you will still pay the search fee. Call the county office if you are unsure whether enough time has passed.

Walk in requests at county offices may be completed the same day for recent records. Older records require pulling from storage, which can take a few business days. Mail and online orders take three to four weeks to process. Expedited delivery options shorten shipping time but not processing time.

Old Death Records from Ontario

San Bernardino County has death records dating back to the 1850s. Ontario incorporated in 1891, but county records cover the area from much earlier.

For deaths before July 1905, only the county has records. The state office in Sacramento does not maintain anything prior to that date. Contact San Bernardino County for all pre-1905 deaths in the Ontario area. These historical records may be on microfilm or in paper form. Staff need extra time to locate and copy them, but the records remain accessible through the standard application process.

Some old San Bernardino County death records appear on genealogy websites. These are not certified and cannot be used for legal matters. If you need a certified copy, order through the county office even if the record is available online.

What Information to Provide

Gather these details before requesting:

• Full name of deceased
• Date of death or year range
• Place of death in San Bernardino County
• Your relationship to deceased
• Your mailing address

More specific information helps staff locate the record faster. If you lack the exact date, give a range of years. The county searches based on what you provide. The $26 fee is kept whether the record is found or not because it pays for search time.

Ordering Through the State Office

The California Department of Public Health maintains copies of all state death records from July 1905 forward. You can order from them instead of the county.

State processing takes much longer. The state office reports five to seven weeks average processing time. San Bernardino County handles requests in three to four weeks by mail or same day for walk in service. The state charges $24 by mail or $26 through VitalChek plus fees. The county charges $26 plus online fees if applicable.

For Ontario deaths, using San Bernardino County is faster. The county has local offices and processes requests more quickly. Use the state only if you are unsure which county the death occurred in or need certificates from multiple counties.

Other San Bernardino County Cities

San Bernardino County covers a vast area with many cities. All use the same county office for death records.

Major cities: San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga

Other cities include Victorville, Hesperia, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, Redlands, Rialto, Colton, and many more. Contact San Bernardino County for death records from any city or unincorporated area in the county.