Search Riverside Death Records

Riverside death records are managed by Riverside County, not the city government. All vital records in California fall under county jurisdiction. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Riverside, you must contact the Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. The main office is in Riverside at 2724 Gateway Drive. Multiple branch offices also serve residents across this large county. You can order death certificates online, in person, or by mail.

Riverside County Vital Records Office

Riverside County maintains all death records for the city of Riverside and surrounding areas. California cities do not keep vital records themselves.

The main county office is at 2724 Gateway Drive, Riverside, CA 92507. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Walk in service is available during these hours. Bring valid identification and payment when you visit.

Riverside County also operates branch offices in other parts of this geographically large county. Branch locations may offer vital records services. Check the Riverside County certificates page for current office locations and services available at each site. Some branches may only handle certain types of requests.

The county has kept death records for many decades. Older records exist but may require extra time to retrieve if they have not been digitized. County staff can search for any death that occurred within Riverside County boundaries including the city of Riverside and all other cities and unincorporated areas.

How to Request Death Certificates

Riverside County accepts orders through walk in service, online portal, VitalChek, and mail. Multiple options give you flexibility.

Walk in to the main Riverside office or a branch location with vital records services. The fee is $26 per copy. Staff can often print recent death certificates while you wait if the record is digitized. Very old records may take several days if staff need to locate archived files. Pay with cash, check, money order, or credit card at the counter.

Riverside County operates its own online ordering system called Vitals Online. Visit vitalsonline.asrclkrec.com to request death certificates through the county portal. This system charges the $26 county fee plus a small processing fee. You avoid the higher fees charged by third party vendors. Create an account, enter information about the deceased, and pay by credit card. Your certificate arrives by mail after processing.

VitalChek also processes orders for Riverside County. This third party option charges higher service fees than the county direct portal. Use VitalChek if you prefer their system or cannot access the county portal for some reason. Both online options take several weeks for processing and delivery.

Mail requests require a completed application form. Download the form from the county website or request one by phone. Fill in all sections completely. Include a check or money order for $26 per copy made payable to Riverside County Recorder. Mail to 2724 Gateway Drive, Riverside, CA 92507. Processing takes a few weeks. The county mails your certificate to the address on your application.

Death Certificate Costs and Requirements

Riverside County charges $26 for each death certificate. This matches the standard California county fee.

California law divides death certificates into two categories. Authorized copies have full legal validity. Informational copies carry a stamp stating they cannot establish identity. Both types cost $26 per copy.

To get an authorized copy, you must qualify under Health and Safety Code Section 103526. Qualified persons include spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild of the deceased. You must provide a sworn statement signed under penalty of perjury and notarized by a notary public. This statement confirms your identity and relationship.

Anyone can order an informational copy without proving relationship. No notarized statement is required. Informational copies work for genealogy and personal records. They cannot be used for legal purposes like settling estates, claiming life insurance, or transferring property. Those matters require authorized copies.

Online ordering adds processing fees to the $26 base county charge. The county direct portal charges lower fees than VitalChek. Total cost through the county portal typically runs $30 to $35 per certificate. VitalChek charges more, often $40 to $60 per certificate depending on delivery speed and payment method. Walk in and mail orders cost exactly $26 with no added fees.

When Death Records Are Ready

Death records become available about two weeks after a death occurs. The county needs time to receive and process the certificate.

Multiple parties must complete the death certificate before the county can file it. The funeral home fills out their section. The doctor or medical examiner certifies the cause of death. All paperwork goes to the county vital records office. Staff review it and enter the record into the database. Only then can you order a certified copy.

Call Riverside County if you are unsure whether a recent death record is ready. Staff can check their system and tell you if the record exists. Ordering too early results in a no record found response. The county keeps the search fee even when they cannot locate a record due to it not being filed yet.

Older Riverside Death Records

Riverside County holds historical death records for the city of Riverside and all county areas going back many decades. The assessor-county clerk-recorder serves as custodian of these old records.

Very old death certificates may not be in the computer system. Staff must retrieve microfilm or original paper files. This takes longer than accessing a digitized record. Deaths from recent decades usually process quickly. Deaths from before the 1980s or earlier may require several days or more for retrieval.

For deaths before July 1905, Riverside County is your only source. The state office in Sacramento does not maintain records from before that date. The California State Archives may have some pre-1905 Riverside County records available for research purposes, but they cannot issue certified copies. Only the county can certify historical vital records.

Many old Riverside death records appear on genealogy websites like Ancestry and FamilySearch. These are useful for family history research. They are not certified and cannot be used for legal matters. If you need an official certified copy of an old death record, order from Riverside County.

Information You Need to Order

Gather these details before you request a death certificate:

• Full legal name of deceased
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death (Riverside or other Riverside County location)
• Your name and relationship to deceased
• Mailing address for certificate delivery

Complete and accurate information helps county staff locate the correct record. Exact dates work best. If you only know the year or a range of years, provide that. The county can search within a time period. Wrong information may cause a failed search and wasted search fee.

If the deceased had a common name, include additional identifying information like parents' names or spouse's name. This helps staff confirm they have the right record when multiple people share similar names and death dates.

Ordering from State Office

The California Department of Public Health in Sacramento also issues death certificates for deaths anywhere in California from July 1905 forward. You can order from them instead of Riverside County.

The state office is significantly slower than the county. Average processing time is five to seven weeks according to the state vital records processing times page. Riverside County typically processes requests in a few weeks or same day for walk in service on digitized records.

State fees are $24 by mail or $26 through VitalChek. Riverside County charges $26 for walk in and mail orders. Online orders add processing fees whether you use the county portal or VitalChek. The county is usually faster and costs about the same. Most people get better results ordering from Riverside County.

To order from the state, send your completed application to California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. Use state form VS 112 available on the CDPH website.

Other Riverside County Cities

Riverside County includes many cities. All use the same assessor-county clerk-recorder office for death records.

Major cities: Moreno Valley, Corona

Additional cities include Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Indio, Palm Desert, Lake Elsinore, Eastvale, Hemet, Cathedral City, Palm Springs, and many more. Contact Riverside County for death certificates from any city or unincorporated area in the county.

Death Records from Other Counties

If a death occurred outside Riverside County, contact the appropriate county office. Each county maintains separate vital records.

Cities in nearby counties: San Bernardino (San Bernardino County), Anaheim (Orange County), San Diego (San Diego County)