Death Records in San Diego

San Diego does not maintain death records. The city refers all death certificate requests to San Diego County. If someone died in San Diego or anywhere else in San Diego County, you need to contact the county office. San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk handles all vital records for the county. They operate the main office downtown and provide online ordering through VitalChek. You can also request certificates by mail or visit the office in person during business hours.

San Diego County Handles Death Certificates

California law puts counties in charge of vital records. Cities have no role.

For San Diego death records, contact San Diego County. The office you need is the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk. Their address is 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 260, San Diego, CA 92101. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. They handle all death certificates for San Diego and other cities in the county.

San Diego County maintains death records going back over a century. The clerk office has records for deaths that occurred anywhere in San Diego County. This includes the city of San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, and all other county locations. Walk in service is available at the downtown office. Staff can help you search for a death record or order a certified copy.

The county charges $26 per death certificate. This fee matches the standard California rate set by state law. Payment options include cash, check, money order, or credit card for in person requests. Online orders through VitalChek accept credit cards and debit cards but add service fees.

How to Request Death Records

Three ways exist to order. Walk into the county office. Use the online system. Mail a written request.

Walk in service works at the downtown San Diego office. Bring a photo ID and payment. Staff will help you fill out the application if needed. Recent death certificates can be printed the same day in most cases. Older records may take a few days to retrieve from archives. The walk in option is fastest if you need the certificate urgently.

Online ordering happens through the VitalChek website. San Diego County uses this third party vendor to process online requests. You enter the information about the death, pay by credit card, and VitalChek forwards your request to the county. Processing takes two to three weeks. VitalChek charges additional service fees beyond the county fee. Total cost runs around $40 to $45 depending on shipping speed.

Mail requests go to the county clerk office at the address listed above. Download the death certificate application form from the county website. Fill it out completely and mail it with payment. Include a self addressed stamped envelope if you want the county to mail the certificate back. Processing time for mail requests runs three to four weeks from when the county receives your envelope.

Who Can Get an Authorized Copy

California has strict rules about who qualifies for an authorized death certificate. Close family members can get one. Everyone else gets an informational copy.

Authorized copies work for legal purposes. You can use them to settle estates, claim life insurance, or transfer property. The law defines authorized persons in Health and Safety Code Section 103526. That includes spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild of the deceased. You must sign a sworn statement under penalty of perjury and get it notarized to prove your relationship.

Informational copies are available to anyone without proof of relationship. These copies have a watermark across them stating they cannot establish identity. They cost the same $26 fee. Informational copies work fine for genealogy research or family history. They just cannot be used for legal transactions.

When Death Records Become Available

Do not try to order right after a death occurs. Records take time to file.

San Diego County makes death records available about two weeks after the date of death. The county needs time to receive the certificate from the funeral home or medical examiner, review it for completeness, and enter it into the computer system. Calling early will not speed up the process. Wait at least two weeks before you contact the county office.

If you urgently need proof of death before the certificate is ready, ask the funeral home. Many funeral directors can provide a temporary notice of death document. This is not an official death certificate but may satisfy immediate needs like notifying Social Security or closing a bank account. The funeral home document has no legal standing for estate matters.

Older death records take longer to process. Deaths from many decades ago may require staff to pull microfilm or search paper archives. Allow extra time when requesting pre-1980 death certificates. The county will mail them when ready.

Old San Diego Death Records

San Diego County has death records going back to the late 1800s. Very old records still exist but take longer to find.

For deaths before July 1905, only the county has records. The California Department of Public Health only maintains statewide records from July 1905 forward. Contact San Diego County for any pre-1905 death certificate.

Some San Diego death records have been digitized by genealogy websites like FamilySearch and Ancestry. These online databases are good for research. You can view images of old death certificates without ordering from the county. But these are not certified copies. If you need an official death certificate for legal use, you must order through San Diego County no matter how old the record is.

Details Needed for Your Request

Have these facts ready when you order:

• Full legal name of deceased person
• Date of death or approximate year if unknown
• City or location of death within San Diego County
• Your name and relationship to deceased
• Your current address for mailing the certificate

More information helps the county locate the record faster. If you only know the approximate year, give them a range like 1995 to 2000. County staff will search their index. Be aware that the search fee is not refunded even if they cannot find the record. Providing accurate details reduces the chance of a no record found result.

Some people died in hospitals or nursing homes outside the city limits but within San Diego County. The county office handles these records too. You do not need to know the exact location. Just verify the death occurred somewhere in San Diego County.

Ordering from State Office Instead

You can order from the state instead of the county. California Department of Public Health has copies of all death records from July 1905 onward.

The state office is much slower. Their processing times page shows five to seven weeks average. San Diego County processes walk in requests the same day and mail requests within three weeks. Most people get better service from the county.

State office fees are $24 by mail or $26 through VitalChek online. San Diego County charges $26 in person or by mail. VitalChek adds service fees that make the total cost higher. The county is faster and costs less for San Diego death records. Only use the state office if you cannot access San Diego County for some reason.

Other San Diego County Cities

San Diego County includes many cities. All go through the same county office for death records.

Cities with pages: Chula Vista, Oceanside

Other cities in the county include Carlsbad, Escondido, El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, Encinitas, National City, and Santee. For death records from any San Diego County city, contact San Diego County directly. The county handles all locations equally.

Nearby Cities in Other Counties

Deaths outside San Diego County require a different county office.

Nearby: Irvine (Orange County), Riverside (Riverside County), Temecula (Riverside County)