Search San Francisco Death Records

San Francisco handles death records through its county office. Unlike other California cities, San Francisco is both a city and a county. The San Francisco County Clerk office maintains all death records for the city. Their office is at City Hall at 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place. You can order death certificates in person, online through VitalChek, or by mail. The county clerk has records going back over a century and can provide certified copies for deaths anywhere in San Francisco.

San Francisco County Clerk Office

San Francisco is unique in California. It functions as both a city and a county combined.

This means San Francisco County and the city are the same government entity. The County Clerk office at City Hall handles all vital records. Their address is 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, Room 168, San Francisco, CA 94102. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. This is where you go for death certificates.

The clerk office maintains death records for all deaths within San Francisco city limits. Records date back to the late 1800s. Staff can search the database and provide certified copies. Walk in service is available during business hours. Most recent death certificates can be printed while you wait at the counter.

San Francisco charges $24 per death certificate. This is less than the standard California fee of $26. Payment methods include cash, check, money order, and credit card for in person requests. The office accepts major credit cards and debit cards at the counter.

Three Ways to Request Death Certificates

Walk in. Order online. Send a mail request.

Walk in service is at City Hall Room 168. Come during business hours with a valid photo ID and payment. Fill out the application form at the counter or bring a completed form. Staff will process your request. Recent death certificates print the same day in most cases. Older records may require a few days for staff to retrieve from archives. Walk in is the fastest method if you need the certificate urgently.

Online ordering goes through the VitalChek website. San Francisco County contracts with this third party vendor. You enter information about the death and pay by credit card. VitalChek forwards the order to San Francisco County. Processing takes two to three weeks. VitalChek charges additional service fees beyond the $24 county fee. Total cost is usually $40 to $45 depending on shipping speed you select.

Mail requests require a completed application. Download the form from the San Francisco death certificate page. Fill it out completely and mail it to the County Clerk at the City Hall address. Include payment by check or money order. Do not send cash through the mail. Processing time for mail requests is about three to four weeks once the clerk receives your envelope.

Who Qualifies for Authorized Copies

California divides death certificates into two categories. Authorized copies have full legal validity. Informational copies are for research.

To get an authorized copy, you must be a close family member. The law defines eligible persons in Health and Safety Code Section 103526. This includes spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the deceased. You must complete a sworn statement declaring your relationship under penalty of perjury. The statement must be notarized by a notary public before you submit it to the county. Authorized copies can be used for legal purposes like settling estates, claiming life insurance, or transferring property.

Informational copies are available to anyone without proof of relationship. Just fill out the application and pay the fee. No notarized statement is needed. Informational copies have a watermark across them stating they cannot be used to establish identity. They work fine for genealogy research or family history projects. The cost is the same $24 as authorized copies. Most people who are not immediate family members order informational copies.

When Records Become Available

Do not order immediately after a death. Records need time to process.

San Francisco County makes death records available about two weeks after the date of death. The funeral home or medical examiner files the certificate with the county. County staff review it for completeness and accuracy, then enter it into the computer system. This process takes time. Trying to order too early will result in a no record found response.

If you urgently need proof of death before the certificate is ready, contact the funeral home. Many funeral directors can provide a temporary notice of death letter. This is not an official death certificate but may satisfy immediate needs like notifying banks or insurance companies. The funeral home letter has no legal standing for estate matters.

Call the County Clerk office to verify the record is ready before you visit or mail a request. Staff can check their database. Have the full name of the deceased and the date of death when you call. The search fee is kept even if the record is not found, so confirming availability first saves money.

Old San Francisco Death Records

San Francisco County has death records dating back to the late 1800s. Very old records still exist and can be requested.

For deaths before July 1905, the county is your only option. The California Department of Public Health only maintains statewide records from July 1905 forward. Pre-1905 records were never sent to the state. You must contact San Francisco County for any death that occurred before that date.

Some San Francisco death records have been digitized by genealogy websites. FamilySearch, Ancestry, and similar sites have many old California vital records online. These are useful for research but are not certified copies. If you need an official death certificate for legal use, you must order from the county no matter how old the record is.

The 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed many San Francisco records. Some death records from before 1906 may not exist. County staff will search for the record, but availability is not guaranteed for very old pre-earthquake deaths. The search fee is non-refundable even if the record was destroyed.

Details to Provide When Ordering

Have this information ready:

• Full legal name of deceased
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death in San Francisco
• Your name and current mailing address
• Your relationship to deceased

More accurate information helps county staff find the record faster. If you do not know the exact date, give them the year or a range of years. They will search the index. Providing the hospital name or neighborhood can help narrow the search in a large city like San Francisco.

The county charges a search fee whether they find the record or not. Make sure you have the right county before you order. If the death occurred outside San Francisco, contact that county instead.

Ordering from State Office

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 slower. Their processing times average five to seven weeks. San Francisco County processes most requests within two to three weeks by mail or same day for walk in service. The county is much faster.

State fees are $24 by mail or $26 through VitalChek. San Francisco County charges $24. VitalChek adds service fees that increase total cost to $40 or more. The county is cheaper and faster for San Francisco death records. Use the state only if you cannot access the county office for some reason.

Death Records for Nearby Cities

Cities near San Francisco are in different counties. Each county handles its own death records.

Nearby cities: Oakland (Alameda County), San Jose (Santa Clara County), Daly City (San Mateo County)

If the death occurred outside San Francisco city limits, you need to contact the correct county. San Francisco is surrounded by other counties on all sides. Make sure you know where the death took place before you order.