Find Death Records for San Jose

Death records for San Jose come from Santa Clara County, not the city. San Jose does not issue death certificates or keep vital records. All requests must go through Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder. The county office is in downtown San Jose at 70 West Hedding Street. They maintain death records for San Jose and all other Santa Clara County locations. You can order online through VitalChek, visit the office in person during weekday business hours, or send a mail request with the proper forms and fees.

Santa Clara County Handles San Jose Death Records

California puts counties in charge of death records. Cities play no role in the vital records system.

For San Jose, you deal with Santa Clara County. The office is Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder. They are located at 70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, First Floor, San Jose, CA 95110. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. This is the only government office that can issue official death certificates for deaths in San Jose.

Santa Clara County keeps records going back many decades. The clerk office has death certificates for all deaths within county boundaries. This includes San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and smaller cities. Staff can search the index and print certificates for recent deaths on the same day. Older records may take longer to retrieve.

Ways to Order a Death Certificate

You have three options. Go to the office. Use the web. Mail a form.

In person service is at the downtown San Jose office on Hedding Street. Walk in with a valid photo ID and payment. Staff will help you complete the application. Bring the name of the deceased and the date of death. Most recent death certificates print while you wait. The fee is $26 per copy. You can pay with cash, check, money order, or credit card at the counter.

Online orders go through the VitalChek website. Santa Clara County contracts with VitalChek to process internet requests. You enter the death information and pay by credit card or debit card. VitalChek sends your order to the county. Processing takes two to four weeks. VitalChek charges extra service fees on top of the county fee. Total cost runs $40 to $50 depending on shipping method.

Mail requests require a completed application form. Download the form from the Santa Clara County death certificate page. Fill it out and mail it to the address on the form with your payment. Include a stamped return envelope if you want. Processing time for mail orders is about three weeks once the county receives your envelope. Do not send cash by mail. Use a check or money order made payable to Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder.

Authorized Versus Informational Copies

California law divides death certificates into two types. Authorized copies work for legal matters. Informational copies are for everyone else.

Authorized copies require proof of relationship. You must be a close family member under Health and Safety Code Section 103526. Eligible people include spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the deceased. You sign a sworn statement declaring your relationship under penalty of perjury. This statement must be notarized by a notary public. Authorized copies can be used to settle estates, claim insurance benefits, or transfer property titles.

Informational copies are available to anyone. No notarized statement is needed. You just fill out the application and pay the fee. Informational copies have a watermark across them saying they cannot establish identity. They are fine for genealogy or family history purposes. The cost is the same $26 as authorized copies. Most researchers and distant relatives order informational copies because they do not need the legal validity.

Funeral homes, attorneys, and government agencies can get authorized copies without the notary requirement. They have special exemptions under state law. If you are acting as executor of an estate, check with an attorney about whether you qualify for the exemption.

How Long After Death to Wait

Records are not instant. Wait before you try to order.

Death certificates become available about two weeks after the death occurs. The county needs time to receive the certificate from the funeral home, review it, and enter it into their database. Ordering too early will result in a no record found response. The county keeps your search fee even if they cannot locate the record.

Call the county office to verify the record is ready before you visit or mail a request. The phone number is on the Santa Clara County website. Have the full name of the deceased and the date of death when you call. Staff can check their system to see if the record has been filed.

Old San Jose Death Records

Santa Clara County has death records dating back to the 1800s. Very old records still exist and can be ordered.

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. Contact Santa Clara County for any death that occurred before that date.

Old San Jose death records may be on genealogy websites. FamilySearch, Ancestry, and similar sites have digitized many California vital records. These online images 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 regardless of how old the record is. Genealogy websites cannot issue certified documents.

Very old records may take several days or weeks to retrieve. County staff may need to search microfilm or paper archives. Be patient when requesting pre-1960 death certificates. The county will mail the certificate when they locate it.

Information to Provide When Ordering

Gather these details before you submit a request:

• Full name of the deceased person
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death in Santa Clara County
• Your full name and mailing address
• Your relationship to the deceased person

The more accurate your information, the easier it is for county staff to find the record. If you do not know the exact date of death, provide the year or a range of years. The county will search their index. Give them the city name if you know it. San Jose is a large city so narrowing down the hospital or neighborhood can help.

Can You Use the State Office

Yes. California Department of Public Health has copies of all death records from July 1905 onward.

The state office takes much longer to process requests. Their average processing time is five to seven weeks. Santa Clara County processes most requests within two to three weeks by mail or same day for walk in. The county is faster.

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

Other Santa Clara County Cities

Santa Clara County has several cities. All use the same county office for death records.

Cities with pages: Sunnyvale, Santa Clara

Other cities include Palo Alto, Mountain View, Milpitas, Cupertino, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and Campbell. For death records from any Santa Clara County city, contact Santa Clara County. The office handles all locations within county boundaries.

Death Records for Nearby Cities

Deaths in other counties require that county office. San Jose is near several county boundaries.

Nearby cities: Fremont (Alameda County), Stockton (San Joaquin County)