Search Glenn County Death Records

Glenn County keeps death records at the Clerk-Recorder's Office in Willows. You can search for death certificates for anyone who died in the county. The office offers online ordering through Tyler Technologies and VitalChek. You can also request copies in person or by mail. Each certified copy costs $24, which is less than most other California counties. Staff can help you find the record you need whether it is recent or from many years ago. Processing times are fast for walk in service and take about two to three weeks for online or mail requests.

Glenn County Clerk-Recorder Office

The Clerk-Recorder handles all vital records for Glenn County. Their office is in Willows at the County Courthouse. This is the only office in the county that issues certified death certificates.

You can visit during regular business hours Monday through Friday. The staff can look up death records and make certified copies for you. Recent records are usually available right away. Older records might take a bit longer if they need to be retrieved from storage. The office is small and rarely crowded, so you can often get help quickly without a long wait.

Check the Clerk-Recorder page for current office hours and contact information. Call ahead if you have questions about a specific record or want to confirm they have what you need before making the trip to Willows.

Glenn County is a rural county in Northern California. Willows is a small town. If you live far away, online ordering may be more convenient than driving to the courthouse.

Tyler Technologies Online Portal

Glenn County uses Tyler Technologies for online death certificate orders. Tyler runs a self-service web portal where you can request copies any time of day or night.

The Tyler system lets you search the county database by name and date. If it finds a match, you can order a certified copy and pay with a credit card or debit card. Tyler charges a service fee on top of the county fee. The total cost is usually around $30 to $35 per copy.

Your order goes to the Clerk-Recorder electronically. They process it during regular business hours, make the certified copy, and mail it to you. Processing takes about two to three weeks from order to delivery.

VitalChek Online Ordering

Glenn County also works with VitalChek for online death certificate requests. VitalChek is a private company that many California counties use for web ordering.

Go to www.vitalchek.com and select California, then Glenn County. Enter the details about the death and your information. VitalChek searches the county records. If they find the record, you pay and VitalChek sends your order to the county.

VitalChek charges service fees similar to Tyler. The total cost is usually $35 to $45 per copy depending on shipping speed. Processing time is about the same as Tyler, around two to three weeks. You can use either system. They both work the same way.

Death Certificate Fees

Glenn County charges $24.00 per certified death certificate. This is $2 less than the standard California fee of $26. Glenn County and a few other small counties kept the lower fee.

When you order online through Tyler or VitalChek, you pay the $24 county fee plus their service fees. Service fees vary but are usually $5 to $10 per order, plus credit card processing fees. The total for an online order is often $30 to $45 depending on options you choose.

In person and mail orders cost just $24 with no extra fees. You save money by avoiding online systems, but online is more convenient if you cannot visit Willows during business hours.

The county accepts cash, checks, and money orders in person. Make checks payable to Glenn County Clerk-Recorder. Online orders require a credit card or debit card.

If you order multiple copies at once, you pay $24 for each one. There is no discount for ordering more than one copy. The search fee is included in the $24. If the county searches and cannot find the record, you still pay the fee.

How Long Processing Takes

Wait times depend on your ordering method. In person is fastest. Online and mail take longer.

Walk in service at the Clerk-Recorder can often be completed while you wait. The staff pulls the record and makes a certified copy on the spot for most recent deaths. Older records from decades ago may require you to come back the next day if they are in deep storage. Call ahead to ask about availability for specific records.

Online orders through Tyler or VitalChek take two to three weeks on average. The county receives your request, locates the record, certifies a copy, and mails it to you. Delivery time adds a few more days. Total time from order to arrival is usually three weeks.

Mail requests take about the same time as online orders. You send a written request with payment. The county processes it when it arrives and mails back the certificate. Expect three to four weeks total for mail orders.

Death records become available about two weeks after the date of death. Do not try to order a certificate right away. Wait at least two weeks for the county to file and index the record.

Information Required to Order

Gather these details before you start your request:

• Full name of the deceased
• Date of death or range of dates
• Place of death in Glenn County
• Your relationship to the deceased
• Your name and current address
• Type of copy (authorized or informational)

The more specific you can be, the easier it is for the county to find the record. Exact dates help a lot. If you only know the year, provide that along with other details like the person's age or last known residence. The county will search based on what you give them.

For an authorized copy, you need to prove you are allowed to get one. This means being a close family member. You also need to provide a notarized sworn statement. For an informational copy, anyone can order without the notarized statement. Both types cost the same $24.

Who Can Get a Death Certificate

California law decides who can receive an authorized death certificate. The statute is Health and Safety Code Section 103526. Authorized copies can be used for legal purposes like settling estates or claiming life insurance.

You qualify if you are a spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the deceased. Attorneys representing the estate and court-appointed administrators also qualify. Funeral directors can order on behalf of authorized family members.

If you do not fit these categories, you can still get an informational copy. Informational copies show the same facts but have a watermark that says "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." These work for genealogy but not for legal use. Anyone can order an informational copy without proving their relationship.

Older Glenn County Death Records

Glenn County has death records going back to when the county was formed in 1891. Not all early deaths were recorded. California did not require vital records registration until 1915. Before that, record keeping was inconsistent.

The Clerk-Recorder maintains older records in their archives. For deaths before July 1905, you must contact the county because the state did not keep vital records before that date. Very old records may be incomplete or missing. The county will search for what you need, but they cannot guarantee they will find records from the 1890s or early 1900s. You pay the search fee whether they find it or not.

The California State Archives may have some Glenn County death records. Call them at 916-653-6814 to ask. Records more than 75 years old are open to the public without restrictions.

Genealogy websites like FamilySearch and Ancestry have digitized some old Glenn County records. These are informational copies only and cannot be certified.

California State Death Records

If you are not sure which county to contact, you can order from the California Department of Public Health. The state keeps death records for all of California starting July 1905.

Visit the CDPH death records page for instructions. The state charges $24 per copy, which is the same as Glenn County. But state processing takes much longer. State orders average five to seven weeks. County orders are faster.

Use the state if you do not know the county. If you know the death occurred in Glenn County, order directly from the county for quicker service.

Cities in Glenn County

Glenn County is a small rural county in the Sacramento Valley. Willows is the county seat and largest city. The county does not have any cities over 100,000 population.

Other communities in Glenn County include Orland, Hamilton City, and Artois. These are small towns. All death records for cities and unincorporated areas in the county are handled by the Clerk-Recorder in Willows. Cities do not issue death certificates themselves.

If you live in any part of Glenn County and need a death certificate, contact the Clerk-Recorder's Office in Willows. They have records for the entire county.

Nearby Counties

If the death occurred outside Glenn County, you need to contact the county where it took place. Each county maintains its own vital records.

Neighboring counties: Butte County, Tehama County, Colusa County