Lake County Death Records Lookup

Lake County death records are kept by the County Clerk in Lakeport. The office maintains certificates for deaths in Lake County from past decades to the present. You can get certified copies by visiting the office in person or mailing a written request. No online ordering is available at this time. Each certificate costs $26. Processing takes a few days for walk ins and about two weeks for mail orders. Lake County sits north of Napa and Sonoma counties around Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in California. The county seat is Lakeport on the western shore of the lake.

County Clerk Office

The Lake County Clerk handles all vital records including death certificates. The office is located at 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, CA 95453. This is in the county courthouse building in downtown Lakeport. Office hours run Monday through Friday, typically 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Walk in service is available during office hours. Bring valid photo ID and information about the death you need. Staff can search files and print certified copies. Recent deaths usually process same day. Older records may take a few business days if they are in archives.

Call ahead at 707-263-2293 to verify hours or ask if they have the record before you visit. The fax number is 707-263-2508. Lakeport is about two hours north of San Francisco and an hour from Santa Rosa. Most people mail their requests rather than driving to Lakeport.

Ordering Methods

Lake County does not offer online death certificate ordering at this time. You must order in person or by mail. This differs from most California counties that use VitalChek or other online systems.

For mail orders, write a letter requesting the death certificate. Include the full name of the deceased, date of death, place of death in Lake County, your name and address, your relationship to the deceased, and number of copies needed. Send a check or money order for $26 per copy made payable to Lake County Clerk. Include a notarized sworn statement if you want an authorized copy.

Mail your request to Lake County Clerk, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, CA 95453. Processing takes about two weeks after they receive your request. Add time for mail delivery on both ends.

Death Certificate Fees

Lake County charges $26 per death certificate. This matches most California counties after the January 2026 fee increase under Assembly Bill 64.

In person orders can pay by cash, check, or money order. Mail orders must include check or money order payable to Lake County Clerk. The office does not accept credit cards or debit cards for mail orders since there is no online system.

The $26 fee is charged even if staff cannot locate the record. If they search and find nothing, you still pay the search fee. You receive a letter stating no record was found.

How Long It Takes

Walk in requests at the Lakeport office get handled fastest. Most recent records print the same day. Staff can search, verify your eligibility, and make a certified copy within a short time if the death is on file.

Older records from before computerization may take a few days. The office will tell you when to come back or they can mail the certificate once ready. Deaths from many decades ago sometimes require extra time to retrieve from archives.

Mail orders take about two weeks from when the office receives your request to when they mail back the certificate. Add postal delivery time on both ends. Total wait is roughly three to four weeks from when you mail it to when you receive it.

Death records become available approximately two weeks after the date of death. The California Department of Public Health advises waiting at least two weeks before requesting a certificate for a very recent death to allow time for registration and indexing.

Who Can Request Certificates

California divides death certificates into two categories under state law. Authorized copies go to immediate family and legal representatives. Informational copies are available to anyone.

Eligible people for authorized copies include spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, legal guardian, estate attorney, and court appointee. Funeral homes can order on behalf of eligible family members. You must provide a notarized sworn statement declaring your relationship and eligibility under penalty of perjury.

If you do not qualify for an authorized copy, you can get an informational copy. These show the same data but have a stamp that reads "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." Informational copies work for genealogy but not for legal or financial purposes. Anyone can order them without proving relationship or providing notarization.

The law is California Health and Safety Code Section 103526. It became effective in 2003 to reduce identity theft involving vital records.

California State Office Option

You can order Lake County death records from the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento. The state office keeps copies of all death certificates from July 1905 forward. That covers most Lake County records since the county formed in 1861 but mandatory registration did not start until 1905.

The state charges $24 per copy, two dollars less than Lake County. Processing takes five to seven weeks though, much longer than the county. Mail to California Department of Public Health, Vital Records MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. Call 916-445-2684 for questions.

Use form VS 112, available at cdph.ca.gov. Include the same information you would send to the county, plus payment and notarized statement if requesting an authorized copy.

Most people order from Lake County directly because it is faster. The state makes sense if you need certificates from multiple counties in one order.

Information to Provide

Include these details in your request:

• Full legal name of deceased person
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death in Lake County
• Your name and mailing address
• Your relationship to deceased
• Number of copies needed
• Payment by check or money order

The more detail you give, the easier staff can find the record. If you do not know exact dates, provide a range. They will search indexes. Even if they find nothing, they keep the search fee.

Older Lake County Death Records

Lake County has death records going back to the 1800s. California did not require statewide death registration until 1905, so earlier records may be incomplete. Some deaths were voluntarily registered before then.

For very old records or if the county cannot find what you need, check the California State Archives in Sacramento. They have microfilmed pre-1905 vital records from select counties. Call 916-653-6814 to ask what they have for Lake County.

Genealogy sites like FamilySearch and Ancestry sometimes have indexed Lake County death records. These are informational only and not certified.

Cities in Lake County

Lake County has several small cities and towns. Death records for all of them are handled by the Lake County Clerk. Cities do not maintain their own vital records.

Major communities include Lakeport, Clearlake, and Middletown. None meet the population threshold for individual pages on this site. For deaths in any Lake County city, contact the County Clerk in Lakeport.

Surrounding Counties

If the death occurred outside Lake County, contact the appropriate county office. Lake County borders several northern California counties.

Nearby counties: Mendocino County, Glenn County, Colusa County, Yolo County, Napa County, and Sonoma County. Each county maintains its own death records.