Lassen County Death Certificates

Death certificates for Lassen County come from the County Clerk-Recorder in Susanville. The office maintains records for deaths throughout the county from past years to today. You can order copies in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. Each certificate costs $26. Processing varies from same day for walk ins to about two weeks for mail and online orders. Lassen County sits in northeastern California near the Nevada border. Susanville is the county seat and largest town. The clerk's office handles vital records along with property documents and marriage licenses.

Clerk-Recorder in Susanville

The Lassen County Clerk-Recorder maintains all death records for the county. The office is in the county courthouse at 220 South Lassen Street, Susanville, CA 96130. Staff handle vital record requests, property recordings, and other official documents. Walk in service is available during business hours.

Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You can visit without an appointment. Bring valid photo ID and details about the death you need. Staff will search files and make certified copies. Recent deaths usually process same day. Older records may take a few days if stored in archives.

Call 530-251-8234 for questions or to verify hours before you visit. The fax number is 530-251-8347. Susanville is remote, about three hours northeast of Sacramento. Most people use mail or VitalChek instead of driving there.

VitalChek Online Ordering

Lassen County uses VitalChek for online death certificate orders. VitalChek is a third party service that processes requests for many California counties. Go to www.vitalchek.com and select Lassen County.

The VitalChek site guides you through the order form. Enter the deceased person's name, date of death, place of death in Lassen County, and your information. Select whether you need an authorized or informational copy. Provide your relationship if ordering an authorized copy.

Payment goes by credit card or debit card. VitalChek charges the $26 county fee plus a service fee of about $7 to $13 and shipping costs. Total price depends on delivery speed you choose. Standard shipping is cheapest. Express options cost more but deliver faster.

Processing takes about two weeks after VitalChek forwards your order to the county. You can track status online with your confirmation number. The certificate mails to the address you provide.

Certificate Costs

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

Walk in orders can pay by cash, check, or money order. Mail orders require check or money order payable to Lassen County Clerk-Recorder. Online orders through VitalChek use credit or debit cards and add VitalChek's service fees on top of the $26 base price.

If staff cannot locate the record, you still pay the $26 search fee. They issue a letter stating no record was found. Make sure your information is accurate before ordering.

Turnaround Times

In person service at the Susanville office is fastest. Most recent records print the same day. Staff can search, verify eligibility, and make a certified copy within a short time if the death is on file.

Older records from many decades ago may take a few days to retrieve from archives. The office will tell you when to return or they can mail the certificate once ready.

Mail orders take about two weeks from when the office receives your request to when they mail the certificate back. Add postal time on both ends for total wait of three to four weeks.

VitalChek online orders also take about two weeks for processing, then shipping time. If you select expedited shipping, you get it faster after the county processes it. Regular mail adds another week.

Death records become available roughly two weeks after the date of death. The California Department of Public Health recommends waiting at least two weeks before requesting a certificate for a very recent death.

Who Can Get Death Certificates

California law divides death certificates into authorized and informational types. 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 eligibility under penalty of perjury.

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

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

State Vital Records Office

You can order Lassen 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 Lassen County records since mandatory registration began.

The state charges $24 per copy, two dollars less than the county. Processing takes five to seven weeks though. 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 all required information, payment, and notarized statement if requesting an authorized copy.

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

Details to Provide

Include this information in your request:

• Full name of deceased person
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death in Lassen County
• Your name and mailing address
• Your relationship to deceased
• Number of copies
• Payment

More detail helps staff find the record faster. If you do not know exact dates, give a range. They will search indexes.

Old Lassen County Death Records

Lassen County has death records going back to the 1860s when the county formed. 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 Lassen County.

Genealogy websites like FamilySearch and Ancestry may have indexed Lassen County death records. These are not certified but help with research.

Cities in Lassen County

Lassen County has only one incorporated city, Susanville. Other communities include Westwood and Standish. Death records for all locations in the county are handled by the Lassen County Clerk-Recorder in Susanville.

None of the county's cities meet the population threshold for individual pages on this site. For deaths anywhere in Lassen County, contact the Clerk-Recorder office.

Bordering Counties

If the death occurred outside Lassen County, contact the appropriate county office. Lassen County borders several northeastern California counties and the state of Nevada.

Nearby California counties include Modoc County, Shasta County, Plumas County, and Sierra County. For deaths in Nevada, contact the Nevada county where it occurred.