Death Certificates in San Francisco

San Francisco is both a city and a county. Death records are kept by the County Clerk and the Office of Vital Records. You can request death certificates for any death that happened in San Francisco. The county offers online ordering through VitalChek, accepts mail requests, and provides in-person service at their office. Death records go back to when the city-county first started keeping vital statistics. The fee per copy is set by state law and is lower than most California counties. Processing time for mail and online orders is usually a few weeks. Many residents use VitalChek for easy access and credit card payment. Staff can answer your questions if you call ahead about what information you need or how long it will take.

San Francisco County Clerk and Vital Records

San Francisco handles death certificates through two offices. The County Clerk keeps historical death records. The Office of Vital Records has recent records from the current year and a few years back. Both offices can issue certified copies for deaths that occurred in San Francisco.

According to the official San Francisco death certificate page, you can order vital records online, by mail, or in person. The page explains what you need and how long it takes.

Because San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, there is no separate county seat. The city and county are one entity. All death records for San Francisco are kept at county offices in the city.

Order Death Certificates Online

San Francisco uses VitalChek for online ordering. VitalChek is a third-party vendor approved by the state. You can place your order any time and pay by credit or debit card. The system walks you through the steps and asks for all the information needed to find the record.

VitalChek charges the base county fee of $24.00 per certificate plus their service fees. Service fees vary based on shipping speed and payment method. Standard processing takes a few weeks. Expedited options cost more but deliver faster. All fees are shown before you complete your order.

To use VitalChek, you need the name of the person who died, the date of death, and confirmation that the death occurred in San Francisco. You also state your relationship and why you need the certificate. For an authorized copy, you may need to upload a notarized sworn statement proving you are entitled to get it.

The VitalChek system is available through the city website or directly at the VitalChek portal.

Death Certificate Fees in San Francisco

Each death certificate from San Francisco costs $24.00. This is lower than the standard $26.00 fee charged by most California counties. The $24.00 fee is set by local ordinance and applies whether you order online, by mail, or in person.

Online orders through VitalChek include the $24.00 county fee plus VitalChek's service charges. These charges cover credit card processing, the online system, and shipping. The total is displayed before you finalize your purchase.

If you order by mail or in person, you pay just the $24.00 county fee with no extra charges. Mail payments can be made by check or money order payable to San Francisco County Clerk. Do not send cash through the mail. Include your payment with a written request and a copy of your ID.

If the county searches and cannot find the record, they keep the $24.00 search fee. This is standard practice across California and required by state law.

Information Needed to Order

Before you order a death certificate, gather these details:

• Full legal name of the person who died
• Date of death or approximate year
• Confirmation that death occurred in San Francisco
• Your full name and current mailing address
• Your relationship to the person who died

The more specific you are, the faster the office can locate the record. If you do not know the exact date, provide a range of years. The office will search within that time frame. Vague details can slow down the process or result in no match.

For an authorized copy, you must also submit a notarized sworn statement under penalty of perjury. This statement says you are entitled by law to receive the certificate. Only certain people qualify, as defined by California law.

Who Can Request an Authorized Death Certificate

California law sets the rules for who can get an authorized death certificate. These rules are in Health and Safety Code Section 103526. They apply in all California counties, including San Francisco.

You qualify if you are the spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the person who died. Court-appointed representatives, attorneys handling the estate, and funeral directors working on behalf of the family can also get authorized copies. Law enforcement and government officials on official business are authorized too.

To prove you qualify, you must submit a sworn statement notarized by a notary public. The statement declares under penalty of perjury that you are one of the authorized people. Without this notarized statement, you cannot get an authorized copy.

If you do not qualify, you can still get an informational copy. Informational copies show the same information but have a stamp across them stating they cannot be used to establish identity. These are fine for genealogy and family history. The cost is the same, and no notarized statement is required.

Processing Times

How long it takes depends on how you order. Mail and online orders through VitalChek typically take two to three weeks from when the office receives your request. After processing, the certificate is mailed to you. Add a few days for postal delivery. Total time from request to receipt can be about four weeks.

VitalChek offers expedited service for an extra cost. Expedited options may reduce wait time to around one week or less. Check VitalChek for current processing and shipping times.

In-person requests at the County Clerk's office may be faster. If you go to their office in San Francisco, they can look up the record and print it for you the same day in some cases. Call ahead to confirm hours and ask if they have the record you need.

Death records are not available immediately after someone dies. The state says death records become available about two weeks after the date of death. Wait at least two weeks before placing your order. If you order too soon, the office will not have the record on file yet, and you will lose the search fee.

Older Death Records in San Francisco

San Francisco has death records dating back to when the city-county was established. However, many early records were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Some records were recreated from other sources, but gaps exist.

Vital records were not consistently kept across California until 1915, when state law required all counties to register births and deaths. Records from 1915 forward are more complete and easier to find. Records before 1906 are very limited due to the earthquake.

For very old records or records that may have been lost, check with the California State Archives in Sacramento. They have some early vital records from select counties. Call them at 916-653-6814 to ask if they have San Francisco death records from your time period.

Records more than 75 years old are open to the public without restriction. You do not need to prove your relationship to access these historical documents. The State Archives can help with genealogy research and provide copies if they have what you need.

Nearby Counties

If the death occurred outside San Francisco, contact the county where it happened. San Francisco is surrounded by other Bay Area counties.

Neighboring counties: San Mateo County, Marin County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County