Ventura County Death Certificate Search

Ventura County death certificates are maintained by two offices. The County Clerk-Recorder keeps historical records. The Health Care Agency Office of Vital Records maintains recent records. Both offices handle requests for deaths that occurred in Ventura County. You can request a certificate in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. The fee is $26.00 per certificate. Staff at either office can help you locate the record you need and explain what is required to get an authorized or informational copy. Online ordering through VitalChek provides convenience if you cannot visit an office during business hours.

County Clerk-Recorder Office

The County Clerk-Recorder maintains historical death records for Ventura County. They handle requests for older records and provide certified copies.

You can visit the office in person during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Staff will search for the record and prepare a certified copy if they find it. Bring identification and details about the death you are researching.

The Health Care Agency Office of Vital Records also maintains death certificates, especially for recent deaths. They typically keep records for the current year and a few years prior. For older records, the Clerk-Recorder is the better option.

More information is available at hca.venturacounty.gov/public-health/vitalrecords/. This page provides contact details and ordering instructions. Call ahead if you have questions about which office to contact or what documents to bring.

Death Certificate Fees and Payment

Each death certificate costs $26.00. This is the standard California fee set by state law.

The fee applies whether you order from the Clerk-Recorder or the Health Care Agency. In-person, mail, and online orders all cost $26.00 per copy. If you need multiple copies, multiply the number of copies by $26.00. The search fee is kept even if the office cannot find the record you requested.

For in-person and mail orders, you can pay by check or money order. Some offices accept cash in person. Online orders through VitalChek accept credit cards and debit cards but charge additional processing fees on top of the $26.00 certificate fee.

Online Ordering Through VitalChek

Ventura County uses VitalChek for online death certificate orders. VitalChek is a third-party vendor authorized by the state to process vital records requests.

To order online, go to www.vitalchek.com and select California, then Ventura County. You can place your order any time of day. The system accepts credit cards and debit cards.

VitalChek charges a processing fee on top of the $26.00 certificate fee. The total cost depends on how fast you want delivery. Expedited shipping costs more. Processing time is similar to mail orders, but you can choose faster shipping to get the certificate to you sooner once it is ready.

You still need to meet California's legal requirements for who can get an authorized copy versus an informational copy. The online system will ask about your relationship to the person who died.

Information Needed to Order

When you order a death certificate, have these details ready:

• Full name of the person who died
• Date of death or approximate year
• Place of death in Ventura County
• Your relationship to the person
• Your name and mailing address
• Your phone number or email for contact

If you do not know the exact date, give the year or a range of years. The office will search based on the information you provide. More details make it easier to find the record.

How Long It Takes

Processing times vary by how you order. Walk-in service is fastest. If the record is easy to find, staff can prepare a certificate the same day in most cases.

Mail orders take longer. Plan for two to three weeks from when the office receives your request to when they mail the certificate back. Add more time for mail delivery. Total time can be three to four weeks for mail orders.

Online orders through VitalChek have similar processing times to mail orders. However, you can pay extra for expedited shipping to get the certificate faster once the office finishes processing it.

Death records become available about two weeks after the date of death, according to the California death records request page. Wait at least two weeks before trying to order a certificate for a recent death. If you order too soon, the record will not be in the system yet and you will still be charged the search fee.

Eligibility to Receive a Death Certificate

California law controls who can get an authorized death certificate. The statute is Health and Safety Code Section 103526.

You can get an authorized copy if you are the spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the person who died. Legal representatives, attorneys for the estate, and court appointees can also get them. Funeral homes can order on behalf of authorized family members.

Authorized copies can be used for legal purposes like settling estates, claiming life insurance, or transferring property. To get an authorized copy, you must provide a notarized sworn statement under penalty of perjury declaring that you are authorized by law to receive the certificate.

If you do not qualify for an authorized copy, you can still get an informational copy. Anyone can order an informational copy without proving their relationship. Informational copies show the same data but have a stamp that says "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." These work for genealogy and family history research but cannot be used for legal purposes. No notarized statement is required for informational copies.

State-Level Death Records

If you cannot get a certificate from Ventura County, try the state office. The California Department of Public Health Vital Records office maintains copies of all death records for the state since July 1905.

Contact CDPH-VR at P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. The phone number is 916-445-2684. You can also order online through VitalChek for California state records. The state charges $24.00 per certificate, which is two dollars less than the county fee.

However, state processing takes longer, usually five to seven weeks. County offices often process requests faster. Use the state office if you do not know which county the death occurred in or if you need records from multiple counties.

Major Cities in Ventura County

Ventura County includes several cities. For deaths in any of these cities, contact the Ventura County office. Cities do not issue death certificates. All records are handled at the county level.

The largest city is Oxnard, which has its own page with specific information. Other cities in Ventura County include Ventura, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Ojai. All death records for these cities are handled by the county offices, not by the cities themselves.

Nearby Counties

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

Neighboring counties include Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, and Kern County. Each has its own clerk-recorder office with different contact information and hours.