Where to find birth, death, marriage and census records, state by state.
Plain-English guides to where birth, death, marriage and census records are actually kept, with official sources first. Each guide says which office holds which records, what years it covers, who can order a certified copy, what it costs and how long it takes, but only where an official page we actually read says so.
States covered so far
CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR)Last verified 2026-10-27
TexasTexas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics SectionLast verified 2026-10-27
FloridaFlorida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital StatisticsLast verified 2026-10-27
New YorkNew York State Department of Health, Vital Records (everywhere except New York City)Last verified 2026-10-27
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital RecordsLast verified 2026-10-27
IllinoisIllinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital RecordsLast verified 2026-10-27
OhioOhio Department of Health, Bureau of Vital StatisticsLast verified 2026-10-27
GeorgiaGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital RecordsLast verified 2026-10-27
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Vital Records (NC DHHS)Last verified 2026-10-27
MichiganMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Vital Records and Health StatisticsLast verified 2026-10-27
MassachusettsRegistry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Massachusetts Archives for older recordsLast verified 2026-10-27
New JerseyNew Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry; New Jersey State Archives for older recordsLast verified 2026-10-27
VirginiaVirginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records; Library of Virginia for older microfilmLast verified 2026-10-27
WashingtonWashington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics; Washington State Archives (Digital Archives) for older recordsLast verified 2026-10-27
ArizonaArizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Vital RecordsLast verified 2026-10-27
TennesseeTennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records; Tennessee State Library and Archives for older recordsLast verified 2026-10-27
IndianaIndiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records; county clerks of court for marriage and divorce; Indiana State Library for genealogyLast verified 2026-10-27
MissouriMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records; county recorders of deeds and circuit clerks; Missouri State ArchivesLast verified 2026-10-27
MarylandMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records; Maryland State Archives for older records; county circuit courtsLast verified 2026-10-27
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Health Services, Vital Records Office; county Register of Deeds officesLast verified 2026-10-27
Guide: finding old newspapers
Obituaries, marriage notices and birth announcements can fill gaps that certificates leave. Our guide starts with the free archives, explains how to search them, and ends with a short neutral note on one paid archive.
How these guides work
- Official sources come first. We link state health departments, county-record pointers, state archives, the National Archives and the Library of Congress. We do not link "order your certificate" look-alike sites.
- Free versus paid, plainly. A certified copy is a paid government document. Some archives and indexes are free to search and some are not; each page says what we could and could not confirm.
- Every page shows what we checked. Each fact carries a numbered source, the page lists what we could not confirm, and the "last verified" date is the day we read the official page.