Washington Death Records by City

Washington cities do not issue death records on their own. Death certificates for city residents are handled by the county health department or health district covering that city. If you need a death record for someone who died in a Washington city, you will contact the county-level office rather than the city directly. This page lists major Washington cities and links to pages that identify which county office handles death records there, what the process looks like, and what local resources are available.

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Washington Cities

Select a city below to find information about obtaining death records for that location, including which health district to contact, local genealogy resources, and historical record availability.

Auburn Bellevue Bellingham Bothell Bremerton Burien Camas Des Moines Edmonds Everett Federal Way Frederickson Graham Issaquah Kennewick Kent Kirkland Lacey Lake Stevens Lakewood Longview Lynnwood Maple Valley Marysville Mercer Island Mill Creek East Moses Lake Mount Vernon Mountlake Terrace Olympia Orchards Parkland Pasco Pullman Puyallup Redmond Renton Richland Sammamish SeaTac Seattle Shoreline South Hill Spanaway Spokane Spokane Valley Tacoma Tumwater University Place Vancouver Walla Walla Wenatchee Yakima

Death Records for Washington City Residents

Washington cities rely on county health districts for death records. The county where the death occurred is what matters, not the city limits. If someone died in Seattle, King County Vital Statistics issues the death certificate. If someone died in Tacoma, Tacoma-Pierce County Health issues it. For deaths in Everett, the Snohomish County Health District handles the record. This county-based system applies to all cities in the state.

Some cities span two counties. Bothell sits on the border of King and Snohomish counties. In that case, the county where the death actually occurred determines which office you contact. For unincorporated communities like Frederickson, Graham, Parkland, Spanaway, South Hill, and Orchards, the county health department serves those areas directly since they fall outside any incorporated city. These areas look and function like cities but legally belong to the county.

For recent deaths anywhere in Washington, you can also contact the Washington State Department of Health at 1-866-687-1464 or order online through VitalChek. The state office holds all death records from 1907 forward and handles online and mail orders for any county. If you are not sure which county applies, the state DOH is a solid starting point since they maintain records for the whole state.

Note: Deaths that occurred within the last two months are typically handled at the county health office level first. After that window, the Washington State DOH is often the best option for ordering certified copies.