Kennewick Death Records

Death records for Kennewick are kept and issued through the Benton-Franklin Health District, which serves both Benton and Franklin Counties in southeastern Washington. If you need a certified death certificate for a death that occurred in Kennewick or elsewhere in Benton County, the health district office in Kennewick is your primary source. You can request records in person, by mail, or through state and third-party ordering services. The office handles certificates for Benton and Franklin County deaths going back to 1980, and City of Richland records from 1959. Older records may require a request to the Washington State Department of Health.

Getting Kennewick Death Records

The Benton-Franklin Health District at 7102 W. Okanogan Place, Kennewick, WA 99336 is where you go to get a certified death certificate for a Kennewick death. Call them at (509) 460-4204 before you visit. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note the midday closure. If you show up at noon, you will need to wait.

The fee is $25 for the first certified copy. If you need more than one, each extra copy costs $20 when ordered at the same time. Same-day service is available for in-person requests, though an additional fee applies. FedEx delivery is also an option if you need the record sent quickly. Mail requests typically take two to three weeks to process. When mailing, send a completed application, a copy of your valid photo ID, and a check or money order made out to the health district.

The health district covers deaths that occurred in Benton County from 1980 to the present, and Franklin County deaths for the same range. City of Richland death records are available from 1959 onward. If you need a death certificate for an event that happened before those cutoff years, contact the Washington State Department of Health in Olympia, which holds statewide records going back to 1907.

The Benton-Franklin Health District vital records page shows current fees, hours, and the forms you need to request a death certificate in person or by mail.

Historical Records for Kennewick

Kennewick death records from before 1980 are not held locally at the health district. For those older records, the Washington State Department of Health is the right place to start. The state has maintained death registration records since 1907. Pre-1907 deaths were not systematically recorded at the state level, so genealogical sources become more important for that era.

The Washington State Digital Archives is a free online resource that holds digitized county records, early vital records indexes, and other historical documents. It is a good first stop when you are researching a death from the early 20th century or earlier. The database is searchable by name and can return results from multiple record types at once. You do not need an account to search.

For deaths in the Kennewick and Tri-Cities area specifically, the Tri-City Genealogical Society has compiled a number of useful local indexes. Their resources include obituaries from the Courier Reporter covering the years 1924 to 1929 and 1930 to 1935. They also have published cemetery records for Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Kennewick, and a Mueller's Chapel of Falls Funeral Record Index covering 1910 to 2001. These funeral home records can fill gaps when official death certificates are unavailable or incomplete. The society's website lists how to access these indexes and whether any are searchable online.

The East Benton County Historical Society holds early promotional materials and historical records for the broader area. While not a primary source for death records, the society can sometimes help place a death in local historical context or point researchers toward other collections.

How to Order a Death Certificate

There are three ways to get a certified Kennewick death certificate: in person at the Benton-Franklin Health District, by mail to the same office, or online through the state's authorized vendor. Each method has different processing times and costs, so pick the one that fits your situation.

In person is the fastest option. Bring a completed application form, a valid government-issued photo ID, and payment. Same-day service is available with an extra fee. The office is at 7102 W. Okanogan Place in Kennewick, and the hours are 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays. For the mail option, download the application form from the health district website, fill it out, attach a legible copy of your ID, and include payment. Turnaround runs two to three weeks from when they receive your packet. FedEx return shipping is an option for faster delivery.

The VitalChek website handles online orders for Washington vital records. You can place an order there at any time, though the processing time mirrors the mail request timeframe once your order is sent to the health district. VitalChek charges a service fee on top of the state certificate fee, so factor that into your total cost. The Washington State DOH also accepts direct mail requests for deaths that fall within their statewide database range.

Note: Only certain people can get a certified copy. Eligible parties include the deceased's spouse, parent, child, sibling, or legal representative. If you are not an immediate family member, you may only be able to get an informational copy.

Local Research Resources in Kennewick

Beyond the health district, Kennewick has a few other places that can help with death record research. The Kennewick City Clerk's office at 210 W Sixth Ave (P.O. Box 6108, Kennewick, WA 99336) handles public records requests for city documents. Call them at (509) 585-4273. The city clerk does not issue vital records, but their office maintains municipal records that may be useful for estate, property, or legal matters tied to a death in the city.

The Kennewick branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries system is another useful stop for genealogy research. Libraries in Washington often carry local newspaper collections on microfilm, including obituaries going back decades. If you are trying to fill out a family history or verify a date of death before the health district's coverage begins, the library's newspaper archive can help. The Tri-City Genealogical Society's resources at their site tcgs.ws are also worth reviewing before you make a trip anywhere. Some of their indexes are available directly through the website.

For deaths that have estate or probate implications, the Benton County Superior Court handles probate filings. Court records related to estates can sometimes reference death dates, beneficiaries, and other information that supplements a death certificate. The Washington Courts case search tool at courts.wa.gov can help locate probate case filings online.

Washington Law and Kennewick Death Records

Washington death records are governed by RCW Chapter 70.58A, the state's vital statistics law. Under this chapter, a death certificate must be filed within three days of the death and before the body is moved, buried, or cremated. The funeral home or person in charge of final disposition typically starts the paperwork. A licensed physician or medical examiner certifies the cause of death on the record. The local registrar, in this case through the county health department, accepts and registers the certificate.

Once registered, a death certificate is a legal public record. Certified copies carry the official state seal and are accepted for legal purposes such as settling estates, claiming life insurance, transferring property, or applying for survivor benefits. Informational copies do not carry the seal and are not valid for those legal uses. The state charges $25 per certified copy. That fee applies whether you order through the health district, through the state DOH, or through an authorized third-party vendor.

Access to certified copies is restricted to qualified applicants. Washington law limits who can obtain a certified death certificate. Immediate family members, legal representatives, and parties with a direct interest in the estate are eligible. You will need to show valid photo ID and may need to document your relationship to the deceased. Informational copies are available to anyone and carry a note on their face stating they cannot be used for legal purposes.

Kennewick's location in Benton County means all county-level death registrations flow through the Benton-Franklin Health District rather than a city health office. This is common in Washington's system, where counties bear primary responsibility for local vital records administration under state oversight.

Benton County Death Records

Kennewick is the largest city in Benton County. All death records for the county flow through Benton County's vital records system. For a full breakdown of county-level resources, office contacts, and historical record access, visit the Benton County death records page.

View Benton County Death Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are close to Kennewick. Death records for each are handled through their respective county health offices.