Find Death Records in Yakima
Yakima death records are issued and maintained by the Yakima Health District, which serves Yakima County and parts of the surrounding area. If you need to search Yakima death records or get a certified copy of a death certificate, the health district is your main contact. Yakima is the county seat of Yakima County and the largest city in the region. Historical death records going back to 1891 are searchable for free through the Washington State Digital Archives, while certified copies of recent records can be requested directly from the health district or ordered online through VitalChek.
Yakima Overview
Where to Get Yakima Death Records
The Yakima Health District - Vital Statistics office is the primary source for certified Yakima death records. Their office is at 1210 Ahtanum Ridge Drive, Union Gap, WA 98903, just south of the city. The main phone is 509-575-4040. For toll-free calls, use 800-535-5016. The direct vital records line is 509-249-6538 and the fax is 509-381-3548. You can also email at yhd@co.yakima.wa.us. For funeral home requests, use YHDVitalRecords@co.yakima.wa.us with a W-9 attached.
Hours at the health district vary slightly by day. Monday and Wednesday through Friday the office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At the office, they accept cash and check only. If you want to pay by credit or debit card, a service fee applies. Certificates cost $20 to $25 per copy depending on the type. You can also order through VitalChek online.
| Office | Yakima Health District - Vital Statistics |
|---|---|
| Address | 1210 Ahtanum Ridge Drive Union Gap, WA 98903 |
| Main Phone | 509-575-4040 |
| Toll-Free | 800-535-5016 |
| Vital Records Line | 509-249-6538 |
| Hours | Mon, Wed-Fri: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM; Tue: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
| Fee | $20-$25 per certificate |
| Website | yakimacounty.us/280/Birth-Death-Certificates |
One thing to note: the Yakima Health District also covers birth certificates for anyone born in Washington State. For death certificates, though, their coverage includes Yakima County deaths as well as deaths in Benton and Franklin Counties since it is a shared health district arrangement. If you are searching for a death in Kennewick, Richland, or Pasco, this same office handles those records too.
The Yakima Health District issues certified death certificates for Yakima and the surrounding region, serving multiple counties from their Union Gap location.
The office serves Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties and is open Monday through Friday with slightly adjusted Tuesday hours.
How to Search Yakima Death Records
For historical Yakima death records, the Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free tool. The archives hold Yakima County Auditor death records from 1891 to 1907, Yakima County Auditor death returns from 1896 to 1907, and Department of Health death certificates from 1907 to 1997. A death index runs from 1907 to 1960 and again from 1965 to 2020. All of this is free and searchable by name. This covers over a century of Yakima death data.
For deaths not covered by the digital archives, meaning recent deaths from the late 1990s to present, contact the Yakima Health District. They hold current records and can tell you what is available for a specific date and name. If you already have a case number or certificate number from a prior search, have that ready when you call.
The Yakima County Auditor at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 117, Yakima, WA 98901 can also be useful. Their phone is (509) 574-1400 and they are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The auditor holds marriage records and property records, and their historical death records from 1891 to 1907 are part of the digital archives. For probate records related to a death, the county also holds those files going back decades.
The Yakima County Auditor holds historical death records and related vital records, with the oldest records now digitized and searchable through the state archives.
The auditor's office at the Yakima County Courthouse on N 2nd Street is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
Yakima Death Records - Local Research Help
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society at yvgs.org provides research assistance and has a library collection focused on Yakima County genealogy. They have resources for tracing families in the Yakima Valley and can point you toward records you might not find through the government offices alone. Their library is open to members and researchers. If you are working on a family history project and need help pulling together death records, probate files, and related documents, a visit to their library can save significant time.
The Yakima Valley Museum at yakimavalleymuseum.org holds archives with local history materials, a library, and research collections. While the museum is not a vital records office, their archive contains information on early Yakima Valley deaths, especially those tied to notable families or events. The museum's collection covers both agricultural history and Native American heritage in the region, which can be relevant for researching deaths in the county going back to the territorial period.
The Yakima City Clerk is at 129 N 2nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901, phone (509) 575-6037, and is open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. City public records requests go through that office, but the city clerk does not maintain death records. For death certificates and death record searches, always start with the health district or the digital archives.
Note: Yakima County is among the 37 counties in Washington that participate in the Odyssey case management system, which allows some online access to court records including probate cases that may be linked to deaths.
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society maintains a research library and offers assistance for those tracing family histories and death records in Yakima County.
The society's collection includes publications, indexes, and local genealogy records not always found through official government channels.
Who Can Request a Yakima Death Certificate
Washington's vital records law restricts certified death certificate copies to eligible requestors. You qualify if you are the deceased's spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. Legal representatives, attorneys acting on behalf of the family, and people with a documented legal or financial need also qualify. A court order will also establish access if none of the other criteria apply.
When you visit the Yakima Health District or order by mail, bring a valid government-issued photo ID. The office at 509-249-6538 can answer questions about what specific documentation you need for your type of request. If your request is denied for lack of documentation, they can explain what you need to bring on a return visit.
Historical records in the Washington State Digital Archives do not require any eligibility showing. You can search and view those records for free, with no ID required. The archives cover Yakima death records from 1891 through 1997 for certificates and through 2020 for the index, which means the vast majority of historical Yakima deaths are publicly accessible online at no cost.
Yakima County Death Records
Yakima is the county seat, and the county's health district and auditor offices are based here. For a complete guide covering all Yakima County death records sources, the health district, digital archives, genealogical society, and historical records, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Yakima in central and eastern Washington.