Clallam County Death Records

Clallam County death records are issued by Clallam County Health and Human Services in Port Angeles for deaths that occurred after 2014. For deaths between 1907 and 2013, certified copies must be ordered through the Washington State Department of Health. Historical death records going back to 1891 are available for free through the Washington State Digital Archives. This guide walks through the offices, fees, access rules, and online tools you need to find or order Clallam County death certificates.

Clallam County Health and Human Services

Clallam County Health and Human Services handles vital records requests for the county. The office is located at 111 E. 3rd Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Phone is (360) 417-2274. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The county office issues certified death certificates for Washington State-certified deaths occurring after 2014. This is an important distinction. If the death occurred between July 1, 1907 and December 31, 2013, you must go to the Washington State Department of Health, not the county.

The Clallam County Health and Human Services page covers ordering options for certified death certificates, with county-level access available for deaths after 2014.

Death certificates filed electronically are available at the county level regardless of which county the death occurred in, as long as it was filed electronically. Fetal death certificates are only available through the Washington State Department of Health and cannot be issued at the county level. The vital records law effective January 1, 2021, requires proof of relationship for certified copies. Make sure you have the right documentation ready before you visit or submit a mail request.

If you need to order for a death from 1907 through 2013, go directly to the Washington State Department of Health Vital Records at doh.wa.gov. The state holds the full archive for those years and processes requests by mail and through VitalChek online ordering.

Note: Always confirm whether the specific death you are searching for is covered by the county or state before submitting a request, to avoid delays.

Clallam County Auditor Historical Records

The Clallam County Auditor's Office handles marriage records, property records, and some historical vital records for the county. The Auditor is located at Suite 1, 223 E. 4th St., Port Angeles, WA 98362. Phone is (360) 417-2222. Marriage certificate copies are available for $3.00 per copy; include a self-addressed stamped envelope with mail requests. Historical death records from before 1907 are not kept at the Auditor's Office today. Those early records are available through the Washington State Archives or the Digital Archives online.

For deaths before 1907, the county kept its own Register of Deaths. Clallam County Auditor death records from 1891 to 1906 are indexed and available through the Washington State Digital Archives with images. Researchers looking for the very earliest Clallam County deaths should start there. The county Auditor's website at clallamcountywa.gov/172/Auditor provides information on current services and how to request marriage and property records.

Clallam County Genealogical Society

The Clallam County Genealogical Society, known as CCGS, operates a research center in Port Angeles. The address is 403 E. 8th Street, Port Angeles, WA, and the phone is 360-417-5000. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and Saturday from noon to 4 PM. CCGS is one of the most active genealogical organizations on the Olympic Peninsula and holds a substantial collection of local records.

The Clallam County Genealogical Society research center in Port Angeles holds obituaries, death indexes, probate records, and other local collections for genealogy research.

The CCGS collection includes more than 4,362 books, periodicals, microfilms, and microfiche. Holdings include pioneer family files, Native American census and school census records, a Probate Index from 1857 to 1965, and an obituary collection spanning the earliest local newspapers to the present. An ongoing project indexes death certificates from the 1910s to 1930s. The Surname Indexes help researchers locate family names across multiple record types. For anyone researching family history in Clallam County, a visit to the CCGS Research Center is worth the trip. Staff can point you to records that are not available elsewhere online.

Note: The CCGS research collections are for research purposes only and do not provide certified copies. For legal documents, use the county health department or state DOH.

Washington State Digital Archives Clallam County Records

The Washington State Digital Archives holds free searchable access to Clallam County death records. No account or fee is needed. The available collections include the Clallam County Auditor Death Records from 1891 to 1906 with index and images, the Department of Health Death Certificates from 1907 to 1997 with index and images, and the Death Index from 1907 to 1960 and 1965 to 2020. These cover the full span of recorded Clallam County deaths from the county's early history through the late twentieth century.

The 1891 to 1906 Auditor records are the earliest available for the county. These were the death returns filed locally before Washington State took over registration in 1907. The level of detail varies. Earlier entries may have only a name, date, and cause of death, while later entries include more complete information such as parents' names and birthplaces. The 1907 to 1997 collection with images is searchable by name and includes scanned images of the actual certificates for most years. The Death Index for 1965 to 2020 is searchable but may not include images for more recent deaths due to privacy rules.

For researchers, the Digital Archives is the best place to start. You can confirm whether a death certificate exists, get the certificate number, and review the content before deciding whether to order a certified copy. The Digital Archives records are not certified copies and cannot be used for legal purposes, but they provide valuable information for genealogy and family history work.

North Olympic Library System and Local Resources

The North Olympic Library System at nols.org serves Clallam County with branches in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks, and Port Townsend. The Port Angeles Public Library maintains a local history collection that includes historical newspaper archives. A digital archive of Clallam County newspapers is available, which is useful for finding obituaries and death notices that may predate or supplement official death certificates. Library staff can assist with genealogy research and point you to specific resources within their collections.

For people researching deaths connected to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, or the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, additional records may be held by tribal governments or through the National Archives. Tribal membership rolls, Indian census records, and Bureau of Indian Affairs files can provide death information for tribal members that does not always appear in standard county records. The Washington State Archives and the National Archives Pacific Alaska Region in Seattle are both places to check for these materials.

Washington State also has a death index available through the Washington State Department of Health. While the full death index is not publicly available in its current form for recent years, the historical portions are accessible through the Digital Archives. FamilySearch at familysearch.org has indexed many of the same records and provides a free starting point for searching by name.

Washington Vital Records Law

Clallam County death records are governed by RCW Chapter 70.58A, the Washington vital statistics act. This law sets out who must register a death, what information must be included on the certificate, how long records are kept, and who can access certified copies. Deaths must be registered within three days and before burial or cremation. The funeral director handles the filing, and the attending physician or coroner certifies the cause of death.

Under the 2021 revision of this law, certified copies are restricted to individuals with a direct and tangible interest. Eligible requesters include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased; a legal representative; a government agency acting in an official capacity; or someone who can prove a direct legal or financial interest such as settling an estate. An informational copy is available to anyone who asks, but it is stamped as not valid for legal purposes. Do not use an informational copy for insurance claims, court filings, or name-change processes. Order a certified copy for any of those uses.

Clallam County has a notable split in how it handles different time periods. Deaths from 2014 onward can be obtained at the county level, but deaths from 1907 to 2013 must go through the state. This split exists because of when electronic filing was implemented statewide. Earlier paper records were never transferred to the county, so the county simply does not have them. If you try to order a 1990 Clallam County death certificate at the county office, they will redirect you to the state DOH.

The state DOH Vital Records page at doh.wa.gov covers all the current fee information, ordering methods, and eligibility rules. This is the definitive source for current guidance.

Cities in Clallam County

Clallam County is on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington. The largest city is Port Angeles, followed by Sequim and Forks. None of these cities currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All death records for events in the county are handled by Clallam County Health and Human Services for deaths after 2014, or through the state DOH for earlier deaths.

Nearby Counties

Clallam County sits on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. It borders Jefferson County to the south. San Juan County is accessible across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If you are unsure which county a death was recorded in, check the address where the person lived or died.