Death Records in the United States

A death record, sometimes called a death certificate or medical certificate of the cause of death (MCCD), is created whenever a person dies. This document is created by a certain government official, and often contains information such as the deceased’s name, the deceased’s gender, the deceased’s age, the time of death, date of death, location of death and cause of death. Some death records may also include any survivors of the deceased, the deceased’s marriage status at time of death, when the death certificate was certified as well as the deceased’s trade at time of death.

Once created, the record is then forwarded on to the registrar of vital statistics in the specific county where the death occurred and the county’s home state. On the county level, death records are held by the county or circuit clerk. The state vital records registrar holds records on the state level.

Death records are considered public record; that is, they are open to the public to view. However, most states have a waiting period before the death record can be accessible by those not close to the deceased or the estate attorney. Death records are also a part of a person’s vital records; other records classified in this group include birth records, divorce records, adoption records and marriage records.

Death records are important for a number of reasons. In order to remove the deceased’s name off of a joint bank or other account, a death record will need to be produced to show that he or she is no longer living. Obtaining a life insurance policy benefit on the deceased will require an official death record copy to collect the payment. If there are outstanding debts that the deceased owes, a copy of a death record sent to the creditors can also show that the deceased is no longer able to pay.