Long Beach Obituary Records

Long Beach death certificates come from the city's Vital Records Program, which operates separately from Los Angeles County. The city maintains death records for deaths that occurred in Long Beach since 2005. Any death before 2005 requires going through Los Angeles County Recorder. Long Beach offers online ordering, walk in service, and mail requests. The office is at 2525 Grand Avenue. Fee is $26 per copy as of January 1, 2026. This matches the state and county fee. You can get expedited copies for an extra charge if you need fast service. Most orders process in five to seven business days, faster than ordering from the county or state. Online orders through the city portal add a small service fee but are the quickest option.

Long Beach Health Department Vital Records

Long Beach runs its own health department, making it one of three California cities that maintain death records independently. The Vital Records Program office is at 2525 Grand Avenue in Long Beach. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They close from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for lunch. Walk in service is available during open hours. Staff can help you complete an application and process your request. Same day service is possible for in person requests if the record is readily available in their system.

Call (562) 570-4305 for questions about whether Long Beach has a specific death record. Staff can confirm if a death occurred in the city before you submit a request. This saves time and the search fee if the death actually happened outside Long Beach. Email inquiries go to vitalrecords@longbeach.gov. The office handles birth certificates and death certificates. For marriage records, contact Los Angeles County Clerk.

The Long Beach Health Department death records page provides full details on fees, required forms, and what documents you need. This page lists contact information and explains the difference between authorized and informational copies. Long Beach accepts walk in, mail, and online orders. Most people choose online for convenience.

Public parking is available near the health department building. There is a lot directly adjacent to 2525 Grand Avenue. Hourly rates apply. Street parking on Grand Avenue has meters with time limits. The health department is accessible by Long Beach Transit bus routes. Check current routes and schedules before your visit.

Note: Long Beach only has records from 2005 forward, so confirm the year before ordering.

Order Death Certificates Online

Long Beach offers online ordering through their own portal. This is faster and more convenient than mail. Go to the Long Beach vital records online portal to start an order. You will create an account with your email address and a password. The system walks you through each step. Enter the name of the deceased, date of death, and other identifying information. Upload a copy of your photo ID and your notarized sworn statement if you need an authorized copy.

The online system adds a $5 non refundable service fee to all orders. Credit card processing fees also apply. Expect to pay about $33 total for one standard death certificate when ordering online. This includes the $26 state fee, the $5 service fee, and the credit card fee. Expedited service costs an additional $27 on top of the standard fee. Choose expedited if you need the certificate within two business days. Standard orders take five to seven business days to process and mail.

You can pay with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express. The portal provides a confirmation number after you submit your order. Save this number to track your order status. You will receive an email when your certificate ships. Most orders ship via USPS First Class Mail. Expedited orders go out via Priority Mail or overnight depending on the level of service you select.

Which Records Long Beach Maintains

Long Beach has death records for deaths that occurred within Long Beach city limits from 2005 to the present. If someone died in Long Beach in 2005 or any year after, the city health department has that record. For deaths before 2005, you must contact Los Angeles County Recorder. The county has all Long Beach deaths from 1905 through 2004. The county also has recent Long Beach deaths in their system, but it is faster to order from the city for deaths from 2005 forward.

The death must have happened in Long Beach. City limits matter, not where the person lived. If someone lived in Long Beach but died in a Los Angeles hospital, that is an LA County record, not a Long Beach record. The city where the death occurred controls which office issues the certificate. Long Beach hospitals include Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and St. Mary Medical Center. Deaths at these hospitals are Long Beach records if the hospitals are within city limits.

If you are not sure whether a death occurred in Long Beach, contact the funeral home that handled arrangements. Funeral directors file the death certificate and know which jurisdiction they used. You can also call the Long Beach Vital Records office at (562) 570-4305 to ask if they have the record. They can search by name and approximate date before you submit a paid request.

For very recent deaths, allow four to six weeks after the death before requesting a certificate. It takes time for the death certificate to be completed by the physician or coroner and filed with the health department. If you need immediate proof of death for urgent matters, contact the funeral home or hospital for a temporary document while waiting for the official certificate to be filed.

Death Certificate Costs

Long Beach charges $26 per death certificate as of January 1, 2026. This fee went up $2 due to Assembly Bill 64. The $26 covers the search and one certified copy. If the record is not in the Long Beach system, you do not get a refund. The office will tell you to contact Los Angeles County instead. This fee matches the state and county fee. Additional copies ordered at the same time may cost less. Ask when you place your order how much extra copies cost if you need more than one.

Expedited service adds $27 to your order. This is optional. Choose expedited if you need the certificate in two business days instead of the standard five to seven days. Expedited service is only available for online and walk in orders. Mail orders cannot be expedited. The expedited fee covers faster processing and priority shipping. Regular orders use First Class Mail. Expedited orders use Priority Mail or Express Mail depending on urgency.

For online orders, expect to pay about $33 total for a standard certificate. This includes the $26 fee, a $5 service fee, and credit card processing charges. Long Beach does not use VitalChek. They run their own portal with their own fee structure. For walk in orders, you can pay with cash, check, money order, or credit card. Make checks payable to City of Long Beach. For mail orders, send a check or money order. Do not mail cash.

Note: Online orders have the highest total cost due to service fees but offer the fastest and most convenient option.

How to Request Long Beach Death Certificates

You need basic information to order a death certificate. Full name of the deceased is required. Date of death or at least the year helps speed the search. If you know the place of death, include that too. For an authorized certified copy, you must prove you are an authorized person. This means you are a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the deceased. Attorneys and funeral directors also qualify. Get a notarized sworn statement that confirms your relationship. Go to a notary public with your photo ID to get this done.

For online orders, go to the Long Beach portal and create an account. Fill out the online form with the deceased person's information. Upload your photo ID and notarized statement. Select how many copies you need and whether you want expedited service. Pay with a credit card. The system emails you a confirmation. Your order processes in five to seven business days for standard service or two business days for expedited.

For in person orders, visit the office at 2525 Grand Avenue during business hours. Bring your completed application, notarized statement if needed, photo ID, and payment. Staff will help you fill out the form if you have questions. They search for the record and can usually provide your copy the same day if the record is in the system. If not found, they will direct you to Los Angeles County.

For mail orders, download the application form from the Long Beach website or call to request one. Fill it out completely. Include your name, address, phone number, and relationship to the deceased. Sign and date the form. Get your signature notarized if you need an authorized copy. Mail the form, your notarized statement, and a check or money order to Long Beach Health Department, Vital Records Program, 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815. Processing takes two to three weeks for mail orders.

Getting Death Records from Before 2005

For Long Beach deaths before 2005, contact Los Angeles County Recorder. Their office is at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk. You can also order online through the Los Angeles County online vital records system or by mail. The county has Long Beach death records from 1905 through 2004. They also have recent records but it is faster to use the city for deaths from 2005 forward.

Los Angeles County charges $26 per copy, the same as Long Beach. Processing times are longer at the county because they handle a much higher volume of requests. Expect two to four weeks for mail orders or about one week for online orders through their portal. You can visit the Norwalk office in person for same day service. Bring the same documents you would need for a Long Beach order.

For deaths before 1905, the county may have some records in archives, but coverage is spotty. Check with the California State Archives or FamilySearch for microfilmed early Los Angeles County vital records. These databases include some Long Beach deaths from the 1800s. The Los Angeles County death records page has full details on ordering older Long Beach certificates from the county.

Authorized vs Informational Copies

Long Beach issues two types of death certificates. An authorized copy is a fully certified document. It has a raised seal. You can use it for legal purposes like closing bank accounts, filing insurance claims, or transferring property. To get an authorized copy, you must be an authorized person as defined by California law. This includes immediate family members and legal representatives of the estate. You need a notarized sworn statement proving your relationship.

An informational copy has a watermark that says it cannot be used to establish identity. Anyone can request an informational copy without proving a relationship. No notarized statement is required. These copies are useful for genealogy, family history, or personal records. Most agencies will not accept informational copies for legal transactions. The fee is the same for both types. Long Beach sends the type you request as long as you qualify. If you request an authorized copy but your statement does not prove you qualify, they send an informational copy instead. No refund is given.

California Health and Safety Code Section 103526 defines who qualifies as an authorized person. This law applies to all California vital records offices. The list includes spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, attorneys for the estate, and funeral directors. If you are not sure whether you qualify, request an informational copy to avoid issues. Informational copies still show all the same data, just with a restriction on legal use.