Orange County Death Certificates

Orange County death records and obituaries are available through the county recorder's vital records division. You can get copies of death certificates for anyone who died in Orange County at three office locations in Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Laguna Hills. The county has death records from 1889 to the present day. Only authorized individuals can receive a certified copy, while others get an informational copy with a watermark. Most death certificates are ready to order about three weeks after the event. You can order by mail, online through VitalChek, or in person at any of the three county offices. The fee is $26 per copy as of January 1, 2026.

Getting Death Certificates in Orange County

To get a death certificate from Orange County, you must first complete a vital records application. Do this before you visit any office or send a mail request. The application is available on the Orange County Recorder vital records page. Fill it out with the full name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death. You also need to state your relationship to the deceased and whether you need an authorized or informational copy.

In person service is available at three locations. The main office is at 601 N. Ross Street in Santa Ana. Hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The North County Branch is at 222 S. Harbor Boulevard, Suite 110A in Anaheim with the same hours but opening at 9:00 am. The South County Branch is at 24031 El Toro Road, Suite 150 in Laguna Hills, also 9:00 am to 4:30 pm weekdays. You must bring a completed application and photo ID. Staff will process your request while you wait if the record is available.

For mail requests, send the completed application with a check or money order for $26 made payable to Orange County Clerk Recorder. Include a self addressed stamped envelope. Mail to P.O. Box 238, Santa Ana, CA 92702. Processing time for mail orders is typically two to three weeks from when they receive your request. Do not send cash through the mail.

Orange County also partners with the OC Health Care Agency Office of Vital Records for recent deaths. The health agency receives death certificates first and keeps them for about three weeks after the death. If you need a certificate for a very recent death, contact the health agency instead of the recorder's office.

After the health agency's holding period, all death certificates are transferred to the county recorder. The recorder maintains the permanent archive for Orange County. This means older records dating back to 1889 are only available through the recorder's office, not the health agency.

Who Can Get a Certified Copy

California law says only authorized people can receive a certified copy of a death record. Authorized people include the spouse or domestic partner of the deceased. Children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings also qualify. An attorney representing the estate can get copies. Funeral directors and their staff are authorized if they are handling the arrangements.

If you are an authorized person, you must provide a notarized sworn statement when you order. This statement declares under penalty of perjury that you are eligible to receive the record. Sign it in front of a notary public before you submit your request. Without this notarized statement, you will receive an informational copy instead of an authorized copy.

Informational copies have a watermark that says "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." Anyone can get an informational copy without proving a relationship. These are good for genealogy research or personal records. Banks, insurance companies, and government agencies will not accept informational copies for legal purposes. The fee is the same for both types.

Fees and How Long It Takes

The fee for a death certificate in Orange County is $26 per copy. This went up from $24 on January 1, 2026 due to state law Assembly Bill 64. The fee covers the cost of searching for the record and one copy. If you order multiple copies of the same record at the same time, each additional copy is $26. Orange County does not offer a discount for multiple copies.

If the record is not found, the county keeps your fee. They will issue a Certificate of No Public Record instead. Make sure you have the correct information about the deceased before you order to avoid wasting the fee. Call the vital records office at (714) 834-2500 if you are unsure whether they have the record.

VitalChek orders include extra fees. The service charge is about $13. Shipping options range from $7 for standard mail to $19 or more for overnight delivery. These fees are in addition to the $26 county fee. VitalChek accepts credit cards and processes orders faster than regular mail.

In person requests at any of the three county offices can be completed the same day if the record is from recent years. Older records stored offsite may take one to three business days. Mail requests take two to three weeks to process. Online VitalChek orders typically process within a few days to one week depending on shipping method.

Ordering Online Through VitalChek

VitalChek is the only authorized online service for Orange County death certificates. No other third party vendor is approved by the county. Go to the VitalChek website and select California, then Orange County. Follow the prompts to enter information about the deceased and yourself.

You will need the full name of the deceased. The exact date of death helps but is not always required if you can provide the year and month. Enter your contact information and shipping address. Choose whether you need an authorized or informational copy. If you select authorized, you must upload a scanned copy of your notarized sworn statement.

Payment is by credit card only through VitalChek. The total cost includes the $26 county fee, the VitalChek service fee, and shipping. Review the total before you submit. VitalChek will email you a confirmation number and estimated delivery date. They send your order to the Orange County Recorder, who processes it and mails the certificate.

Orange County Vital Records Offices

Orange County operates three full service vital records offices across the county. Each location offers the same services and has the same fees. You can visit whichever office is most convenient for you. All three require you to complete an application before you arrive. Print the form from the county website or pick one up in the lobby.

The Central Office in Santa Ana is the main location. It is at 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701. The office is in the county civic center area near the courthouse. Public parking is available nearby. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on weekends and county holidays.

The North County Branch serves the northern part of the county. It is at 222 S. Harbor Boulevard, Suite 110A, Anaheim, CA 92805. This office is near Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. This location opens one hour later than the Santa Ana office.

The South County Branch is at 24031 El Toro Road, Suite 150, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. This office serves residents in the southern cities of Orange County. Hours match the North County Branch at 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. All offices close for lunch at the same time as the main counter, but staff may be available to help during those times.

Death Records for Orange County Cities

Orange County includes 34 cities. None of these cities issue death certificates. All residents must use the Orange County Recorder's office. The three branch locations make it easier to get records no matter where you live in the county. Major cities with populations over 100,000 include Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Orange, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Westminster, Buena Park, Lake Forest, and Tustin.

If someone died in any of these cities, the death certificate will be on file with the Orange County Recorder. The city where the death occurred will be noted on the certificate. You do not need to contact the city government to get a death record. Go directly to the county recorder's office or use VitalChek online.

For deaths in unincorporated areas of Orange County, the same process applies. The county recorder has all death records for the entire county regardless of whether the death happened in a city or an unincorporated area. The place of death will be listed on the certificate exactly as it was reported.

Older Orange County Death Records

Orange County has death records dating back to 1889. These early records are stored at the county recorder's office in Santa Ana. Records from the 1800s and early 1900s may be on microfilm or archived in a different format than modern records. Requesting an old record may take longer than requesting a recent one.

If you need a death certificate from before 1905, the county recorder is your only option. The state of California did not start keeping death records until July 1, 1905. For deaths before that date, each county is responsible for its own records. Orange County was formed in 1889, so records before that year would be part of Los Angeles County.

Genealogy researchers often use Orange County death records to trace family history. The county recorder can help you locate old records if you have basic information like the name and approximate year of death. Call ahead if you are looking for a record more than 50 years old to confirm it is available and what the process is for retrieval.

Note: Very old records may have limited information compared to modern death certificates.

Nearby California Counties

Orange County shares borders with several other counties. If you are unsure which county a death occurred in, check these neighboring counties. Los Angeles County is to the north and west. San Bernardino County is to the northeast. Riverside County is to the east. San Diego County is to the south.

Contact information for these counties:

• Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder: (800) 201-8999
• San Bernardino County Vital Records: (855) 732-2575
• Riverside County Clerk Recorder: (951) 486-7000
• San Diego County Assessor Recorder Clerk: (619) 237-0502