Search Delaware Death Records
Delaware death records are held by the Office of Vital Statistics and the Delaware Public Archives. The state splits access by age. Deaths from 1986 to today are handled by the Office of Vital Statistics. Deaths from 1985 and earlier sit with the Public Archives in Dover. You can search, order, or ask for a certified copy through the state, an approved online vendor, or by mail. This page lays out where to go, what you need, and how the search process works. Each link points to the official Delaware source so you can move fast.
Delaware Death Records Overview
Where Delaware Death Records Are Kept
Delaware uses a split system for death records. Two offices share the work. The year of death tells you which one to contact. Recent deaths go to one place. Older deaths go to the archives.
The Office of Vital Statistics, run by the Division of Public Health, holds all death certificates from 1986 to the present. This is the first stop for most people. A certified copy of a Delaware death certificate costs $25. You can order by mail, in person at one of three county offices, or online through an approved vendor. The central office is in Dover inside the Jesse S. Cooper Building. Full guidance is on the Office of Vital Statistics page.
The Delaware Public Archives holds death records 40 years or older. That means all Delaware deaths from 1985 and earlier. The Archives sits at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover. Many older records have been moved to microfilm and digital format for easier use.
Ordering a certified Delaware death certificate starts at the state portal. The Office of Vital Statistics runs the official request process for modern records. You can view the full site below.
The state site explains who may order, what proof of ID is needed, and how to pay. Use it as the first step before you mail or visit.
The Office of Vital Statistics has three in-person offices: New Castle County in Newark, Kent County central in Dover, and Sussex County in Georgetown. All three are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Hours stay the same at each county location.
Delaware Death Certificate Guide
The Delaware.gov Certificates Guide is the state portal that ties it all together. It points you to the right office based on the date of death. This is helpful if you do not know which agency holds the record you want.
The guide also covers apostilles for death certificates used overseas. Apostilles are issued by the Delaware Secretary of State, Division of Corporations. You can find the full overview on the Delaware.gov Certificates Guide.
For pre-1986 records, the guide sends you to the Public Archives. For 1986 to the present, it sends you to the Office of Vital Statistics. Use the phone numbers on the page to double check hours before you go.
Order Delaware Death Records Online
Delaware allows online orders of death certificates through two third-party vendors. Both work directly with the state. Both charge an added service fee on top of the $25 state cost. Both accept major credit cards.
VitalChek is the larger of the two. The company processes about 4 million vital documents a year and has over 35 years in the field. It holds direct relationships with more than 450 government agencies. VitalChek keeps full PCI compliance to protect your personal data. To order a Delaware death certificate online, use the VitalChek Delaware vital records page. The company office sits at University Plaza, Suite 104, 258 Chapman Road, Newark, DE 19702, and the help line is 877-888-0248.
VitalChek ships death certificates to the eligible applicant. A spouse, parent, child, or legal guardian of the deceased can order. You upload a copy of a valid photo ID during checkout.
The second vendor is GoCertificates. The site is another authorized online option for Delaware death records. Orders are sent to the Office of Vital Statistics for processing. Users must upload a photo ID and, when needed, proof of relationship before the order moves forward. The ordering site is at GoCertificates Delaware.
Accepted photo ID includes a state driver's license, state photo ID card, government work ID, or passport. No order is processed until ID and proof of eligibility are on file.
Note: Both online vendors add a service fee on top of the $25 state fee for each certified copy of a Delaware death certificate.
Who Can Get Delaware Death Records
Not every Delaware death certificate is open to the general public right away. Delaware Code Title 16, § 3110 controls access. The rule limits certified copies of recent records to a short list of eligible people.
Under § 3110(b), the State Registrar may issue a certified copy of a vital record to the registrant, the registrant's spouse, children, parents, or guardian, or to an authorized representative of any of those people. Others may be allowed when they show the record is needed for the protection of personal or property rights, or for genealogical work. That last part is broad enough to cover many estate and family history requests.
The Nolo legal guide lays out these same rules in plain English. It is a useful second look if the statute language feels dense. The full summary sits at Nolo's Delaware burial and cremation page.
A death record becomes a public record 40 years after the date of death. At that point anyone can order a copy for any reason. That rule is why the cutoff for the Public Archives is 1985.
Eligible applicants must also show proof. Valid photo ID is required for all Delaware death record orders. Mail orders must include a copy of the ID. Walk-in orders must bring the ID to the office.
Delaware Death Records Fees
The fee for a certified copy of a Delaware death certificate is $25. The same $25 fee applies at the Office of Vital Statistics and at the Delaware Public Archives. Delaware Code § 3132 caps the fee at $25 for each certified or noncertified copy, or for a search of the files when no copy is made.
The $25 charge also covers an Archive search when no record is found. You still pay for the staff time. That is spelled out in the state code. The Registrar also gives one free certified copy of a veteran's death certificate to a relative when it is needed to settle the veteran's affairs.
The CDC "Where to Write" page for Delaware confirms the fee and the mailing address. It is a handy one-page summary. You can view it at the CDC Where to Write page for Delaware.
Mail payment to the Office of Vital Statistics must be by personal check or money order. Make it payable to "Office of Vital Statistics." Cash is not accepted by mail.
Online vendors charge a service fee on top of the $25. That fee varies by vendor and by rush options. VitalChek and GoCertificates both list the extra cost at checkout.
Delaware Public Archives Death Records
The Delaware Public Archives holds death records that are 40 years or older. This block of records is the main source for family history, estate work, and older title chain research. The Archives is at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover.
Over 15,000 rolls of microfilm are on site for self-service use. Smartphones and digital cameras without flash may be used to photograph records after a quick check with the reference archivist. Self-service microfilm copying and scanning are also available in the Research Room. The full overview is on the Delaware Public Archives About page.
Official vital statistics were not kept in a consistent way in Delaware until 1913. The Archives has vital data for years before 1913. Those pre-1913 records were gathered from family Bibles, newspapers, church records, tombstones, and other outside sources. The quality and coverage vary.
The Archives also holds death records from 1650 to 1933 that have been digitized through a free partnership with Ancestry.com for state residents. Delaware residents can enter a state Zip Code on the Ancestry site to get free access to the digitized set.
Before you visit, it helps to read the Archives research guide. It covers what is on site, what you can expect, and what to bring. Walk-ins are fine during Research Room hours but an appointment makes the visit smoother. Details are on the Visiting and Researching page.
An appointment at the Archives gives you a reference interview, a reserved workspace, and a booked microfilm reader. Staff also pull records in advance so they are ready when you arrive. You can set one up by phone at (302) 744-5000 or by email to archives@delaware.gov.
Archives Hours and Location
The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room at the Delaware Public Archives is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Archives is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays.
The First State Heritage Park Welcome Center is at the same Dover campus. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Weekends and state holidays are closed. Full contact info is at the Delaware Public Archives contact page.
Certified copies of Delaware death records from the Archives also cost $25 per copy. Order by email to archives@delaware.gov or by phone at (302) 744-5000. Ask to speak with the archivist taking phone calls.
Delaware Death Records Law
Delaware death records are governed by Title 16, Chapter 31 of the Delaware Code. Chapter 31 covers vital statistics. It defines what a "vital record" is, sets the rules on who can view a record, and lists the penalties for fraud. The full chapter text is on Delaware Code Title 16 Chapter 31.
Under § 3101, a vital record means a certificate or report of birth, death, marriage, divorce, or annulment. Under § 3110, the records and files of the Office of Vital Statistics are confidential. They are not open to public inspection except as allowed by this chapter, by regulation, or by court order.
Under § 3110(f), when 40 years have passed after the date of death, the records become public. This is the key rule that moves records from the Office of Vital Statistics to the Delaware Public Archives. The same rule sets 72 years for birth records and 50 years for marriage records.
The rules on how a death must be reported to the state are spelled out in § 3123. That section also covers who may pronounce a death and when the certificate is due. Read the full registration section at Delaware Code Registration of Deaths.
A certificate of death must be filed with the Office of Vital Statistics within three days of death, or as soon as possible after the death, and before final disposition of the body. All death certificates are filed electronically through the Delaware Vital Events Registration System, known as DelVERS.
Under § 3111, willfully making a false statement on a certificate, counterfeiting a certificate, or using a fake certificate for deception is punishable by up to $10,000 in fines, five years in prison, or both. The state takes the chain of custody of death records seriously.
Vital Statistics Regulations
The Delaware Division of Public Health publishes full regulations for vital statistics. These rules pair with Title 16 Chapter 31 and spell out the day-to-day steps. They cover certificate forms, amendment procedures, and cremation and burial permits. You can read the rules at the Delaware Vital Statistics Regulations page.
A body may be cremated in Delaware only after a special cremation permit is signed by the chief medical examiner or an assistant. The permit must include a death certificate signed by the attending physician and a cremation authorization signed by the next of kin. Within 24 hours of the cremation, a report is sent back to the Office of Vital Statistics with the final disposal of the remains.
Delaware also allows natural organic reduction. That is the accelerated conversion of human remains into soil. The rule sets a temperature floor of 131 degrees Fahrenheit for a 72 hour hold and calls for material sampling. This is newer law and the Division of Public Health tracks it closely.
Division of Forensic Science
Delaware does not use county coroners. The state replaced coroners with a centralized Medical Examiner system. The Chief Medical Examiner and the Assistant and Deputy Medical Examiners handle all the medical and other functions that coroners used to do. This applies to every county and to the City of Wilmington.
The Medical Examiner sits inside the Division of Forensic Science. The Division also runs a Chemistry Unit, a DNA Unit, and a Toxicology section. The full agency page is at Delaware Division of Forensic Science.
A copy of an autopsy report may be released after a written request from the legal next of kin. Autopsy reports are not public. A death certificate, by contrast, can be ordered from the funeral home that handled the service or from the Office of Vital Statistics.
The Medical Examiner certifies all deaths that fall under medical case review. That covers sudden, unexplained, violent, or suspicious deaths. A pending death certificate is filed when the cause of death is not known within 48 hours. A toxicology study follows before the certificate is finalized.
Delaware Death Records by County
Delaware has three counties. Each county has a central Office of Vital Statistics location for in-person orders of death certificates. Each also has a Register of Wills for related estate and probate records.
Delaware Death Records by City
City offices and public libraries often hold obituary, burial, and genealogical data that work with state death records. Pick a city below to find local resources and nearby agencies for Delaware death records.