Washington Vital Records:
Center for Health Statistics
P.O. Box 47814
Olympia, WA 98504-7814
Phone: (360) 236-4300
What You Need to Know:
Personal check or money order should be made payable to Department of Health. Call or visit the Web site to verify current fees. When ordering by mail, it normally takes 2–3 weeks to receive your certificate. You can also order online or by phone or fax for an additional service fee (processed through the VitalChek network).
Web site: Washington Center for Health Statistics
Washington Birth Records:
Dates: From 1 July 1907*
Cost of copy: $20.00
Comments: Washington generally requires you to have exact information to request a birth certificates - they do not do searches for multiple dates, counties, etc. You must provide the following information for births: name on record; date of birth; place of birth (city or county); mother’s maiden name; and father’s name if listed.
Application for Washington Birth Certificate
* The Washington State Archives has birth registers, or returns of births, recorded by each county auditor prior to 1907 when the functions were transferred to the state. With a few exceptions, births prior to 1891 were not recorded by any level of government in the state of Washington, and even after 1891, many births went unrecorded. Birth registers may include the names of parents, name of child, date, and birthplace.
Online:
Washington Digital Archives – Birth registers for many Washington county auditors are indexed in the online Washington State Digital Archives.
Washington Death Records:
Dates: From 1 July 1907*
Cost of copy: $20.00
Comments: The fee for a death certificate includes a 10-year search. You must provide the following information for deaths: name on record; place of death (city or county); and approximate date of death.
Application for Washington Death Certificate
* The Washington State Archives has death registers, or returns of deaths, recorded by each county auditor prior to 1907 when the functions were transferred to the state. With a few exceptions, deaths prior to 1891 were not recorded by any level of government in the state of Washington, and even after 1891, many deaths went unrecorded. Death registers may include the name, date, location and cause of death, place of birth, and parents' names and places of birth.
Online:
Washington Digital Archives – Death registers for many Washington county auditors are indexed in the online Washington State Digital Archives.
Washington Marriage Records:
Dates: From 1 January 1968*
Cost of Copy: $20.00
Comments: The fee for a Washington marriage certificate from the state vital records office includes a 10-year search. You must provide as much as you can of the following information for marriages: husband's name, wife's name (including maiden name), approximate date of marriage, and licensing county.
Application for Washington Marriage Certificate
* Pre-1968 marriage records dating from 1866 or county formation (including Marriage Returns, Marriage Registers, Applications, Licenses, Affidavits, and Certificates) can be obtained from the County Auditor where the marriage occurred or from the State Archives Regional Branch representing that county.
Online:
Washington Digital Archives – Indexed, digitized images to Washington marriage records from the beginning of recording to close to present day.
Washington Divorce Records:
Dates: From 1 January 1968*
Cost of Copy: $20.00
Comments: The fee for a Washington divorce certificate from the state vital records office includes a 10-year search. You must provide as much as you can of the following information for marriages: husband's name, wife's name (including maiden name), approximate date of divorce, and filing county.
Application for Washington Divorce Certificate
* Pre-1968 divorce records can be obtained from the County Clerk where the divorce occurred.
