Arizona Death Records

An Arizona death record is a legal document containing the details of a person's death in the state, including the place, date, and time of death, as well as information about what led to the death. With an average of 70,155 deaths recorded each year, the state's mortality rate stands at 780.5 per 100,000 residents, which is slightly lower than the United States average of 793.7 per 100,000 total population.

While Arizona maintains a sampling of death records from other sources from 1877, statewide recording of death started in July 1909. By 1926, the state had achieved about 90% compliance on death registrations by cities and counties. The primary death record in Arizona is the death certificate. A death certificate contains the personal information of a deceased person and the details of their death circumstances.

When someone dies in Arizona, a healthcare provider completes and signs a medical certificate of death on a death certificate within 72 hours under normal circumstances. Afterward, the next of kin or funeral director completes the demographic section of the certificate, and it is then filed with the Bureau of Vital Records under the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS). Once the original death certificate is filed with the AZDHS, certified copies of the death certificate will be available for ordering. A certified copy of a death certificate is a verified copy of the original with a special embossed government seal.

How Do I Get a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate in Arizona?

Eligible and interested individuals may obtain a certified copy of an Arizona death certificate from the state's Department of Health Services (AZDHS) through the Bureau of Vital Records. They can make their requests using any of the following options:

• Mail Application - Take the following steps to apply for a certified copy of an Arizona death certificate by mail:
• Complete the Application for a Certified Copy of Death Certificate Form.
• Prepare a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID (front and back).
• Prepare a self-addressed stamped envelope.
• Add the proof of eligibility to obtain a copy of the sought death certificate.
• Pay a $20 processing fee. Acceptable payment methods include money orders, cashier's checks, MasterCard, or Visa. The full card number and expiration date should be included on the application if the application fee is paid by debit/credit card. Money orders and cashier's checks should be made payable to the Office of Vital Records. Cash payment is not acceptable.
• Mail the completed application form and all the necessary documentation to the AZDHS at:

It takes about 5 business days from the date the Bureau of Vital Records receives an application for a certified copy of an Arizona death certificate to process it.

• In-Person Application - The AZDHS Bureau of Vital Records no longer accepts walk-in applications for certified copies of death certificates at its headquarters. However, eligible and interested persons may visit their local county health department's Office of Vital Records to submit a walk-in request. Employees at the local Vital Records Office will guide requesters through the application process, but the applicants should contact the local office in advance to inquire if they need to schedule an appointment.

Are Arizona Death Records Public?

Death records are not considered public in Arizona, as the state is a closed-record state. Under state law, records of deaths that occurred within the last 50 years are not open to public disclosure because they are confidential. Access to these records is restricted to only eligible persons or entities to protect citizens' confidential rights.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Arizona?

The state's Bureau of Vital Records keeps original death certificates of all death events in Arizona and does not issue them to the public. It can only issue certified copies of those original documents to eligible persons, as required by state law. Under Section R19-19-314 and R9-19-315 of the Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C), only the following persons or entities may request a certified copy of a death certificate in the state:

• Spouse, parent, adult child (at least 18 years old), grandchild (aged at least 18), grandparent, and sibling.
• Funeral director or anyone designated by the director
• Someone named in a court order
• Anyone other than a funeral director responsible for final disposition
• An individual designated in a power of attorney
• A hospital or healthcare provider
• An individual authorized by an eligible person
• A beneficiary of the decedent's life insurance policy
• An individual named as the beneficiary or executor of the decedent's estate
• An attorney representing an individual eligible to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate
• A financial institution or an insurance company
• Someone with a court order who has a claim against the decedent's estate
• Government agency
• Consulate of a foreign government

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in Arizona?

In most cases, especially for deaths that occurred naturally and under regular circumstances, certified copies of Arizona death certificates are available within 5 business days after the original copies have been filed with the Bureau of Vital Records. However, certain factors may delay this timeline. When this happens, it could take several weeks or months before a death certificate is available in the state. One such instance is when someone dies under suspicious circumstances, and an autopsy is needed to determine the cause and manner of death.

Generally, Section 11-593 of the Arizona Revised Statute requires the Office of the Medical Examiner to investigate deaths that occur under unusual circumstances. These include unexpected or unexplained death, death resulting from violence, and death occurring suspiciously. The types and number of tests performed and how long it takes to prepare the reports from those tests impact how long it takes for the death certificate to be completed.

When the cause or manner of death is not identified immediately after examination, and further investigation or laboratory testing is required, the Medical Examiner lists the cause and manner of death as "Pending". However, after concluding its investigation, the Office of Medical Examiner will file an amendment to the death certificate with the Bureau of Vital Records, following which eligible persons may apply for certified copies. All of these factors delay the prompt availability of a death certificate in the state.

Can I View Arizona Death Records online for free?

Copies of Arizona death records, specifically those of death events that occurred over 50 years ago, are available online through different resources. For instance, interested persons may view such death records on the Arizona Department of Health Services' Genealogy Record Search platform. They must provide the decedent's name and the range of years during which the said death occurred. Similarly, Ancestry.com has Arizona death records for deaths that occurred between 1881 and 1971, while other historical death records are available on FamilySearch.org.

Furthermore, third-party websites like Arizonapublicrecords.us can provide information about the state's publicly available death records, however, at a small fee. These sites provide a convenient option to access records of death events in the state. Where someone needs to find information about a death event with no official record in Arizona, they may try one of the following substitute records:

• Cemetery records
• Church records
• Newspapers
• Obituaries
• Tax records
• Probate records
• Local census records
• City Directories

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Arizona?

While a death certificate is the primary legal evidence of a person's death, it is generally used for several other purposes. Certified copies of an Arizona death certificate are needed for several legal matters and administrative purposes in the state, including the following:

• Claiming several benefits like pension payments, life insurance payout, and other retirement benefits.
• Genealogy research
• Administering probate
• Settling decedents' estates
• Notifying the Social Security Administration of a person's death and terminating Social Security payments
• Closing decedent's bank accounts and canceling their credit cards to prevent fraud
• Transferring the title of a deceased person's property to another individual
• Tax filings about decedents' estates

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Arizona?

For most people, the average number of death certificate copies needed in Arizona ranges from 8 to 12. However, the actual number varies greatly by family, depending on the size of the deceased person's estate and the circumstances leading to the death event. Generally, when deciding the number of certified copies of a death certificate to obtain in Arizona, consider the decedent's assets like employer benefits, insurance policies, income tax returns, utilities, stocks and bonds, real estate titles, vehicle titles, and financial institutions.