How Do I Find Death Records in Minnesota?

Minnesota death records can be found in your local county registrar’s office. Once certified, these documents are sent to the Office of Vital Statistics, Minnesota’s Department of Health, for review. This office ensures that the information on these documents is correct and up to state standards. Then, they are placed on the state’s official death records database. You can search Minnesota death records for an individual by name, including alternative spellings. Some people may have used middle or nickname instead of their legal given names.

Obtaining a Copy of a Certified Death Certificate

Certified death certificates can be obtained from county vital records offices in Minnesota. Certified death certificates may be ordered by mail or in person. To get a certified copy, you must show that you have some tangible interest in the subject and be able to provide proof of the claim. You may also need to show identification to obtain a certified death certificate.

A certified death certificate is a permanent record of a person’s death. It contains essential personal information about the deceased, such as the cause and location of the end. In addition, the certificate also includes the name and address of the person who applied for the certificate.

Searching For Non-Certified Death Certificates

If you are searching for non-certified death certificates in Minnesota, there are several places you can look. You can search online for these records or look up obituaries in your local newspaper. You can also find the deceased’s birth and death dates through ancestry websites, although you may need to pay for the service.

You can also visit the state archive to obtain these records. These offices are open to the public and require a completed application. You can pay with cash or a check made out to Scott County or with your credit card, but you will have to pay a convenience fee of approximately $2.25.

While the database provides the death date, county, and certificate number, it is not an official record. Information may be misspelled or incomplete, and some descriptions are missing altogether. For example, there may be no records for a particular county from 1991 to 2001. Also, some death certificates may not be available in certain months.

Searching All Possible Variants of a Name

When searching for a deceased person’s death records, it’s essential to explore all possible spellings of the name. This is because some people used alternate spellings or used a middle name instead of their legal given name. Also, not all counties have duplicate death records. Therefore, checking the county records in the area where you suspect the person died is essential. Death certificates of American Indians often contain a mix of Dakota and Ojibwe language names. These names are often combined with Anglicized versions of the names on the death certificate. Usually, death certificates for American Indians are filed in the category of “Unorganized Territory.”

In addition to the first and last name, you should search for the decedent’s maiden name to see if there is a matching record. This way, you’ll get the exact date and county of death of the person. If the end is not registered in Minnesota, you can still find that person’s death certificate.