Search Auburn Death Records
Auburn death records are kept by the Lee County Health Department in Opelika. You can get death certificates there in person or by mail.
Auburn Quick Facts
Where to Get Death Certificates in Auburn
Auburn is part of Lee County. All vital records go through the county health department in Opelika. The office sits about 10 miles east of Auburn on Corporate Drive. Staff can search the state database and print your copy while you wait. Most requests take 15 to 30 minutes in Auburn. The Lee County office links to the ViSION system used across Alabama. This means they can pull up Auburn death certificates or any other death record from the state.
| Office | Lee County Health Department |
|---|---|
| Address | 1801 Corporate Drive Opelika, AL 36801 |
| Phone | (334) 745-5765 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
Bring a valid photo ID. You need the full name of the deceased. Know the date they died. Have the county where death took place. If the death was within 25 years, show proof of your link to the deceased in Alabama.
How to Request a Death Certificate
You can get Auburn death records in several ways. The best choice depends on how fast you need it. It also depends on whether you can make a trip to Opelika in Alabama.
In Person at Lee County Health Department
Walk in during office hours. Fill out a form at the window. Staff will search the database right away. If the death is on file, they print your copy on the spot. This takes 15 to 30 minutes in most cases. The office takes cash, checks, and money orders. Call to ask about card payments in Auburn.
At Any Alabama County Health Department
All 67 county health offices link to the same ViSION system in Alabama. You can walk into any county and ask for an Auburn death record. Same fees apply. This helps if you live far from Lee County now. You do not need to drive back to Auburn.
By Mail Through the State Office
Mail requests go to Montgomery. Get form HS-14 from the state health site. Or write a letter with all the facts. Include a check made out to Center for Health Statistics. Mail it to P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Allow 7 to 10 days for processing in Alabama.
Online Through VitalChek
VitalChek is the state's online partner for vital records in Alabama. Order at vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888. Pay with a card. VitalChek adds fees on top of the state cost. Standard delivery takes about a week. Rush shipping costs more in Auburn.
Death Certificate Fees
Alabama sets the same fees for all counties. The amounts below apply whether you order at Lee County, another county, or through Montgomery in Alabama.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| First certified copy (includes search) | $15.00 |
| Each additional copy (same order) | $6.00 |
| Expedited processing (state office) | $15.00 extra |
| Amendment or correction | $20.00 |
The $15 fee covers both the search and one copy. If no match turns up, you still pay the fee. You get a Certificate of Failure to Find instead. Alabama does not give refunds. Order more copies at once to save. Each extra copy costs just $6 in Auburn.
Who Can Request Auburn Death Records
State law sets the rules. Under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21, death records stay sealed for 25 years. After that, they become public. Anyone can ask for them in Alabama.
For deaths within 25 years, only certain people may get copies in Auburn. Those who qualify include:
- Spouse of the deceased
- Parents of the deceased
- Children of the deceased
- Brothers and sisters
- Grandchildren
- Legal guardians
- Attorneys working for family
- The informant on the original form
- Others with a property interest
State agencies can get records for official use. Researchers may use death data under written deals with the state. Firms seeking bulk data or mailing lists cannot get restricted Auburn death certificates in Alabama.
What Auburn Death Records Show
A death certificate from Alabama holds detailed facts. The document serves legal, financial, and family history purposes. It proves death for courts, banks, and insurance firms. Auburn death records contain the same info as records from any other part of Alabama.
A typical death certificate includes:
- Full legal name of the deceased
- Date of death
- Place of death by city and county
- Cause of death from a doctor or coroner
- Manner of death
- Age at death or date of birth
- Social Security Number
- Names of parents
- Marital status and spouse name
- Usual job and industry
- Education level
- Race and ethnicity
- Home address at time of death
- Funeral home name
- Burial or cremation details
Certified copies hold legal weight. Courts accept them as proof of death in Auburn. Banks use them for estates. Insurance firms need them for claims in Alabama.
Lee County Coroner
Deaths that involve accidents, violence, or sudden causes go through the Lee County Coroner in Alabama. The coroner looks into deaths that need an official ruling. This means car wrecks, falls, and other incidents in Auburn.
When a death needs a look, the coroner checks the scene. If an autopsy is needed, the case goes to the state forensics lab in Montgomery. The lab serves Lee County and most of Alabama. Once done, the cause and manner go on the death certificate. Auburn death records then show the final ruling.
Coroner files and autopsy reports are separate from vital records. Access rules differ from death certificates in Alabama. Call the Lee County Coroner for questions about investigation files in Auburn.
Historical Death Records for Auburn
Alabama started death registration on January 1, 1908. Records from that date are in the state system. The first years had gaps. Not everyone followed the new law right away. By 1925, compliance hit about 90 percent in Alabama. Auburn death records from that era are now mostly complete.
For family research, FamilySearch has a free database. It is called Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974. This set has over 1.8 million names. You can see scans of original certificates at familysearch.org for no charge. The Alabama Archives in Montgomery also offers free access to Ancestry.com in their research room. Auburn death records appear in both sources.
Records older than 25 years are public under state law in Alabama. Anyone can ask for them. You do not need to prove a link to the deceased in Auburn.
Pre-1908 Death Information
Finding death info from before 1908 takes more work. Some counties kept death registers starting in 1881, but coverage varied in Alabama. Other sources for earlier Auburn death information include probate court files, church burial records, cemetery records, newspaper obituaries, and federal mortality census schedules from 1850 to 1880.
Auburn University Resources
Auburn is home to Auburn University. The library special collections may help with local history research in Alabama. While the university does not issue vital records, researchers find useful context there. The Lee-Russell Council of Governments also serves the Auburn area. However, for death certificates, the Lee County Health Department remains the official source in Auburn.
Nearby Alabama Cities
Looking for death records in other parts of Alabama? These cities have pages with local office details:
Lee County Death Records
For full details about death records in Lee County, visit our county page. You will find more about the county health department, coroner office, and related resources for Auburn in Alabama.
Search Auburn Death Records
Use the search tool below to find death records in Auburn or elsewhere in Alabama.