Hoover Death Records Lookup
Hoover death records are available through two county health departments. Most of Hoover sits in Jefferson County. A portion extends into Shelby County in Alabama.
Hoover Quick Facts
Where to Get Death Certificates in Hoover
Hoover crosses county lines. Most of the city lies within Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Department of Health handles the bulk of Hoover death records. The department runs apart from the state health system but still links to the ViSION database in Alabama.
Jefferson County Department of Health
| Office | Jefferson County Department of Health |
|---|---|
| Address | 1400 Sixth Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233 |
| Phone | (205) 933-9110 |
| Vital Records | (205) 930-1106 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:15 PM |
For Hoover residents in Shelby County, the Shelby County Health Department in Pelham also issues death certificates. Both offices link to the state database. Either one can pull up any Hoover death record in Alabama.
Shelby County Health Department
| Office | Shelby County Health Department |
|---|---|
| Address | 2000 County Services Drive Pelham, AL 35124 |
| Phone | (205) 664-2470 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
How to Request a Death Certificate
Hoover residents can get death certificates in several ways. Your choice depends on speed and whether you can visit an office in person in Alabama.
In Person at Jefferson County Health
The fastest way is to visit the Jefferson County Department of Health in downtown Birmingham. Walk in during office hours. Fill out the form. Staff will search the database for Hoover death records. If the death is on file, they print your copy while you wait. Most requests take 15 to 30 minutes in Alabama.
At Shelby County or Any County Office
All 67 county health offices in Alabama link to the same state system. You can walk into the Shelby County Health Department in Pelham. You can go to the Mobile County office on the coast. Any county can find Hoover death records. The fees stay the same no matter which office you use in Alabama.
By Mail Through Montgomery
Send a request to the Center for Health Statistics at P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Include form HS-14 or a letter with the deceased person's name, date of death, and your link to them. Make your check out to Center for Health Statistics. Processing takes 7 to 10 days in Alabama.
Online Through VitalChek
VitalChek is the official online partner for Alabama vital records. Order at vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888. Pay by card. VitalChek adds service fees on top of the state cost. Standard orders take about a week for Hoover death certificates. Rush options cost more in Alabama.
Death Certificate Fees
Alabama charges the same fees for death certificates at all counties. The rates below apply at Jefferson County, Shelby County, and the state office in Montgomery.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| First certified copy (includes search) | $15.00 |
| Each additional copy (same order) | $6.00 |
| Expedited processing (state office) | $15.00 extra |
| Amendment to death certificate | $20.00 |
The $15 search fee applies even if no record is found. You get a Certificate of Failure to Find instead. Fees do not get refunded in Alabama. If you need several copies for estate or insurance matters, order them all at once to save on Hoover death certificates.
Who Can Request Hoover Death Records
Access rules depend on when the person died. Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21 keeps death records sealed for 25 years. After that, anyone can ask for a copy for any reason in Hoover.
During the 25-year period, only certain people can get copies. Those who qualify include:
- Spouse of the deceased
- Parents of the deceased
- Children of the deceased
- Siblings of the deceased
- Grandchildren
- Legal guardians
- Attorneys handling estate matters
- Funeral directors involved with the case
- The informant on the form
- Anyone with a property or personal interest
Courts and government agencies may also access Hoover death records under certain rules in Alabama. The state does not give death data to firms seeking mailing lists or bulk copies.
What Hoover Death Records Show
An Alabama death certificate is a legal document. It holds facts about the deceased and the death. The info proves useful for estates, claims, and family research in Hoover.
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
- 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 in Alabama. Courts accept them as proof of death in Hoover. Banks use them for estates. Insurance firms need them for claims.
Jefferson County Medical Examiner
Deaths in the Jefferson County part of Hoover that involve violence, accidents, or sudden causes go through the medical examiner. Jefferson County has a full medical examiner system. Most Alabama counties use elected coroners instead. The medical examiner office is accredited in Alabama.
The office looks at roughly 950 bodies each year in Birmingham. This includes about 150 homicide cases. When a death needs review, the medical examiner finds the cause and manner. This info goes on the Hoover death certificate. The process may take time if an autopsy is needed in Alabama.
If a death involved a medical examiner investigation in Hoover, there may be extra records beyond the death certificate. Autopsy reports and investigation files follow different access rules in Alabama.
Historical Death Records
Alabama began keeping death records on January 1, 1908. Records from that date are in the state system. Early years had some gaps. Full registration did not hit until around 1925 in Alabama. Hoover as a city is fairly new. It was formed in 1967. But deaths in the area before that still show in state records under the county where they happened.
For family research, FamilySearch has a free database. It is called Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974. This set has over 1.8 million names with scans of original certificates. You can search at familysearch.org for no cost. The Alabama Archives in Montgomery also gives free access to Ancestry.com for visitors using their research room in Alabama.
Records older than 25 years are open to the public. Anyone can ask for these older Hoover death certificates without proving a link to the deceased in Alabama.
Nearby Alabama Cities
Need death records from other cities in the Birmingham area or elsewhere in Alabama? These pages have local details:
Jefferson County Death Records
Most of Hoover lies within Jefferson County. This is the most populous county in Alabama. For full details about Jefferson County death records, office info, and more, visit our county page.
Search Hoover Death Records
Use the search tool below to find death records in Hoover or anywhere in Alabama.