Autauga County Death Index

Autauga County death records date back to 1908. You can get them at the health department in Prattville. The state keeps all vital records in a database called ViSION, so staff can pull up Autauga County death certificates for deaths here or anywhere in Alabama.

Autauga County Health Department

The Autauga County Health Department is your main stop for death certificates in Autauga County. Staff can search the state vital records system. They print certified copies on the spot. You do not need to go to Montgomery or use the state office.

How to Request Death Certificates

You have a few ways to get Autauga County death certificates. The fastest way is to go in person. Walk into the health department on North Court Street in Prattville. Bring your ID. Fill out a short form. Staff can look up the death record and print a certified copy while you wait. Most visits take 15 to 30 minutes in Autauga County.

You can mail in a request if you live far away. Send a letter to the health department with the name of the person who died, the date of death, and your name and address. Include a check or money order for the fee. They will mail the certificate back in about a week. Sometimes it takes two weeks if they are busy in Autauga County.

You can also order online through VitalChek. This is the company Alabama uses for web orders. VitalChek charges an extra fee on top of the state fee. However, you can pay by credit card and track your order. Go to the Alabama Center for Health Statistics page and click the link to order vital records online.

Who Can Request Death Certificates

Alabama law puts rules on who can get death certificates. Under state law, death records stay private for 25 years from the date of death. Once a record is more than 25 years old, anyone can get a copy. No need to prove you are family.

For records less than 25 years old, only certain people can order Autauga County death records. You can get a copy if you are a close family member of the person who died. This means a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, or grandchild. Legal reps like lawyers and funeral homes can get copies too. Anyone with a court order can request a copy in Alabama.

Not sure if you qualify? Call the health department. They deal with these questions all the time in Autauga County.

Death Certificate Fees

Fees for Autauga County death certificates are set by the state. They are the same here as anywhere in Alabama. The fee structure is as follows:

The fee is not refundable. Even if they can not find the record, you pay. You get a "Certificate of Failure to Find" which proves you looked. Make sure you have good info before you pay in Autauga County.

What Death Certificates Show

Autauga County death certificates have a lot of facts packed onto one page. The top part lists basic info. You will see the full name, date of birth, date of death, and where the person died. It also shows race, sex, Social Security number, and home address.

The middle section covers medical stuff. It shows the cause of death. It lists any other conditions that played a role. It shows whether an autopsy was done. The doctor or coroner who signed off on the death is named here too in Alabama.

At the bottom is info about the burial or cremation. It lists the funeral home. It shows the date of disposition. It tells where the body was laid to rest. This section can help if you are trying to track down a grave site in Autauga County.

The Autauga County Health Department processes death certificate requests through the Alabama ViSION system.

Alabama Vital Statistics Law

All the rules about death records in Alabama come from Title 22, Chapter 9A of the Alabama Code. This is the Alabama Vital Statistics Act of 1992. It lays out how deaths get registered, who can get copies, and what fees apply.

Section 22-9A-14 says every death in Alabama must be filed with the state within five days. The funeral home or person in charge of the body files it. The doctor or coroner fills out the cause of death part. If the cause is not known right away, the certificate gets marked "pending" until they figure it out.

Section 22-9A-21 is the big one for privacy. It says death records are private for 25 years, then open to the public. Only family, legal reps, and government agencies can get copies during that 25 year window in Alabama.

Section 22-9A-23 lets the state set fees. The fees have to be approved by the State Board of Health. They can change them from time to time in Alabama.

Other Ways to Find Death Records

The health department is not the only place to look for death info in Autauga County. Depending on what you need, one of these other sources might work better for you.

The Autauga County Probate Court keeps records on estates and wills. If someone died and left property behind, there is probably a probate file with their name on it. The file will not have the death certificate. However, it will have the date of death and a lot of info about the estate in Autauga County.

Newspapers are good sources too. The Prattville Progress and other local papers ran obituaries going back many years. Some of these are online now. The Prattville Public Library has old copies on microfilm in Alabama.

For very old deaths, before 1908, you have to dig into church records, cemetery logs, and family bibles. The state did not start keeping vital records until January 1908. Even then, it took until 1925 for most counties to report all deaths. So early records are hit or miss in Autauga County.

Cities in Autauga County

Autauga County has several towns. Prattville is the largest. It is also the county seat. None of the cities in Autauga County have a population over 50,000. Residents get death records through the county health department rather than a city office.

Major communities include Prattville, Autaugaville, Billingsley, Booth, and Pine Level. All Autauga County death certificates for residents of these areas are handled by the health department in Prattville.

Nearby Counties