Elmore County Death Records

Elmore County death certificates are at the county health department in Wetumpka. The office uses the state ViSION database. This means you can request death records for anyone who died in Alabama. You do not have to use the Elmore County office just for local deaths. State records go back to 1908. Records more than 25 years old are public. Newer Elmore County death records are restricted in Alabama.

Elmore County Health Department

The Elmore County Health Department is on U.S. Highway 231 in Wetumpka. This is where you go for death certificates in Elmore County. Staff can search the state database. They can give you a certified copy while you wait. The office also handles birth certificates and other public health programs in Alabama.

Bring a photo ID when you visit. This is a must in Elmore County. For deaths in the past 25 years, you need to prove you qualify. Family members should bring documents that show their tie to the person who died. Attorneys and estate reps need court papers in Alabama.

How to Get an Elmore County Death Certificate

There are three main ways to request Elmore County death certificates. Your choice depends on how soon you need the record. It also depends on whether you can travel to Wetumpka in Alabama.

Visit the Health Department

Going to the Elmore County Health Department in person is the fastest option. Staff can look up the record and print your copy on the spot. Most visits take about 20 to 30 minutes. Bring cash, check, or money order to pay. You need the full name of the person who died. You need their date of death. You need the county where the death took place in Alabama.

Mail Your Request to Montgomery

You can send a written request to the Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery. Download form HS-14 from the Alabama Department of Public Health site. Fill it out. Mail it with a check or money order to P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Make the check out to Center for Health Statistics. Processing takes 7 to 10 days, plus mail time to Elmore County.

Order Online

VitalChek is the state's official online partner for Elmore County death records. You can pay by card. You can choose your shipping speed. However, VitalChek adds service fees. Total cost runs around $40 or more in Alabama. Standard delivery takes about 7 to 10 days.

Elmore County Death Certificate Fees

The State Board of Health sets fees under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-23. These rates are the same at all county health departments in Alabama. They are the same at the state office in Montgomery.

The search fee is not refundable in Elmore County. If no record is found, you get a Certificate of Failure to Find. Check your info before paying in Alabama.

Who Can Request Elmore County Death Records

Access to death records in Alabama depends on the record's age. Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21 makes death certificates private for 25 years. After that, anyone can request a copy of Elmore County death records.

For deaths in the past 25 years, only these people may get Elmore County death certificates:

• The spouse of the person who died
• Parents of the person who died
• Adult children of the person who died
• Siblings of the person who died
• Grandchildren of the person who died
• Legal reps with proper court papers
• The informant listed on the record

People with a direct stake may also qualify in Elmore County. This includes insurance companies processing claims. It includes funeral homes with unpaid bills. It includes attorneys handling estates in Alabama. Government agencies can access records for official work.

Historical Death Records in Elmore County

Statewide death registration in Alabama began January 1, 1908. It took until about 1925 for most deaths to be recorded. If you need info about deaths in Elmore County before 1908, you must look elsewhere in Alabama.

Probate court records are useful for early death info in Elmore County. Estate files, wills, and administration records often give death dates. Church records of burials and funerals can help. Cemetery records and headstone inscriptions give dates for many people in Alabama.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery has microfilm of early county records. Staff can help you search newspapers, census records, and other sources. They offer free access to Ancestry.com in their research room for Elmore County research.

FamilySearch has a free database of Alabama Deaths from 1908 to 1974. You can search by name. You can see images of the original documents. This collection covers over 1.8 million deaths in Alabama.

Death Investigation in Elmore County

Most deaths in Elmore County follow a simple process. The doctor signs the death certificate. The funeral home files it within five days per Alabama Code Section 22-9A-14.

When someone dies from violence, an accident, suicide, or suddenly without a doctor, the Elmore County Coroner takes over. The coroner is an elected official in Alabama. They look into the facts. They decide if an autopsy is needed. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences does autopsies when ordered.

Elmore County is served by the Montgomery forensic lab. If the coroner requests an autopsy, the body goes to Montgomery in Alabama. The coroner uses the results to complete the death certificate for Elmore County.

Nearby Counties

Elmore County sits just north of Montgomery in central Alabama. These nearby counties also have health departments. You can request death certificates from anywhere in Alabama at any of them.

Cities in Elmore County

Elmore County includes Wetumpka, Prattville (which partly sits in Autauga County), Millbrook, Tallassee, Eclectic, Coosada, and other towns. Wetumpka is the county seat. No cities in Elmore County meet the 50,000 threshold for a city page.

For Elmore County death records of anyone who died here, visit the health department at the Wetumpka address above. The nearest major city with its own page is Montgomery. It is about 15 miles south in Alabama.