Etowah County Death Certificate Search

Etowah County death records are at the county health department on East Broad Street in Gadsden. Staff use the Alabama ViSION database. They can search and print death certificates for anyone who died in Alabama. Records go back to 1908. Etowah County death certificates more than 25 years old are public. Recent records stay restricted in Alabama.

Etowah County Health Department

The Etowah County Health Department is on East Broad Street in downtown Gadsden. This is where you go for death certificates in Etowah County. It is also where you go for birth records. The office handles both vital records and environmental health. There are separate phone numbers for each in Alabama.

Bring a photo ID when you visit. This is a must. For Etowah County death certificates from the past 25 years, you need to prove you can get the record. You must show your tie to the person who died or your legal role as an estate rep in Alabama.

How to Get a Death Certificate

Etowah County residents can get death certificates in several ways. The right choice depends on your time frame. It also depends on whether you can visit the Gadsden office in Alabama.

Visit the Health Department

Going in person to the Etowah County Health Department is the fastest option. Staff can search the database. They can print your copy on the spot. Most visits take 20 to 30 minutes. You can pay with cash, check, or money order. Bring the full name of the person who died. Bring their date of death. Bring the county where the death took place in Alabama.

Mail a Request to Montgomery

The Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery takes written requests. You can use this for Etowah County death records or any county in Alabama. Download form HS-14 from the state health site. Send 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. Allow about two weeks total.

Order Online

VitalChek is the official online vendor for Alabama vital records. You can pay by card. You can choose your shipping method. However, VitalChek adds service fees on top of state fees. Total cost is usually $40 or more. Standard processing takes 7 to 10 days for Etowah County.

Etowah County Death Certificate Fees

The State Board of Health sets vital records fees under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-23. These same fees apply at the Etowah County Health Department. They also apply at the state office in Montgomery.

The fee covers the search in Etowah County. It does not matter if a record is found. If no match exists, you get a Certificate of Failure to Find. Fees are not refundable in Alabama. Check your info before paying.

Who Can Request Etowah County Death Records

Access rules for death records depend on when the person died in Alabama. Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21 keeps death certificates private for 25 years. After 25 years pass, the records become public. Anyone can request old Etowah County death records.

For deaths in the past 25 years, only these people can get Etowah 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 court documents
• The informant listed on the record

People with direct stakes may also qualify in Etowah County. This includes insurance companies processing claims. It includes attorneys settling estates. It includes funeral homes with unpaid accounts in Alabama. Government agencies can access records for official work.

Historical Death Records in Etowah County

Statewide death registration in Alabama began on January 1, 1908. It took until about 1925 for most deaths to be recorded. For Etowah County deaths before 1908, you need other record types in Alabama.

Probate court records often mention death dates in Etowah County. Estate files, wills, and administration records are good sources. Church records of funerals and burials help for families with long church ties. 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 vital records. Staff can help you search newspapers, census records, and other sources. They offer free access to Ancestry.com in their research room for Etowah County research.

FamilySearch provides a free database called Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974. It has over 1.8 million names. You can search and view images of the original certificates at no charge in Alabama.

Death Investigation in Etowah County

Most deaths in Etowah County follow a simple path. The doctor certifies the cause. The funeral home files the certificate within five days per Alabama Code Section 22-9A-14.

Deaths from violence, accidents, suicide, or sudden unknown causes go to the Etowah County Coroner. The coroner is an elected official in Alabama. They look into the facts. They may order an autopsy. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences handles autopsies at its labs.

Etowah County cases typically go to the Huntsville forensic lab. A forensic pathologist examines the body. They report findings to the coroner. The coroner then completes the death certificate with the official cause and manner of death for Etowah County.

Nearby Counties

Etowah County sits in northeast Alabama along the Coosa River. These nearby counties also have health departments. You can request death certificates from anywhere in Alabama at any of them.

Cities in Etowah County

Etowah County includes Gadsden, Rainbow City, Attalla, Southside, Glencoe, Hokes Bluff, and other towns. Gadsden is the county seat. It is also the largest city with around 33,000 people. No cities in Etowah County meet the 50,000 threshold for a city page.

For Etowah County death records of anyone who died here, visit the health department at the Gadsden address above. The nearest major city with its own page is Birmingham. It is about 60 miles southwest of Gadsden in Alabama.