Geneva County Death Certificate Search

Geneva County death records are at the county health department in Hartford. The office uses the Alabama ViSION database. Staff can search and print death certificates for anyone who died in Alabama. State records go back to 1908. Geneva County death certificates for deaths more than 25 years ago are public. Recent death records stay restricted in Alabama.

Geneva County Health Department

The Geneva County Health Department handles death certificates in Geneva County. It also handles other vital records. The office is on County Road 41 near Hartford. Note that it is not in the city of Geneva, which is the county seat. Staff can look up records in the state database. They can print certified copies on the spot. Most walk-in visits take about 20 to 30 minutes in Alabama.

Bring a valid photo ID when you visit. This is a must. For Geneva County death certificates from the past 25 years, you also need proof that you can get the record. Family members should bring papers that show their tie to the person who died. Legal reps need court papers in Alabama.

How to Request a Death Certificate

Geneva County residents have several ways to get death certificates. Each has different costs and time frames in Alabama.

Visit in Person

Going to the Geneva County Health Department in person is the fastest way. Staff can search the database. They can print your copy while you wait. Bring cash, check, or a 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 Request to Montgomery

The Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery takes mail orders for Geneva County death records or any county in Alabama. Download form HS-14 from the state health site. Fill it out. Send it with a check to P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Make the check out to Center for Health Statistics. Plan for about two weeks total.

Order Online

VitalChek handles online orders for Alabama vital records. You can pay by card. You can pick your shipping speed. VitalChek adds fees beyond the state fee. Expect to pay around $40 or more. Standard orders take 7 to 10 days to arrive in Geneva County.

Geneva County Death Certificate Fees

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

Fees are not refundable in Geneva County. If the search finds no match, you get a Certificate of Failure to Find. Make sure your info is right before paying in Alabama.

Who Can Get Geneva County Death Records

Rules for accessing death certificates depend on the record's age in Alabama. Under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21, death records stay private for 25 years. After that, they become public. Anyone can request old Geneva County death records.

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

• Spouse of the person who died
• Parents of the person who died
• Adult children of the person who died
• Brothers and sisters of the person who died
• Grandchildren of the person who died
• Legal reps with court documents
• The informant named on the certificate

Others with direct stakes may also qualify in Geneva County. Insurance companies often have valid reasons. Funeral homes do too. Attorneys handling estates can often get records in Alabama. Government agencies can access records for official work.

Historical Death Records in Geneva County

Alabama began statewide death registration on January 1, 1908. Full compliance took years to build in Alabama. By about 1925, roughly 90 percent of deaths were being recorded. For Geneva County deaths before 1908, you need other record types.

Probate court records often mention death dates in Geneva County. Estate files, wills, and guardianship papers are useful sources. Church records of funerals and burials can help. Cemetery records and grave markers 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 give free access to Ancestry.com in the research room for Geneva County research.

FamilySearch offers 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 Geneva County

Most deaths in Geneva County follow a standard process. 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 Geneva County Coroner. 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.

Geneva County is served by the Montgomery forensic lab. When the coroner orders an autopsy, the body goes there for examination in Alabama. The coroner uses the findings to complete the death certificate with the official cause and manner of death for Geneva County.

Nearby Counties

Geneva County sits in southeast Alabama near the Florida state line. These nearby counties also have health departments for death certificate requests in Alabama.

Cities in Geneva County

Geneva County includes the city of Geneva, Samson, Hartford, Slocomb, and other towns. Geneva is the county seat. No cities in Geneva County reach the 50,000 threshold for a city page.

For Geneva County death records of anyone who died here, visit the health department at the Hartford address above. The nearest major city with its own page is Dothan. It is about 25 miles east in Houston County in Alabama.