Greene County Death Index

Greene County death records are at the county health department in Eutaw. The office connects to the state ViSION database. Staff can search and print death certificates for deaths anywhere in Alabama. Records go back to 1908. Greene County death certificates more than 25 years old are public. Recent death records stay restricted in Alabama. Greene County has the smallest population of any county in the state. However, the same vital records rules apply here.

Greene County Health Department

The Greene County Health Department is on Morrow Avenue in Eutaw. This office handles death certificates in Greene County. It also handles birth records and other vital documents. Staff use the Alabama ViSION system to search records. They print certified copies while you wait. The visit usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes in Alabama.

Bring a valid photo ID when you visit. This is a must. For Greene County death certificates from the past 25 years, you need proof that you qualify. Family members should have papers that show their tie to the person who died. Estate reps need court papers in Alabama.

How to Request a Death Certificate

Greene County residents can get death certificates in several ways. Each option has trade-offs on time and cost in Alabama.

Walk In to the Health Department

Visiting the Greene 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 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 they died in Alabama.

Mail Order to State Office

The Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery takes mail requests for Greene 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. Processing takes about 7 to 10 days, plus mail time.

Order Online

VitalChek is the official online vendor for Alabama vital records. You can pay by card. You can choose your shipping method. VitalChek adds extra fees beyond the state fee. Total cost runs around $40 or more. Standard processing takes 7 to 10 days for Greene County.

Greene County Death Certificate Fees

Alabama Code Section 22-9A-23 gives the State Board of Health authority to set vital records fees. The same fees apply at all county health departments in Alabama. They apply at the state office too.

Fees are not refundable in Greene County. Even if no record is found, you pay. When the search fails, you get a Certificate of Failure to Find. Check your info before paying in Alabama.

Who Can Get Greene County Death Records

Access rules for 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 Greene County death records.

For deaths in the past 25 years, only these people may request Greene 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 proper papers
• The informant named on the certificate

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

Historical Death Records in Greene County

Statewide death registration in Alabama began January 1, 1908. Full compliance took time. By about 1925, roughly 90 percent of deaths were being recorded in Alabama. For Greene County deaths before 1908, you need other record types.

Probate court records often contain death dates in Greene County. Estate files, wills, and administration papers are good sources. Church records of funerals and burials help trace deaths. Cemetery records and grave markers give dates for many people in Alabama.

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

FamilySearch provides a free database of Alabama Deaths from 1908 to 1974. You can search by name. You can view images of the original certificates at no charge. The collection has over 1.8 million names in Alabama.

Death Investigation in Greene County

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

When someone dies from violence, an accident, suicide, or suddenly without clear cause, the Greene County Coroner investigates. The coroner is an elected official in Alabama. They look at the facts. They may order an autopsy. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences handles autopsies.

Greene County falls under the region served by the Montgomery forensic lab. When an autopsy is needed, the body goes there for examination in Alabama. The coroner then uses the findings to complete the death certificate for Greene County.

Nearby Counties

Greene County sits in west-central Alabama in the Black Belt region. These nearby counties also have health departments for death certificate requests in Alabama.

Cities in Greene County

Greene County includes Eutaw, Forkland, and other small towns. Eutaw is both the county seat and the largest city. Greene County has the smallest population of any county in Alabama. It has about 7,100 residents. No cities in Greene County reach the 50,000 threshold for a city page.

For Greene County death records of anyone who died here, visit the health department at the Eutaw address above. The nearest major city with its own page is Tuscaloosa. It is about 35 miles north in Alabama.