Georgia can be a treasure trove of historical and genealogical information due to its early participation in the Confederacy and the American Civil War.
Unlike the birth records, Georgia death records are not restricted and are available for any year to the general public. You are able to request a death record for anyone who died in the state, regardless of your relationship to the deceased.
All you need to do is fill out the form on the Georgia Department of Community Health website (http://health.state.ga.us/programs/vitalrecords/birthform.asp) and print it out. It's not an online order form, just a convenient way to fill it out for printing. Mail the completed form with your $25 USD payment to Vital Records, 2600 Skyland Drive NE, Atlanta GA, 30319 USA. Fees need to be sent as a money order or a certified check made out to "Vital Records Services".
If you are in the Atlanta area, you can also come to the same office in person during business hours to make your request. They do prefer you send it by mail though. Individual county records offices can also process requests for George death records, and the state website has a list of them all (http://www.georgia.gov/00/topic_index_channel/0,2092,4802_5083,00.html) along with their addresses and phone numbers. Each office should be able to access death records for any county, not just their own.
The form requires you identify the deceased by name, along with their birth and death dates (if known) and where they died. If the person was married, you can also include the spouses name if you know it. If they are unable to locate the record you want, you will get a notice of that fact but no refund on your $25.
You won't need to provide any personal identification for a Georgia death record, but you do need to list your name and address on the form so that your record can be shipped to you.
Depending on the year and the county, you should get the standard information on your death record. The name of the deceased, their birth and death dates, where they died and are buried, and possibly even where they were born. Parents names are sometimes part of the record, as is the deceased's occupation.
Generally, the state has Georgia death records that go back to 1919. Some counties have their own records that have not been included in the state collection that are older than 1919, but you will need to contact the individual county offices for those. Fulton County has records from 1896, Chatham County goes back to 1803 (particularly for Savannah) and Bibb County has death registrations back to 1882.
If you still unable to find the information you need, the Georgia Archives may offer some assistance. They are located in Morrow which is just south of Atlanta and have a great collection of historical material. They have some indexes that can be searched online, but you will have to pay them a visit to access most of their documentation.
To request Georgia death certificates for yourself, you will need to:
Step 1.
Complete the Georgia Death Certificate request form. This form can be completed online and then printed or printed and filled in by hand.
Step 2.
Indicate your relationship to the deceased and sign the request.
Step 3.
Return the request and a certified check or money order in the amount of $15 payable to Vital Records. Additional fees may be required for certain searches.
If you need more help accessing Georgia death records or would like more information, you can contact the Department of Health at:
Georgia Department of Health
Vital Records
2600 Skyland Drive, NE
Atlanta, GA 30319
(404) 679-4702
How to Obtain Georgia Death Records
Georgia death records are considered public information and can be accessed by the general public. You will simply need to fill out the request form and return it with the appropriate fee to be able to access the record.
Methods of Retrieving Georgia Death Records
Georgia death records can be requested by mail or in person at the Vital Records Office. Death records are also available online through an independent company, though additional charges will be made for the service.
Restrictions that Limit Access to Georgia Death Records
Georgia death records are on hand from 1919 until present day. They are considered part of the public record and can be accessed by any person who fills out the application and returns the appropriate fee.
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