Unlike most states, there are no privacy restrictions for getting a Vermont death record. With the right forms and a paid fee, you can request a copy of anyone's death certificate regardless of their relationship to you or when the death occurred.
Death records are initially kept by the Department of Health, but after 5 years they go to the State Archives and Records Administration. So you will be making your request from one or the other office, depending on the date of death.
In both cases, the procedure is to fill out the request form and submit it along with any necessary fees to the proper office. Your Vermont death records are then sent back to you.
The forms for the Department of Health are on their website (http://healthvermont.gov/research/records/deathcert_form.aspx). It's to be filled out on the computer but then printed and mailed. It is not an actual online order form. You have to include the full name of the person on the record, their place and date of birth and parent's full names (maiden name for the mother).
With the form, you have to include a $10 USD fee for the search. Their address is: Vermont Department of Health, Vital Records, PO box 70, Burlington VT, 05402-0070 USA. They don't have any public counter service, so you will have to mail in your application.
When looking for Vermont death records that are older than 5 years, then you need to go to the State Archives and Records Administration. They too offer forms for making a records request, but you need to use the right one. You can either order a state certified copy or a non-certified (informational) one. Certified copies will cost you $10 but the informational ones are issued free of charge.
Forms for the certified copies ( http://vermont-archives.org/certifications/pdf/VSARA-08_Births&Deaths.pdf) will require the same identifying information as the forms mentioned above for the Department of Health. Their fee needs to be included as a check or money order, issued to the Vermont Secretary of State.
There is a different form for requesting an informational copy from the Archives (http://vermont-archives.org/certifications/pdf/VSARA13_PDF_FillableForm.pdf). With these requests, you can email the form to them and get an emailed copy of the records back.
Or to request your Vermont death record by mail, you can send either type of completed form to the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, 1078 US Rte 2, Middlesex, Montpelier VT 05633-7701 USA.
The Archives have records that go back to at least 1909, when the state began to collect vital statistics but many counties and towns will have their own registrations that are older. In some regions, you may even be able to find Vermont death records dating to 1760. Pre-1909 records will be incomplete and vary by county.
These offices provide a central place to request a Vermont death record, but you can also get a certified copy directly from the county clerk where the death happened. The state website maintains a list of clerk's offices ( http://vermont-elections.org/elections1/town_clerks_guide.html) if you wish to take that approach.
To be able to order Vermont death certificates, you will need to do the following:
Step 1.
At the Department of Health's website, you will need to go to the Vermont Death Certificate request form page.
Step 2.
Complete all of the fields on the application and print it.
Step 3.
Mail the application to the Department of Health at the address listed below. You will need to include a check or money order covering the $10 fee for certified copies.
For questions or more information on accessing Vermont death records, you can contact the office below:
Vermont Department of Health
Vital Records
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402-0070
(802) 863-7200
Making Requests For Vermont Death Records
The Vermont Department of Health has maintained all Vermont death records since 1896. Death and other vital records from the past five years are available through the Department of Health, and older records can be requested through the state archives.
Record Ordering
If the Vermont death records that you need are less than five years old, then you can request them by mailing an application and fee to the Department of Health. Older records will need to be requested from the State Archives and Records Administration.
Define Relationship
As part of your application, you will need to define your relationship to the deceased. Make sure that this field and the intended use field are both completed on your application.
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