Washington DC Public Records

In Washington DC most public records are made available within the courts or municipalities in your local area. Contact may be made through the local courthouse or online, but you cannot order public records online. DC has more regulations than most states regarding vital records, but it is still not difficult if you know just what you need. The online services are just not as open as some.

Some of the more easily obtainable public records are:

Vital records such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses or divorce decrees
Land record ownerships
Background histories and criminal records

To get your vital records from the District of Columbia use this link for the information.

The Office of the Secretary website has links to various records that you may be looking for. It has the:

District of Columbia Archives (for Birth certificates (1874-1928), Death certificates (1874-1932), Marriage certificates (1870-1991), Wills and probate records (1801-1999), Administration cases (1879-1958), Indentures of Apprenticeship records (1812-1893), and Guardianships and Administrative Bonds records (1862-1939)
General Records Retention Schedule (personnel, housing, payroll records and many others)
Library of Government Information
Public Records Search Request Forms

Through this office you may also get access to municipal regulations, DC Archives, authentication of documents, how to become a notary public, and the office of the secretary reports.

For birth or death certificates of these events that happened in Washington DC you may make your request to:

Department of Health
Vital Records Division
899 North Capitol Street, NE, First Floor
Washington, DC 20002

(202) 671-5000

Your request must be by mail, phone or in person. You cannot request vital records online in DC.

Marriage or divorce records may be requested through:

DC Superior Court,
500 Indiana Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001

(Room 4335 for Divorce Decree or Room 4485 for marriage license)

Marriage information (202) 879-4840

Divorce Information (202) 879-1261

The Department of Health website has a ton of information, and an excellent FAQ page.

In order to obtain a birth or death record you must be one of the following:

The person the registration is for
An immediate family member
The legal guardian of the registrant
The legal representative

The cost of a birth or death certificate is non-refundable even if no certificate is found for the person the application is for. But you will get a 3 year search certificate for your trouble.

Through this site you can also find reports on diabetes surveillance, breast and cervical cancer, std control, and other health studies reports.

The Department of Health office is located at:

Department of Health
899 North Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

(202) 442-5955

Washington D.C. Public Records Search

Washington D.C. Public Records

Washington D.C. public records are not terribly difficult to access. Their open records laws state that anyone can make a request, and while in most cases the purpose of the request will not be questioned, in the case of some public records in Washington D.C., the reason behind your request is essential, and it can even come in to play as to whether or not you will be granted access to certain records.

According to D.C. Code Ann. 2-532, these records are defined as "all books, papers, maps, photographs, cards, tapes, recordings or other documentary materials regardless of physical form characteristics prepared, owned or used in the possession of, or retained by a public body." At this time, the law only lists certain categories of Washington D.C. public records that are exempt from the ruling itself, so no specific records are off limits as you prepare to make your request.