Nevada Death Records

With 835.8 deaths per 100,000 residents, Nevada ranks as the 18th-highest for age-adjusted mortality rate in the United States. This is higher than the national average death rate of 793.7 per 100,000 total population. The state's death rate has been on a rising trend in the last few years, with approximately 28,958 deaths recorded each year. The major and leading causes of death in Nevada are heart disease and cancer.

No records of death events were registered in Nevada until 1887. Statewide recording began that year following the passage of the state's first vital statistics law by the State Legislature. To this day, each county in the state, through the County Health Officer or County Recorder, registers records of death events within their jurisdiction. Nevada death records are formal documents that verify the deaths of individuals who occurred within the state's boundaries.

The major form of death record in Nevada is the death certificate, which is a formal document that details a deceased person's information, like their demographics, the place of death, the date of death, and the cause of death. The preparation of an original death record in Nevada after a person's death is initiated by the funeral director, who then assigns a certifier. The certifier may be a medical examiner, physician, or coroner, who is responsible for completing the cause and manner of death and then signing the certificate. Afterward, the original death certificate is registered with the state's Office of Vital Statistics.

Once an original death certificate is filed with the Office of Vital Statistics, any eligible person may request certified copies of the certificate. A certified copy of a Nevada death certificate is a duplicate copy of the original version that has been verified by an authorized officer of the relevant government agency. The original death certificate is always on file at the Office of Vital Statistics.

How Do I Get a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate in Nevada?

The Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) within the Nevada Department and Health Services issues certified copies of death certificates in the state. Interested parties may submit mail-in requests for certified copies of a Nevada death certificate by taking the following steps:

• Complete the Application for a Certified Copy of Death Certificate.
• Provide a photocopy of a valid photo identification
• Provide proof of relationship to the deceased named on the death certificate.
• Pay the appropriate search and copy fee by check or money order and make it payable to the Office of Vital Records. The fee is $25 if the death took place in Clark, Carson, Lyon, Washoe, Douglas, or Mineral Counties, while it is $22 for deaths that occur in any other county. Applicants may also pay by credit card, but they must include a completed Authorization for Credit Card Use Form and the cardholder's ID.

• Mail the completed application form, appropriate fee, and other required documentation to the DBPH at:

  Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health

  Office of Vital Statistics

  4150 Technology Way, Suite 104

  Carson City, NV 89706

  Phone: (755) 684-4242

Alternatively, any eligible and interested individual may get certified copies of a Nevada death certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics in person. However, they must schedule an appointment in advance by sending an email to the Customer Service Desk. Once a date is set, the applicant should visit the Office of Vital Statistics at the Carson City office with a filled-out application form, the appropriate fee, a valid ID, and proof of relationship on the appointed date.

Any applicant who shows up with their request at the Office of Vital Statistics without an appointment may experience longer than usual waiting times. Typically, the office prioritizes advanced appointments over walk-in applications. It only takes a few days for the Office of Vital Statistics to process an application for a certified copy of a Nevada death certificate once payment is received. Requesters who have not received their orders within 10 business days of making payment may contact the DPBH Office of Vital Statistics.

Are Nevada Death Records Public?

Nevada death records are not public records. They are considered confidential under state law and may only be accessed by qualified individuals until 50 years have passed since the death event. In other words, death records in the state are restricted from public disclosure for 50 years.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Nevada?

Nobody may request an original death certificate in Nevada. Original death certificates are maintained by the Office of Vital Statistics and are never issued to anyone. Although anyone may request uncertified copies of a Nevada death certificate once 50 years have passed since the date of death, only certain individuals may request certified copies of a death certificate in the state, whether under or over 50 years old.

• Per Section 440.659 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, only persons with a direct and tangible interest in a death certificate recorded in the state may request certified copies. Such individuals include the following:
• Individuals with a direct relationship by marriage or blood within the second degree of consanguinity to the deceased. They include parents, grandparents, siblings, children, current spouse, grandchildren, step-children, step-parents, ex-spouse, and domestic partner.
• Funeral directors or their designees who are listed on the death certificate within 180 days after the death event's registration date.
• Anyone with a court order or otherwise to facilitate legal process. This may be a law enforcement agency, an attorney, the child of a beneficiary, an escrow company, an asset recovery agent, an unclaimed property company, or an insurance company,
• Any individual or entity who has a legal relationship with the deceased. This may be the deceased's attorney, public administrator, public guardian, adoptive parent, adoptive child, donor network, personal representative, estate executor, informant, or adoptive agency.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in Nevada?

How long it takes to get a copy of a death certificate in Nevada varies depending on the specific circumstances around the death and the county of death. For a death that occurred naturally with no suspicion of foul play, it takes anywhere between a few days and about 4 weeks for any eligible person to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate once filed with the Office of Vital Statistics.

If an autopsy is required to determine the cause of death in Nevada due to the unusual circumstances around a death event, there may be a delay in filing the original death certificate with the Office of Vital Statistics. This technically extends the timeline for obtaining certified copies of that death certificate, particularly for people who need them immediately after the passing of the deceased.

In cases where the cause and manner of death are evident quickly during the autopsy, the final death certificate is completed without delay. In other cases, further investigations and toxicology testing may be required to determine the cause of death, and this means additional time, usually about 3 months. In complex cases, this can mean several months. The final death certificate will not be ready for filing until the cause of death is determined and the final autopsy report is completed.

Can I View Nevada Death Records online for free?

While death records for all counties in the state from 1911 to the present are available at the Nevada Office of Vital Statistics, they are not available online through the State Archives. However, the Carson City Recorder's Office has indexed all records of deaths registered in the Ormsby County/Carson City County Recorder's Office and made them accessible online. Members of the public may consider checking resources such as FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com for historic Nevada death records that are available online.

Publicly available death records in the state may also be accessible online through trustworthy third-party websites like Nevadapublicrecords.us, although at a small fee. These sites are owned by record service companies that collect records from reliable official sources and collate them on their databases, where members of the public may view them or make copies.

Furthermore, substitute records are alternative sources for information regarding death events in Nevada, and they are typically free. Substitute records include newspapers, obituaries, church records, cemetery records, probate records, tax records, pension records, Social Security Death Index (SSDI), family bible records, memorial cards, and city directories.

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Nevada?

Beyond serving as proof of a person's death, certified copies of a death certificate are required for several purposes in Nevada. These include the following:

• Filing insurance claims.
• Notifying mortgage lenders or creditors of a person's death.
• Making arrangements for a deceased's funeral, cremation, or burial.
• Closing a decedent's bank accounts and/or transferring control of such accounts to the deceased person's beneficiaries.
• Filing a petition to continue receiving pension payments, Medicaid benefits, veterans benefits, and other retirement benefits.
• Transferring the ownership of a decedent's real property and other assets to beneficiaries.
• Notifying agencies and institutions like the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and insurance companies about a person's death.
• Canceling the decedent's subscriptions to several utility services and telephone bills.

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Nevada?

In Nevada, the number of death certificates needed differs depending on the situation. However, requesting between 8 and 12 copies is often recommended. In most cases, the actual number of death certificates needed is determined by the number of assets or items in the name of the deceased. Also, the number of institutions or agencies requiring certified copies to address some legal or administrative matters and the extent of estate planning that has been done before the time of death can help determine the exact number of copies of a Nevada death certificate that is needed.