Vermont Death Records

Are Death Certificates Public in Vermont?

Per V.S.A. § 5016, non-certified copies of death certificates are public in Vermont. However, certified copies are confidential and are restricted to the decedent’s spouse, birth parents, legal representatives, the Social Security Administration, insurer, and a person with a court order.

The Vermont Department of Health issues certified and non-certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce in the state. Hence, record seekers should be able to get public death certificates from the Department. Vermont death certificate search can be done online, by mail, and in person. The Department also uses birth, death, marriage, and divorce records to determine vital and public health statistics. For instance, the Vermont Center for Health Statistics recorded about 6,461 deaths in 2020.

What are Death Records in Vermont?

Vermont death records are vital records that document deaths that occurred in the state. In addition to identifying the deceased, a death record also provides more details about the genealogy of the dead person and the nature of their death. The Office of Vital Records of the Vermont Department of Health records deaths reported in the state and prepares death certificates for these events. A record seeker can conduct a Vermont death certificate search online, by mail, and in person at the Office.

A typical Vermont death certificate contains the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Age, gender, race, and other biodata of the decedent
• Last known address of the decedent
• The deceased’s place and date of birth
• Date and place of death
• Cause of the death
• Birth records, including names of the deceased’s birth parents
• Name of the decedent’s spouse
• The decedent's social security number
• Death record registration number
• Name and signature of the physician attesting to the cause of death
• Name and signature of the funeral director or any other person responsible for burying or cremating the remains of the deceased

Death records are important for a number of reasons. Living relatives and legal representatives of the deceased need copies of a death record to establish the passing of the dead. In addition to establishing the status of the individual named, a certified death record is required to execute the will of the deceased and divide their estate. It is also a valid document in a Vermont court for establishing parentage, settling estate disputes, and identifying property claimants. Surviving relatives may also need this document to claim the deceased’s insurance benefits and other payouts due them.

The Vermont government records all deaths reported within its borders to determine its population accurately, calculate population growth and age distribution, and determine vital statistics. Death records are also useful for observing mortality rates and useful for allocating state resources. Medical researchers need these records for epidemiological studies, while genealogists use them to construct family histories and trace lineages. Death records can also be used for public health statistics.

How are Death Records Created in Vermont?

Vermont requires funeral directors to initiate the creation of death records. This role also goes to anyone else handling a deceased’s final arrangements. If this task falls to a funeral home, the director completes a death certificate and then submits it to the Vermont Department of Health for final registration of the event. The funeral director obtains the details required to complete the record from family members and other public members associated with the decedent.

Depending on the nature of the death and where it occurred, the cause of death may be provided by a physician, a physician’s assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse. When the required information is recorded on the death certificate, the director signs this document before sending it to the Vermont Vital Records Office. This office certifies the record and seals it in accordance with Vermont laws. This allows eligible individuals to inspect and obtain certified copies of these death certificates. A Vermont death certificate search can be done online, by mail, or in person at the State Vital Records Office. Death records available at the Office are usually transferred to the United States Death Registry such that it is included in the United States Vital Records.

How to Find Death Records Online in Vermont?

Vermont allows members of the public to look up death records online via its Vermont Records Request Service. This Service offers a searchable index of all death records prepared in the state from 1909 to the present and is updated weekly. Use the Death Record search tool to look up a Vermont death record. Search for these vital records by providing the last name and gender of the deceased and the year of death.

The Vermont Records Request Service also accepts online requests for death records. To request certified copies of a death certificate, complete and submit the Vital Records ordering web form. Make sure to provide a shipping address. A request is only processed after paying the required fees.

The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration also makes provision for finding Vermont death records online. Its registry includes death records prepared from 1760 to 2008. However, it partners with two third-party vital records providers to provide these records to requesters. Visit the Archives’ Vital Records section to find instructions for looking up Vermont death records from these providers. Note that the copy providers are not certified and cannot be used for legal purposes.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional government sources and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for specific or multiple records. To gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Death Record Search by Name in Vermont

An individual can conduct a death record search by name in Vermont by using the Vermont Records Request Service tool provided by the State Archives and Records Administration. Here is how to conduct a death record search by name via this online tool:

• Click on “Search Deaths” on the index
• Provide the following information in the search boxes:
  • First name
  • Middle name
  • Last name
  • Year of death
  • Month of death
  • Day of death
  • Sex
  • Town of death
  • Father's / parent's last name
• Click on the Search button to conduct a death record search by name.

A record seeker can contact the State Archives office for more information on a death record search in Vermont.

Death Record Search by Address

A death record search by address in Vermont can only be done on a third-party database for a fee. However, note that information obtained from these sites cannot be used for official purposes.

How to Find Death Records for Free in Vermont?

Certified copies of death records are not available for free. The Vital Records unit and Offices of Town Clerks offering these records charge nominal fees to cover searching for these documents and copying them. However, the uncertified copies of Vermont death records offered by third-party providers approved by Vermont State Archives and Records Administration are available at no cost. Those looking for these records may print them online for free.

How to Obtain Death Records in Vermont

Vermont death records are available from the state’s Department of Health. The Vital Records Office in this Department provides certified copies of death certificates for deaths recorded in the state. These vital records are also available from the Offices of Vermont Town Clerks.

To obtain a Vermont death certificate in person, visit any of the Town Clerk Offices in the state or the Vital Records Office of the Department of Health located at:

Vermont Vital Records Office

108 Cherry Street
Burlington, VT
Phone: (800) 439-5008 (within VT) or (802) 863-7275
Email: VitalRecords@vermont.gov

This Office is open to the public from Monday to Friday except on public holidays. Eligible persons can request copies of Vermont death certificates between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

When requesting a Vermont death record in person from the state Vital Records Office, bring along a completed Application for Certified Copy of Birth or Death Certificate along with a valid photo ID and the total fee required. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Driver’s license
• Tribal ID card with signature
• U.S. Military ID card
• Passport
• U.S. Green Card, Resident Alien Card, or Permanent Resident Card
• U.S. Employment Authorization Card
• State of Vermont Employee ID
• Affidavit of Homeless Status Form
• Letter from Vermont Department of Corrections identifying the holder

A requester without one of these IDs may submit any two of the following as substitutes:

• Employment photo ID with a pay stub
• School photo ID or other proof of current enrollment
• IDs from federal and state prisons and departments of corrections
• Social security or Medicare card with the holder’s signature
• Pilot’s license
• Car registration or title bearing the holder’s current address
• Voter’s registration card
• U.S. Selective Service card
• Federal tax form, filed and bearing signature and current address
• Utility bill or bank statement with current address
• Federal or state court documents with current address

Note that due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, Vermont has suspended visits to the Department of Health. Those wishing to obtain certified death certificates can request for these vital records online or by mail.

Visit the Vital Records Request Service to request for certified copies of Vermont death certificates online. To submit a request by mail, print and complete an Application for Certified Copy of Birth or Death Certificate. Send it along with a self-addressed envelope, a photocopy of a valid ID, and payment for requested copies to:

Vermont Department of Health
Vital Records
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in Vermont?

No. Vermont only releases certified copies of death certificates to family members, legal guardians, and court-appointment parties of the decedent. The legal representatives of any of these parties can also apply for certified copies of death certificates.

Note that uncertified or plain copies of Vermont death certificates issued between 1760 and 2008 are available online to another.

Anyone requesting certified copies of a Vermont death certificate must be related to the decedent named on the record in one of the following ways:

• Child
• Decedent’s Spouse
• Sibling
• Birth Parents
• Grandparent
• Legal guardian

Also eligible are attorneys of any of the parties listed above. Vermont also provides certified death certificates to court-appointed executors or administrators of the deceased’s estates. A petitioner for a decedent’s estate may also request certified copies of their death certificate.

Besides these parties, the Vermont Vital Records Office may also provide certified death record to the following:

• Social Security Administration
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Insurance carrier of the deceased
• Authority for Final Disposition
• Anyone with a court order specifically authorizing access to the record

How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in Vermont?

The Vermont Department of Health charges $10 per certified copy of a death certificate ordered in person or by mail. It accepts checks and money orders as payment. When paying with a check or money order, make it out to the Vermont Department of Health.

For online requests, the Department of Health charges $12 for each certified copy of a Vermont death certificate. The requester can choose expedited shipping for faster delivery of requested records for an additional $14.50. Mastercard, VISA, and Discover credit cards are accepted for payment for online orders.

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

It takes 5 - 7 business days to process a request for a death certificate submitted to the Vital Records Office of the Vermont Department of Health. If the record requested is found, copies are made and sent out by U.S. regular mail. Delivery time may take an additional week depending on the address of the requested. For faster delivery, choose the expedited overnight option to have the vital records requested shipped the same day the order is fulfilled.

The time taken to provide requested death certificates at Town Clerks’ Offices may vary. Some offices are able to provide copies of requested records on the same for those requesting them in person. Contact the closest Town Clerk’s Office to ask about how long it will take to provide a death certificate.

How Long to Keep Records After Death

Surviving family members and associates of a decedent may keep the deceased’s records for as long as possible. Financial records should be kept for at least 3 years in case there is a tax audit on the deceased accounts. Property records should be maintained by inheritors for a long while to counter any property claims in court. There is no reason to keep the identity records of the deceased for long after their death.

How to Expunge Death Records in Vermont?

Expungement is a legal term describing the permanent deletion of a record. It goes a step beyond sealing the record and describes its erasure. This usually applies to criminal records for pardoned individuals and overturned convictions. Vermont does not make provisions for expunging death records.

How to Seal Death Records in Vermont?

Vermont automatically seals death certificates as soon as they are created and restricts access to only certain eligible individuals. As the state’s death records are sealed by default, there is no need to take steps to seal them and remove them from public access. Note that death records prepared in the state prior to 2009 are accessible by the public online. There is no way to seal these and restrict access to them.

How to Unseal Death Records in Vermont?

Vermont currently has no provisions to unseal sealed death records. While the general public cannot gain access to Vermont death records prepared after 2008, an individual may ask a state court to unseal and authorize access to a specific death record. This third party must demonstrate to the court the need to access those records and a judge must weigh this need against the state’s requirement to make v records confidential.

How to Use the Vermont Death Registry

Per V.S.A. § 5202, healthcare professionals are required by law to submit the medical portion of death reports on the Vermont death registry (also called the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)) within 24 hours after death. While, funeral directors have to fill in the nonmedical portions of death reports. The deceased person’s family members can decide to publish Vermont death notices after the death registration.

Here is how a physician can use the EDRS:

• Obtain a username and password from the Vermont Department of Health
• Log on to EDRS with the username and password
• Allow pop-ups from the EDRS website to be able to use it
• Select the “Create/Update Medical Record” menu on the left side of the screen
• The list of unregistered records will appear
• Scroll through the unregistered records to check if the funeral director has already started a patient's record.
• The physician can choose the “Select” button to open a patient’s record
• The physician can select “Add New” if there is no matching record
• The physician is expected to enter the following information:
  • Name Known to Physician (the patient’s first, middle, and last name, suffix, death of death, and approximate age)
  • Place of Death
  • Manner and Cause of Death
  • Other Factors
  • Certification
• After completing the certification, the record will reflect in the “View Record” menu on the left side of the EDRS screen.

After a death record has been created on the EDRS, the record will be sent to the Vermont Vital Records Office. As such, a record seeker can request such records online, by mail, or in person at the Office. Contact the Office for more information on how to conduct a death record search in Vermont. The death record will also be registered on the United States Death Registry such that it becomes part of the United States death records.

How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in Vermont

An individual seeking an obituary for a specific person can conduct a Vermont obituary search by contacting the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration Office. A Vermont obituary search can also be done by visiting or calling local libraries in the county where the person died. Some libraries have online obituary indexes where record seekers can find a collection of digitized newspapers or a comprehensive list of obituaries in the county. Online obituary indexes are usually searchable with a deceased's first or last name, death date, or a combination of the three. A record seeker can also conduct a Vermont obituary search by checking genealogical websites to retrieve the obituary information of a deceased person.

How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in Vermont

Record seekers can conduct a free obituary search via newspaper databases. Vermont residents must create a MyVermont.gov account and log in with their email and password to access online newspapers provided by the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration. Contact the State Archives office for more information on how to conduct a free obituary search in Vermont.

What is Considered a Death Notice in Vermont?

A Vermont death notice is a public announcement about a person who died in the state. A death notice is usually very brief and concise. It contains only the details necessary to announce the death, such as the deceased's name, age, and date of death. It also provides information regarding funeral arrangements or memorial services, such as the date, location, and how to make donations. The funeral home typically writes Vermont death notices with the help of the deceased surviving relatives.

What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries

The major difference between death notices and obituaries is length. While obituaries and death notices are both public announcements of people's deaths posted in publications like newspapers, a death notice tends to be shorter than an obituary.

A death notice provides basic details of the deceased and details of the funeral or memorial service, as well as where donations can be made. On the other hand, an obituary is an editorial article that is often published and viewed as an article. The newspaper's staff writes it and gives a detailed biography of the deceased. While families can submit a request to have obituaries written about deceased persons, the newspaper can decide whether or not to write the story.