How to Find West Virginia Death Records

Are Death Certificates Public in West Virginia?

No. Death certificates are not public death records in West Virginia. Hence, only the decedent’s spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, birth parents, grandparents, funeral director, and legal representatives can obtain copies of West Virginia death certificates from the state vital records office. Eligible individuals interested in obtaining certified copies of death certificates can contact the West Virginia Vital Registration Office (VRO). The VRO is the agency that maintains records of all vital events like birth, death, marriage, and divorce in the state.

Hence, a records seeker can conduct a death record search in West Virginia online, by mail, or in person at the Office. West Virginia death certificate search can also be conducted online at the West Virginia Department of Art, Culture, and History database. Alternatively, individuals can find information about West Virginia's death records among the United States death records provided by the United States death registry.

What Shows Up on Death Records in West Virginia?

A death record in West Virginia is a document issued by a government entity or medical practitioner containing information about an individual's death in the state. Like most West Virginia Vital Records, death records are maintained by the State Vital Records Office and are made available to interested and eligible persons on request. Generally, the details contained in West Virginia death records include the following:

The decedent’s full name
Time and place of death
Birth records, including date and place of birth, names of birth parents,
Cause of death
Decedent’s spouse
The decedent’s social security number

Residents of West Virginia require death records for different legal reasons, such as accessing pension payments, planning a funeral, reporting vital statistics, and requesting life insurance. The government also uses death records for public health-related research and planning; hence, the National Center for Vital Statistics.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Health Statistics Center Vital Registration Office allows individuals to access records of vital events like birth, death, marriage, and divorce in the state. Interested and eligible members of the public can conduct a West Virginia death certificate search online, by mail, and in person at the State Vital Registration Office. Alternatively, a West Virginia death records search can be done in the United States death registry database. This is because the registry maintains the United States death records. The DHHR also provides vital statistics on West Virginia's birth, death, marriage, and divorce rates.

How are Death Records Created in West Virginia?

In West Virginia, death records are created by medical practitioners who endeavor to gather the health and medical information surrounding the individual’s demise. The agency responsible for collecting and documenting these records is the West Virginia Health and Human Resources Department. Once the information is gathered, compiled, and analyzed, it forms one of the foundations critical to discussing the state’s public health.

If the place where the death occurred is unknown, and the deceased's body was found in the state, the location where the body was found will be recorded as the place of death. According to law, the dead person's medical report should be signed and completed within 24 hours after the physician receives the certificate of death.

How to Find Death Records Online in West Virginia

Interested persons can get West Virginia death records online through various third-party websites. The official custodian for West Virginia death records is the West Virginia Health Statistics Center Vital Registration Office, but it does not maintain an online database where interested persons can look up death records. Requesters can only request by mail and in person.

The agency keeps these records dating back from January 1917 till the present. Anyone interested in obtaining earlier records can write request letters to the appropriate County Clerk.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional government sources and 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 a good place to start when looking for specific or multiple records. To order online from an aggregate site or online vendor, the requestor must provide the following information:

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 West Virginia

Records searchers can conduct a death record search by name via the West Virginia Department of Art, Culture, and History’s Archives and History database. They can provide the deceased's last or first name to begin the search. The search result will reveal records of every deceased person with that name. Record seekers can click on the deceased’s name to view details about the record. There is also an option of viewing the deceased’s image. Note that a death record search by name is usually free, and the decedent's social security number is not required to conduct this search. A death record search by name typically reveals the following information:

Decedent’s personal details, including full name
Birth records including place and date of birth, name of birth parents, parent’s birthplace
Marital status
Decedent’s spouse
Occupation
Address
residence
Death and place of death
Age at death
Date and place of burial
Cemetery
Funeral home

Death Record Search by Address

The West Virginia Department of Art, Culture, and History does not offer a death record search by address. Therefore, individuals can only conduct a death record search in West Virginia by name.

How to Find Death Records for Free in West Virginia

The West Virginia Vital Research Records Project provides a web-based database that contains photos of West Virginia death records ranging from 1917 to the present. However, West Virginia death records that are not included in the database are only obtainable at a cost.

How to Obtain Death Records in West Virginia

Interested parties can order death records in person, via mail, or online at the Vital Registration Office (West Virginia Health Statistics Center).

In-person requests

Record seekers can make walk-in requests at the State Vital Registration Office during business hours. They can choose to print and complete the Application for Copy of West Virginia Death Certificate form before coming to the Office or complete an application at the Office. In-person requests cost $12, and fees can be paid in cash, checks, and money orders, but payment in credit or debit cards is not allowed. Record seekers must visit the Office with any one of the following forms of identification:

Military ID
The United States or foreign passports
A state-issued driver's license (can be expired)
Photo identification from a government-sponsored program

Any two of the following supporting documentation are also acceptable:

Major Credit Card
Motor Vehicle Registration card
State Social Services program card
A recent utility bill in the name of the requester

In-person requests must be made to the following address:

West Virginia Vital Registration Office (Division of Health)
350 Capitol Street, Room 165
Charleston, WV
Fax: (304) 558-1051

Online requests

To request West Virginia death records online, requesters should visit the Vital Registration portal. Record seekers can order online for rush or non-rush death records. Rush orders cost $35.50, while non-rush orders cost $30.50, including shipping fees. Online requesters can make payments with their credit cards.

Mail-in requests

Individuals can order West Virginia death records via mail by downloading, completing, and signing the Application for Copy of West Virginia Death Certificate form provided on the Vital Registration website. The completed and signed form, copy of valid ID, and the required fee should be sent to:

Vital Registration
Room 165
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701

Below is the information that will be required from a person requesting a death record.

Date of birth and place of birth
The name of the deceased
Gender
The requester’s address
The requester’s telephone number
The requester’s email address
A valid means of identification
The connection between the deceased and the requester
The reason for ordering the record

Alternatively, interested parties can obtain certified copies of West Virginia death records from the county clerk’s office where the death occurred.

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in West Virginia?

In West Virginia, death certificates are only available to eligible parties. This is because death certificates are not public records. Eligible parties are:

The next of kin to the record-owner
The parents of the record-owner
The grandparents of the record-owner
The spouse of the record-owner
Children of the record-owner
Grandchildren of the record-owner
The funeral director
Individuals with a legal right to the document

Requesters who might have any questions regarding individuals with a right to request a West Virginia death record can call the Vital Registration Program at (304) 558-2931.

How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in West Virginia?

The charge for searching West Virginia death certificates is $12 from the Vital Registration Office. The $12.00 fee also applies to every additional copy of the death record that a requester orders at the same time. All payments are to be made with a money order form or check (cash is only acceptable when making in-person requests) and should be paid to the West Virginia Vital Registration account. Interested parties should also note that the fees are non-refundable.

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

The timeframe a West Virginia death record can be available to requesters will depend on the time it took to process the document. Firstly, these documents go through a medical practitioner or an authorized person. Then, they are sent for processing to the state’s Vital Registration Office.

For in-person requests, the death records are usually ready for the requesters within less than an hour. Parties who order death records via mail may have to wait for as short as five business days or as long as 19 business days, or even longer. If the documents were ordered in-between holidays and weekends, the processing and delivery time will take longer.

When the order for West Virginia death records is high, it might take up to three weeks before the request is processed. After completing the form and submitting it to the appropriate address, requesters should wait up to 4-6 weeks to process the death records.

How Long to Keep Records After Death

In West Virginia, relatives and persons with a direct interest in the deceased are required to keep the deceased’s death record indefinitely. Generally, it is recommended that concerned parties keep the deceased’s financial records long enough for the estate's probate to close. This usually takes about five years.

How to Expunge Death Records in West Virginia

In West Virginia, death records cannot be expunged. This is because the term expungement only applies to certain criminal records in the state.

How to Seal Death Records in West Virginia

Sealing a record in West Virginia means prohibiting the general public from accessing the document. In West Virginia, there is no legislation concerning the sealing of death records. The death records are generally sealed due to the confidential information it contains. However, authorized persons may obtain a court to be able to access the records.

How to Unseal Death Records in West Virginia

The West Virginia Legislature does not make any provision for unsealing death records in the state. Death records in West Virginia are exclusive to the owner and the eligible persons by law.

How to Use the West Virginia Death Registry

The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records (DVR) created an Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) to make death registration easier and faster. In addition, the EDRS helps to facilitate collaboration among funeral directors, physicians, medical certifiers, and DVR. Here is how to use the EDRS:

A funeral director should access the EDRS user account by submitting Access Forms to get a username and password.
Then log in to the EDRS website
Upon logging in, the funeral director must select the facility they are performing the job function and click Continue.
Click on the link provided to the EDRS homepage.
Go to the Death Registration Menu on the top left of the screen, then click “Create Case”.
Before a case is created, the funeral director must first check for any matching record in the deceased's name.
If there is no matching record, click on the “New Case” button.
The funeral director is required to fill in all Demographics information under the Death Registration Menu. Click on the demographic information to have a drop-down list of the following information:
Decedent Information
Decedent Residence
Decedent Personal Data
Decedent Family
Informat Data
Place Death
Disposition
Signature
Request Medical Certification
Transfer the case to a medical certifier
When the medical certifier logs in to the EDRS, they will see the active case transferred from the Funeral home.
The case will include case ID, case type, decedent’s name, gender, date of birth, date of death, the current owner (the funeral home that assigned the case), and the case status.
Click on the “Case ID” to open the record.
Review the case summary and then click “Accept Case” on the upper left of the page
A confirmation screen will appear where the case can be accepted.
A success page will appear that indicates that the medical certifier is the current owner of the case.
Go to the Death Registration Menu on the upper left of the screen.
Click on the medical Certification link to see the list of what the medical certifier must fill in.
The drop-down list includes the following:
Determination of Death
Cause of Death
Other Factors
Certification
After certification, a successful message will appear indicating that the record has been medically certified
The case will be filed to DVR

Upon registration of the case by DVR, the Department will use the information provided for public health research and vital statistics. Additionally, DVR makes the record accessible to authorized few who want to conduct a death record search in West Virginia. Hence, record seekers can obtain copies of West Virginia death certificates via the West Virginia death index. The death certificate will include information like the decedent’s social security number, birth records, date and place of death, and other vital information surrounding the death. Alternatively, record seekers can search the United States death registry for the death records of any West Virginia residents among the United States death records. When deaths occur, the deceased family members can decide to wait for the death records of the deceased to be officially filed before making West Virginia death notices.

How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in West Virginia

Record seekers can find an obituary for a specific person online on most newspaper websites. However, it might be difficult to find obituaries that date back to before the last 20 or 30 years. Here is how to conduct a West Virginia obituary search for a specific person if the information is not online:

Get details on the deceased person’s death date.
Find out the newspapers that were popular during the person's death
If the newspapers are still in publication, call them and inquire about obituary information.
The newspapers may refer the record seeker to their digital, searchable database, where they can conduct a West Virginia obituary search or ask the record seeker to come to their offices in person to conduct the search.

If the newspaper that was popular when the person died is no longer in publication, the record seeker can visit the local public library where the person died or resided. Contact the West Virginia Library Commission for more information on the West Virginia obituary search.

How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in West Virginia

A Record seeker can conduct free obituary lookup online at newspaper databases in West Virginia. Alternatively, interested persons can visit the newspaper agency to request a free obituary search. Contact the West Virginia Library Commission for more information on a free obituary search in West Virginia.

What is Considered a Death Notice in West Virginia?

West Virginia death notices are short publications about people’s death. They reveal death details and information on funeral and memorial services.

What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries?

Although death notices and obituaries both relay the notification of people’s death, they are very different. For instance:

Basic information: The information that death notices provide is very short. Death notices typically include the deceased’s name, date and location of death, information regarding the date and location of the funeral services, and options for gifts or donations. In contrast, obituaries contain additional biographical information like the decedent’s spouse and date of marriage, date, and place of birth, sports, hobbies, education, and occupation.
Basic family information: Unlike death notices, obituaries contain genealogical information. Hence, a list of the surviving family members and parentheses next to each family member’s name, including their spouses and children, will be found in the obituary but not in the death notice.
Community Impact: Death notices do not include information on the deceased’s community impact and affiliated memberships. However, such information is included in obituaries.
Locations: Death notices can be found on social media pages, newspapers, personal or family websites, non-profit organizations, funeral home pages, and company or another organizational newsletter. In contrast, obituaries are lengthy and are usually more expensive than death notices. Hence, you can find them in major newspapers.