Kentucky Death Records

With a mortality rate of 1,059.3 per 100,000 residents and an annual average of 54,185 deaths, Kentucky ranks as one of the top five states with the highest death rate in the United States. The state's mortality rate is excessively higher than the national average, which stands at 793.7 per 100,000 people. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in Kentucky. The official statewide recording of death events in the state started in 1911 following the enactment of the Commonwealth's Vital Statistics Law by the General Assembly in 1910.

Kentucky death records are crucial documents that provide important information about deceased individuals in the state. They are used for several purposes, including genealogy research, administrative purposes, and legal purposes. The most common death record in the state is the death certificate. It has detailed information about the deceased person and the circumstances surrounding their death.

Original copies of Kentucky death certificates are maintained by the state's Office of Vital Statistics. However, eligible individuals may obtain certified copies, which are true copies of the original death certificates that have been verified by a relevant government agency.

Per Section 213.076 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes, a typical death certificate includes the full name of the decedent, cause of death, gender, age at the time of death, place of birth, date of death, and place of death. After a person dies in the state, a funeral director is responsible for completing the original death certificate while the attending physician or medical examiner signs it. According to Kentucky law, the original death certificate must be filed with the state's Office of Vital Statistics, where eligible persons may obtain certified copies.

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

The Office of Vital Statistics (OVS) under the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFC) has on file death records for deaths recorded in the state from 1911 to the present day. Generally, a requester needs a decedent's full name, date of birth, and the county of death to order a certified copy of a death certificate in any of the following ways:

• Mail Order - Do the following to purchase a certified copy of a Kentucky death certificate:

  • Complete the Application for a Certified Copy of Death Certificate Form (Form VS-31) with the necessary information.
  • Pay a non-refundable $6 fee for each copy of a death certificate requested. Payment can be made by check or money order payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. Cash is not acceptable for mail-in requests.

  • Mail the completed application form alongside payment proof and a self-addressed envelope to the CHFC at:

    Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services

    Office of Vital Statistics

    275 E. Main St., 1E-A

    Frankfort, KY 40621

    Applications for certified copies of Kentucky death certificates received by the OVS are typically processed within 5 to 7 business days. However, requesters should allow up to 30 working days because it may take more than 7 business days to process some orders.

• DropBox and In-Person Request - A person may order a certified copy of a death certificate in Kentucky by submitting a completed application form and payment in person or through the drop box at the Office of Vital Statistics located at 275 East Main Street in Frankfort. The office accepts orders between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (official state holidays are excluded).

While applications submitted in person are processed the same day, same-day service is not guaranteed for any request submitted after 3:45 p.m. EST. Requests submitted through the OVS drop box are processed within 5 to 7 days, but may take as long as 30 days in some cases.

Are Kentucky Death Records Public?

Death records are public in Kentucky, but access to certain information is restricted from the public for 50 years after the date of a death event. Per Section 213.131(3) of the state's Revised Statutes, the state registrar must prepare an alphabetical list of persons whose deaths are registered annually, which must be an open record subject to inspection by members of the public upon request. The list must show the decedents' names, date of death, and the county of death.

Only certain individuals may access Kentucky death records that include confidential information such as the cause of death and Social Security number. However, once 50 years have passed after the date of death, all records of death events, including restricted information, become public and are made available in line with state law.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Kentucky?

Every original death certificate in Kentucky is in the file of the state's Office of Vital Statistics and cannot be requested by anyone. However, the OVS grants access to certified copies of the records in its custody and will make them available upon request.

While there are no restrictions on who may request or access copies of Kentucky death certificates for death events that are over 50 years old, access to death certificates under 50 years is limited to certain individuals. These include immediate family members of the deceased persons, legal representatives, and people who can demonstrate or prove a legitimate interest in the certificates.

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

A funeral director has 5 days after a person dies to present the death certificate to the attending physician to medically certify the cause of death. The medical professional also has 5 business days after receiving the certificate to complete the certification and return the death certificate to the funeral director, after which it must be filed with the state registrar.

Hence, it takes approximately 10 days to file an original death certificate with the Office of Vital Statistics after a person dies in Kentucky. Once filed, it may take another 5 to 30 working days to be able to obtain a certified copy of the certificate, depending on the method of request. Where a death event is not natural and an autopsy is required to determine the cause and manner of death, the original death certificate may not be ready for filing in 10 days. This will ultimately cause a delay in getting certified copies of the death certificate.

When a death event warrants an autopsy in Kentucky, it may take between 6 to 8 weeks before the final result of the autopsy is available. However, in some cases, specialized laboratory or microscopic studies may delay the final autopsy report, which automatically impacts how long it takes for the final death certificate to be prepared and ready for filing. Factors like the shortage of personnel and a high volume of autopsy cases may also cause a delay in having a final autopsy result ready.

Can I View Kentucky Death Records Online for Free?

The Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives has a list of death records for death events that occurred between 1852 and 1920by county and city. Also, Ancestry.com maintains a detailed collection of death certificates in the state for death events from 1852 to 1964. However, the collection requires a membership for access. Similarly, FamilySearch.org has a free searchable database of the state's death entries for death events between 1843 and 1970. In addition, interested persons may check reliable third-party websites like Kentuckypublicrecords.us for publicly available records of deaths in the state.

Furthermore, interested parties may view information regarding death events in Kentucky for free from alternative records, which are commonly called substitute records. These records are especially great for finding information regarding death events not formally registered or recorded in the state. They include church records, cemetery records, obituaries, tax records, newspapers, tax records, funeral home records, and probate records.

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Kentucky?

A copy of a death certificate is generally required before the final disposition of a decedent's body, either by cremation or burial, in Kentucky. It is also needed for various administrative and legal purposes, including the following:

• Closing a decedent's bank accounts or transferring their accounts and releasing funds from investment or savings accounts.
• Transferring a deceased person's property titles to another person.
• Distributing a decedent's assets to beneficiaries (Settling the estate).
• Canceling a decedent's passport.
• Informing certain government agencies, like the IRS and SSA, about a person's death.
• Claiming certain benefits, such as pension retirement funds, veterans' benefits, Social Security benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare.
• Processing life insurance claims/benefits.
• Notifying a decedent's creditors and settling any outstanding debts.
• Canceling subscriptions to all utility services used by a decedent.
• Forms part of the legal documentation required for the probate process and estate planning.

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Kentucky?

Requesting multiple copies of a Kentucky death certificate, typically between 8 and 12 copies, is often advised. Having this number of copies will ensure that a person has more than enough to take care of all the necessary transactions and still have at least one copy left for personal safekeeping. However, the actual number of copies of a death certificate needed by anyone in the state is determined by several factors, including the number of transactions requiring them and the size of the deceased person's estate.

To ascertain the number of certified copies of a Kentucky death certificate that are needed, consider the purposes for which they are needed and the agency requiring them. These include home mortgages, banks, life insurance policies, stocks and bonds, credit cards, credit unions, property title and deeds transfers, pensions, and other benefits.