Oklahoma Death Records

Oklahoma's mortality rate of 997.1 per 100,000 residents, one of the highest in the United States, is higher than the average national death rate of 793.7 per 100,000 total population. Each year, the state records an average of 45,719 deaths, with heart disease and cancer as the leading causes of death. Although the statewide filing of death records in Oklahoma started in 1908, mandatory recording did not begin until 1917. Despite this, the filing of death records was not consistently enforced until 1940. As a result, some death records within this period may be missing or incomplete.

Death records are primarily issued as death certificates in Oklahoma. A death certificate is a legal record of a person's death stating the deceased person's personal information, place of death, and the cause of death. The responsibility of preparing an original death certificate in Oklahoma lies with the funeral director or any other person acting as such. The funeral director will enter the personal data obtained from the deceased person's next of kin into an electronic system and transmit the certificate generated by the electronic system to the physician or any medical personnel responsible for completing the medical certification part of the death certificate.

Per Section 63-1-317v1 of the Oklahoma Statutes, unless an inquiry into the cause of death is required, the medical personnel have up to 5 days to complete the medical certification portion of the certificate data in the electronic system and electronically sign it. Afterward, the funeral director must file the original death certificate with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics using the same electronic system. Any eligible person may access certified copies of an original death certificate filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. A certified copy of an Oklahoma death certificate is an official and verified duplicate of the original certificate and can pass for the original copy.

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

The Division of Vital Records of the Oklahoma State Department of Health registers every death event that occurs in the state, maintains the record, and issues certified copies of the certificate as stipulated by state law. To obtain a certified copy of a death certificate in the state, eligible persons should take the following steps:

• Complete the Oklahoma Death Certificate Request Form with all the necessary information.
• Make a copy of a valid photo ID.
• Pay a non-refundable $20 fee for the first copy and $15 for each additional copy in the same order. Payment can be made by money order and a check made out to "OSHD".
• Provide copies of additional documentation if applicable.

• Submit the completed application form, proof of payment, and a copy of a valid ID to the Oklahoma Department of Health at:

  Oklahoma Department of Health

  Vital Records Office

  P.O. Box 248964

  Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8964

Applications for certified copies of Oklahoma death certificates submitted to the Vital Records Office by mail are typically received in approximately 6 weeks. However, requests submitted with incomplete information or documentation may experience some delays.

Are Oklahoma Death Records Public?

Oklahoma death records are considered confidential and are restricted from public access to ensure the proper use of the records and to protect their integrity. Per Section 63-1-323 of the State Statute, it is illegal for anyone to allow the inspection of Oklahoma death records or to disclose any information contained in them to unauthorized and ineligible persons/entities. However, records of death events in the state that are 50 years or older are open records and may be publicly accessed without proof of eligibility.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Oklahoma?

In Oklahoma, original death certificates are not meant to be issued to anyone. Rather, they are maintained indefinitely on the file of the state's Division of Vital Records. Nevertheless, copies of the certificates filed with the Division of Vital Records may be requested by interested and eligible persons. While anyone may obtain copies of any death certificate that is 50 years or older, only certain individuals are authorized by state law to request certified copies of death certificates under 50 years.

The following persons are eligible to request certified copies of an Oklahoma death certificate:

• Any individual acting in the best interest of the deceased person, including a surviving child, spouse, parent, sibling, legal guardian, and grandparent.
• The funeral director of record or their representative, provided they work in the capacity of their official business.
• Legal representative of the deceased person's estate as documented by an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction
• Any individual who is a joint tenant or a co-owner of the deceased person's personal or real property.
• Anyone who can demonstrate or establish a familial relationship with the deceased.
• Any individual listed in the deceased person's will, as long as the will is in probate.
• Anyone with a court order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

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

After a person passes away in Oklahoma, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before the original death certificate is completed and filed with the Division of Vital Records. The process is usually longer if someone's death seems suspicious and requires an autopsy to determine the cause of death. For a person who died of natural causes, it takes approximately 6 weeks for any eligible person to get a certified copy of their death certificate once the original is filed with the Oklahoma Division of Vital Records.

Obtaining a death certificate for a death event that requires an autopsy in Oklahoma can take anywhere from several weeks to several months. In this case, a physician is unable to sign the death certificate. The Medical Examiner is required to investigate the death to determine the cause of death because foul play is suspected, and it typically takes time to complete autopsy reports.

For a standard autopsy in Oklahoma, the report should be completed between 4 to 6 weeks. However, where extensive toxicology is required to determine the cause and manner of death, it may take several months for the autopsy report to be completed. As a result, it takes a longer time before an original death certificate is prepared when an autopsy is required, and this directly causes a delay in obtaining certified copies of such death certificates.

Can I View Oklahoma Death Records online for free?

Some historic death records or information in Oklahoma may be viewed online free of charge through Ok2Explore, a searchable death index provided by the state's Division of Vital Records. Interested persons should have the decedent's name, date of death (or range), and county of death to be able to view any record through Ok2Explore. Some Oklahoma death records may also be viewed for free through online resources like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.

Furthermore, some third-party resources like Oklahomapublicrecords.us are centralized databases for publicly available death records in the state. With these websites, interested and/or eligible persons may obtain records of deaths in the state at a fee using the decedents' names, date of death, and other details as the search parameters. It is also possible to find information about death events for free in the state by looking up substitute records like cemetery records, obituaries, newspapers, and church records. Others include tax records, church records, probate records, family bible records, and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI).

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Oklahoma?

A death certificate serves several purposes in Oklahoma. The legal and administrative reasons for requesting certified copies of a death certificate in the state include the following:

• Settling the estate of a deceased person.
• Transferring the ownership or title of a deceased person's property to other people.
• Claiming insurance benefits
• Applying for pension benefits, social security benefits, Medicaid benefits, and other retirement benefits owed to a decedent.
• Arranging the funeral and disposition of the body of the deceased.
• Closing a decedent's bank accounts and transferring the balance to enable close relatives to get access to their financial accounts.
• Notifying certain agencies and entities, including the Social Security Administration (SSA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), mortgage lenders, and creditors, of a person's death.
• Canceling a deceased person's credit cards and subscriptions to various utility services.

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Oklahoma?

The number of certified copies of a death certificate needed in Oklahoma depends largely on the purposes for which they are needed and the number of agencies requiring them. In an ideal situation, a person may request between 8 and 12 copies of a death certificate in the state. However, it is best to write down a list of all government agencies and private entities requiring at least one copy of a death certificate to determine the exact number to request from the state's Division of Vital Records. While doing that, also bear in mind to keep a copy for personal records or safekeeping.