Indiana Death Records

An estimated 72,714 people die in Indiana every year, which indicates a mortality rate of 911.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. The state's death rate is lower when compared to the United States average of 793.7 deaths per 100,000 people. Heart disease and cancer are the major causes of most deaths recorded in the state.

A few cities in Indiana started keeping death records as early as the 1870s. However, the first law requiring the recording of death events in the state was not passed until 1882. Following this, it became mandatory to record all death events statewide in 1907. Nevertheless, there was no full compliance until 1920.

A death certificate is the most commonly available form of death record in Indiana. It is an official document issued by the relevant government agency that states the date when a person died, the location of the event, and the cause of death. A death certificate also includes the deceased individual's personal information. Original Indiana death certificates are completed jointly by a physician or coroner and the funeral director.

Once completed, an original death certificate in Indiana is filed with the local health department in the county where the death event happened. Afterward, it is forwarded to the state's Department of Health's Vital Records Division. Eligible and interested members of the public can then access certified copies of the original death certificates from the Vital Records Division.

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

The Vital Records Division of the Indiana Department of Health maintains original death certificates in the state and issues certified copies to eligible persons. Anyone intending to get a certified copy of a death certificate in the state should do so using any of the following methods:

• Order By Mail - The following steps are required to request a certified copy of an Indiana death certificate by mail from the state's Vital Records Division:

  • Complete the Application for Search of Certified or Non-Certified Copy of s Death Record Form (State Form 49606). Make sure to select "Certified" under the "certificate type" field.
  • Prepare a photocopy of a valid ID. Acceptable IDs include government-issued IDs and Military IDs
  • Pay a certificate fee of $8 for the first certificate and a $4 fee for each additional copy in the same order with a check or money order payable to the Indiana State Department of Health.

  • Mail the completed state For 49606, a photocopy of your ID, and the check or money order to the state's Department of Health at:

    Indiana State Department of Health

    Vital Records Division

    2, North Meridian Street

    Indianapolis, IN 46204

• Order from Local Health Department - Interested individuals may request certified copies of Indiana death certificates by visiting the local health department where the death occurred. They should consider contacting the health department before visiting to ascertain whether they need to schedule an appointment. Typically, a member of staff at the local health department will guide them through the application process.

Orders for certified copies of Indiana death certificates submitted in person at the local health departments are often processed faster than applications mailed to the state's Vital Records Division. Typically, it takes about 60 days to process requests mailed to the Vital Records Division. However, the processing times may vary, depending on the case.

Are Indiana Death Records Public?

Per Section 16-37-3-9 of the Indiana Code, permanent records made from death certificates by local health officers are open to public inspection and may be copied upon request by interested individuals. Such permanent records include name, age, gender, place of death, and the residence address of the deceased person during the two years before the death event.

While the Social Security number is also one of such records made from a death certificate in Indiana, it is confidential and not available for public disclosure. Consequently, per Section 16-37-1-10(c) of the state's Code, a certificate of death received by the Vital Records Division or a local health department is a public record if the following applies:

• The copy made of the certificate is not a certified copy.
• The Social Security number on the death certificate has been redacted.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Indiana?

In Indiana, an original death certificate is permanently held by the state's Vital Records Division once filed by the coroner or a physician after certifying an individual dead. As a result, it is technically impossible for anyone to request an original death certificate in the state. While anyone may get an uncertified copy of an Indiana death certificate and a certificate without the deceased's Social Security number, only certain individuals or entities are eligible to request certified copies. Such persons, who are listed below, include close relatives and other individuals with legal or legitimate interest in the death certificate:

• The decedent's spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, and grandparents.
• The decedent's nephews or nieces and uncles or aunts, if they have power of attorney or direct interest in the death certificate.
• Genealogy researchers.
• Anyone with legal interest.
• Funeral director/home.

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

After a person dies in Indiana, the original death certificate should be available at the local health department within 3 to 5 business days once a physician signs it. For a regular death, a death certificate requested by mail takes an average of 60 days to arrive, but orders made in person at the local health departments are processed within a shorter timeline. This timeline may be extended if a death occurs under unusual circumstances that warrant performing an autopsy.

Most cases of deaths requiring medical examination in Indiana are reviewed and closed within two to three weeks. If an autopsy is required to determine the cause and manner of death, the confirmation could take up to 8 weeks if a case is pending microscopic examination of toxicology. This often causes a delay in preparing the death certificate.

Once the toxicology reports are completed and forwarded to the coroner, the death investigation will be closed, and a death certificate will be prepared and filed with the local health department or the Vital Records Division within 3 business days. Afterward, eligible persons may request certified copies of the death certificate.

Can I View Indiana Death Records online for free?

Some old Indiana death records (indexes) are available online at no charge through the State Library. Similarly, an index and images of death certificates between 1899 and 2011 and from 2012 to 2017 in the state may be accessed online at Ancestry.com. In addition, interested individuals will find records of death events that have occurred in Indiana on FamilySearch.org. Furthermore, reliable third-party sites like Indianapublicrecords.us may also have records of death events that have taken place in the state. However, access to those records on these websites requires a small fee.

If a death record was not officially filed at the time of the event in Indiana, consider checking substitute records to retrieve important details about the death. For instance, records like cemetery records, newspapers, obituaries, tax records, and church records may help provide vital information about an unregistered death event in the state. Others include military records, probate records, census records, city directories, and family bible records, which may all be accessed free of charge.

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Indiana?

A copy of a death certificate is required for several purposes in Indiana, including the following:

• Filing life insurance claims.
• Transferring ownership of a decedent's real estate and vehicles.
• For final disposition (burial or cremation).
• For genealogy research.
• Notifying a decedent's mortgage lenders or creditors.
• Enabling the executor of a decedent's estate or a representative of the family to access a decedent's assets and financial accounts and distribute the deceased's assets.
• Claiming benefits like pension payments, veterans' benefits (if applicable), and other retirement benefits.
• To enable the surviving spouse to remarry.
• Notify relevant government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), about an individual's death.
• Cancel a decedent's credit cards and close their bank accounts.

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Indiana?

From claiming benefits to legal proceedings, obtaining between 8 and 12 certified copies of an Indiana death certificate may help manage the important tasks requiring copies of a death certificate. The actual number needed depends on the number of transactions and legal or administrative tasks to be accomplished. Hence, it is best to have a checklist of those tasks to be able to determine how many copies to request. The checklist will largely be determined by the size of the decedent's estate and the number of institutions requiring certified copies of the deceased's death certificate.