Search Illinois Death Index
The Illinois death index is a set of records held by the state and each of its 102 counties. The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps death certificates from 1916 to now. County clerks across Illinois also hold their own death records for events in their area. You can search for death index records through IDPH by mail, fax, online, or in person at their Springfield office. Many county clerks let you check death records at the local level too. Whether you need a certified copy for legal use or a genealogical copy for family research, Illinois has more than one path to get the death record you need.
Illinois Death Index Quick Facts
Where to Find Illinois Death Index Records
Two main sources hold death index records in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, is the state agency that keeps death certificates for all of Illinois. Their office is at 925 E. Ridgely Avenue in Springfield, Illinois 62702-2737. You can reach them at (217) 782-6554, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The IDPH holds death records going back to 1916 when statewide death registration started in Illinois. Before that year, records were kept at the local level only.
County clerks are the other main source for death index records in Illinois. Each of the 102 county clerk offices keeps official death records for deaths that took place in their county. Many county clerks have records going back well before 1916. For example, Lake County has death records starting from 1877. Cook County has records dating to 1872. If you know which county a death took place in, contacting that county clerk can sometimes be faster than going through the state office in Illinois.
The IDPH death records page has full details on how to submit your request for a death index search in Illinois.
Note: Death records are not public records in Illinois and access is limited by state law.
How to Get Death Index Records in Illinois
IDPH offers four ways to get a death certificate from the Illinois death index. Each method has its own cost and wait time. The option you pick depends on how fast you need the record and how you want to pay.
The first way is by mail. Send a completed Application for Search of Death Record Files to the Division of Vital Records at 925 E. Ridgely Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62702-2737. Include a copy of your valid photo ID, and your check or money order. Mail requests take about 12 weeks to process. IDPH will not give you updates during that time. If your ID is expired, not readable, or missing from the request, they will send it back unprocessed. This is the cheapest way to search the Illinois death index, but it is also the slowest.
You can also fax your request to 217-523-2648. Genealogy copy requests must still go by mail though. The third option is to order online through VitalChek, the state's authorized online ordering service. VitalChek charges the base state fee plus a $15 handling fee. You will need a major credit card. You can add UPS shipping for $22 if you want it in the U.S. The fourth way is to visit the IDPH office in person at their Springfield location during office hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
If your request is urgent, send it through an overnight delivery service with proof of immediate need. That could be a travel itinerary, insurance letter, or immigration notice. Urgent requests take 5 to 7 business days for a certified copy of a death index record in Illinois.
Illinois Death Index Fees
Fees for death index records in Illinois depend on the type of copy and how you order. The state sets the base fees. A certified copy of a death certificate costs $19 for the first copy. Each extra copy of the same record in the same order costs $4. Certified copies work for legal matters like settling an estate, claiming a will, or filing insurance in Illinois.
Genealogical copies cost less. The first one is $10. Each extra genealogical copy is $2. These are stamped "For Genealogical Purposes Only" and cannot be used for legal business. They are meant for family history research. Under 410 ILCS 535, Section 25, the State Registrar charges a $10 search fee and $5 more for a certified copy. A further $2 fee goes toward the Death Certificate Surcharge Fund for each certified copy issued in Illinois.
Online orders through VitalChek carry a $15 handling fee on top of the state fee. UPS shipping adds $22. County clerks set their own fees too. Most charge between $15 and $20 for a first certified copy of a death index record. DuPage County, for instance, charges $18 for the first copy and $6 for each extra.
Who Can Access the Illinois Death Index
Not just anyone can get a death certificate in Illinois. The state limits access to protect privacy. Under the Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535), death records are not public records. Only people who have a personal or property right interest in the death can get a copy. Property right means something owned and tangible, like a car title or property deed tied to the person who died.
People who can get a death certificate from the Illinois death index include immediate family members such as a spouse, parent, child, or sibling. Legal representatives can also request them. If you are the executor or administrator of the estate, you need court papers to prove it. Anyone who is not a relative must provide a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate.
You must show a valid government-issued photo ID with every request. Accepted forms include an Illinois driver's license, state ID card, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, out-of-state driver's license, U.S. naturalization certificate, or U.S. immigration card. If your ID is expired or cannot be read, IDPH will return your death index request unprocessed.
Note: Violating the access rules for death records is a violation of Illinois law.
Order Death Index Records Online
VitalChek is the authorized online ordering service for Illinois death index records. They work directly with the Illinois Department of Public Health. Death certificates through VitalChek are available for events from 1916 to the present day. You need a major credit card to place an order.
The base fee is the same as ordering from the state. A certified death certificate costs $19 plus the $15 VitalChek handling fee. Each extra copy is $4. You can add UPS delivery for $22 within the U.S. VitalChek also accepts phone orders at 888-277-0860. The fax number for IDPH is 217-523-2648 if you want to send your application that way instead. Many county clerks also accept VitalChek orders for death records filed at the local level in Illinois.
Illinois Death Index at the State Archives
The Illinois State Archives holds historical death index records. Their office is at the Margaret Cross Norton Building in the Capitol Complex in Springfield, IL 62756. You can call them at 217-782-4866. The archives is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. They keep the Illinois Statewide Death Index for records before 1916 and Illinois Death Certificates from 1916 to 1972.
The State Archives also has seven Regional Archives Depositories on university campuses across Illinois. These give you another way to search older death index records without going to Springfield. The archives preserves state and local government records of permanent administrative, legal, or historical value. If you are looking for a death that happened a long time ago in Illinois, the State Archives may be your best source. You can reach them through the Illinois Secretary of State website.
Death Index Laws in Illinois
Illinois law sets clear rules for how death records are filed and who can get them. Under 410 ILCS 535, Section 18, each death that happens in Illinois must be registered by filing a death certificate with the local registrar within 7 days. This must happen before cremation or moving the body out of the state. The medical certification must be signed within 48 hours after death by the health care professional who treated the patient within 12 months before the death.
When a death happens without medical attendance, or when it falls under a coroner's investigation, the coroner or medical examiner handles the death certificate. The Illinois Administrative Code, Title 77, Part 500 lays out the detailed regulations. These cover certificate forms, registration steps, access and disclosure rules, fee structures, and correction procedures for death index records in Illinois.
County clerks have authority under 410 ILCS 535, Section 25 to search death records and issue certified copies. They must charge a $2 surcharge per certified copy on top of their own fees. That money goes to the State Registrar each month and is deposited into the Death Certificate Surcharge Fund.
County Clerk Death Index Records
Every county clerk in Illinois keeps death index records for deaths that happened in their county. The clerk is the official custodian of these records at the local level. Fees vary from county to county, but most fall between $15 and $20 for a first certified copy. The same access rules apply at the county level as at the state level in Illinois.
The Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders can help you find contact information for any county clerk in the state. Most county clerks offer in-person, mail, and online ordering through VitalChek. Some counties, like Cook County, have multiple office locations to serve a large population. Others are small offices with limited hours. Call ahead to check what you need to bring and when they are open for death index requests.
Genealogical copies of death records are available from county clerks for deaths that are 20 or more years old. These cost less than certified copies. Lake County charges just $4 for uncertified genealogical copies. DuPage County charges $5 for genealogy records that are 75 or more years old. These copies are stamped for genealogical purposes only and cannot be used for legal matters in Illinois.
Types of Illinois Death Index Copies
IDPH offers two types of death certificate copies from the Illinois death index. A certified copy is the official version. It carries the seal of the Division of Vital Records and works for legal purposes. You would use a certified copy to settle an estate, claim a will, or file an insurance claim. The first certified copy costs $19. Each extra copy in the same order costs $4.
An uncertified copy is for genealogical purposes. It is cheaper at $10 for the first copy and $2 for each extra. These copies cannot be used for any legal matter. They are stamped to show they are for family history research only. To get a genealogical copy of a death record in Illinois, the death must have taken place at least 20 years ago.
Browse Illinois Death Index by County
Each county in Illinois has its own clerk who keeps death index records. Pick a county below to find local contact info and resources for death records in that area.
Death Index Records in Major Illinois Cities
Most cities in Illinois do not keep their own death records. The county clerk handles death index records for all cities within that county. Pick a city below to learn where to get death records in that area.