How to Find a Cause of Death in Arkansas (2026)

In Arkansas, a person's cause of death is recorded on the medical certification of the death certificate. That certificate is a closed record for 50 years, so during that window it goes only to eligible requesters: next of kin and their authorized representatives, and also anyone who documents a need for the cause of death to establish a legal right or claim. After 50 years the record, including the cause of death, becomes public.

How Do You Find Someone's Cause of Death in Arkansas?

You find a cause of death in Arkansas mainly through the death certificate, which records the cause on its medical certification. If you are an eligible requester, you can order a certified copy from the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records.

If you are not next of kin and the death happened within the last 50 years, the cause of death is restricted. You may still qualify if you can document that you need the cause of death to establish a legal right or claim, such as an insurance or estate claim. Otherwise you may need to rely on an obituary, a newspaper account, or a request made by an eligible family member.

When a death was sudden, violent, or unexplained, the Arkansas State Medical Examiner may have performed an autopsy. That autopsy report contains the most detailed account of the cause of death.

For deaths more than 50 years old, the record is public, and the cause of death can be read by anyone who orders the certificate or finds it in genealogy collections.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Arkansas?

No, the cause of death is not public in Arkansas until 50 years have passed from the date of death. The cause of death lives on the death certificate, and Arkansas treats death certificates as closed records.

Under the Arkansas Vital Statistics Act and the State Board of Health rules for vital records, the State Registrar may not release a death record unless the applicant is an authorized requester. The cause of death is released only to those eligible requesters during the restricted period.

Once 50 years have elapsed after the date of death, the record in the custody of the State Registrar becomes available to any person who submits an application. At that point the cause of death is fully public.

This makes Arkansas a two-tier state. For recent deaths the cause of death is confidential, and for older deaths it is open to anyone.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death is recorded in two main places in Arkansas: the death certificate and, when one exists, the autopsy report. Each serves a different purpose and offers a different level of detail.

The Death Certificate

The certified death certificate carries the medical certification of death, completed by the certifying physician, coroner, or medical examiner. This section lists the immediate cause of death and any underlying conditions that led to it.

This is the standard legal record of how a person died. Because it is part of the death certificate, it is restricted to eligible requesters for 50 years.

The Autopsy Report

When a death is investigated by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner, an autopsy report may be produced. This report explains the findings behind the cause and manner of death in far more detail than the certificate.

Autopsy and medical examiner reports are handled by the State Medical Examiner's office, part of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. Access to these reports is narrower than to the certificate, so contact that office directly about availability.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request a record that shows the cause of death, an eligible requester orders a certified death certificate from the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records. Eligible requesters include the spouse, parent, child, grandchild, maternal grandparents of the deceased, the informant, the funeral home of record, a beneficiary with proper documentation, and an authorized legal representative.

You do not have to be a relative in every case. Ark. Code § 20-18-305(4)(B) allows a copy containing cause-of-death information to issue when a documented need for the cause of death to establish a legal right or claim has been demonstrated, and § 20-18-305(4)(C) allows it when the request is made by or on behalf of an organization that provides benefits to the decedent's survivors or beneficiaries. More broadly, § 20-18-305(1)(C) lets others be authorized to obtain certified copies when they demonstrate that the record is needed for the determination or protection of their personal or property rights. Expect to submit documentation of the claim, and ask Vital Records what proof it will accept.

You can order online through the official Vital Records vendor, by mail, by telephone, or in person at the Vital Records office in Little Rock. A certified copy costs $10.00 for the first copy and $8.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.

Online orders add a $5.00 processing fee and a $1.85 identity-verification fee. You will need acceptable identification and information that proves your relationship to the deceased.

For an autopsy or medical examiner report, contact the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's office directly, because those reports follow their own release rules rather than the standard certificate process.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For deaths that are more than 50 years old, the cause of death is public, and anyone can request the record. Once that window passes, you no longer need to prove a family relationship to obtain the certificate.

You can order an older certified death certificate from the Arkansas Department of Health, which holds death records filed with the state. Historical Arkansas death records may also appear in archived and genealogy collections held by the Arkansas State Archives.

Obituaries and newspaper death notices are another route, especially for older deaths. They often describe an illness or accident even when the official record is hard to reach.

The Social Security Death Index can confirm that a person died and give the date, but it never lists a cause of death. Use it to anchor a search, then go to the certificate or an obituary for the cause.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules and fees can change, so verify the current requirements with the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records, or the Arkansas State Medical Examiner before you rely on them.

Learn more about who can see this information in Are Cause of Death Records Public?, and review the full state rules on the Arkansas Death Records page. To compare other states, visit the Death Records by State hub.

Sources

This article draws on the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office, the Arkansas Vital Statistics Act, the Arkansas State Board of Health vital records rule, the Arkansas State Medical Examiner, and the Social Security Administration.