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

You find a cause of death in California on the death certificate, where a physician, coroner, or medical examiner records the medical cause, or in a coroner or medical examiner autopsy report. The fact and cause of death are accessible to the public through an informational certified copy from the California Department of Public Health, even if you are not a close relative.

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

You find a cause of death in California by obtaining the death certificate or the coroner's autopsy report. The death certificate carries a medical certification section where a physician, coroner, or medical examiner records the immediate and underlying causes of death.

The California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR) keeps a permanent record of every California death since July 1905. You can order a copy from CDPH-VR or from the county where the death was registered.

If the death was unexplained, violent, sudden, or unattended, a county coroner or medical examiner investigates and prepares an autopsy report. That report, when complete, often gives the most detailed account of how the person died.

For deaths where you do not need an official document, an obituary, newspaper notice, or family records may state the cause informally. These are the quickest leads but are not authoritative.

Is the Cause of Death Public in California?

The cause of death is effectively public in California, because the medical cause appears on the death certificate and anyone may buy an informational certified copy. California is a closed-record state for the authorized copy, but that restriction governs identity proof, not the cause-of-death information itself.

An authorized certified copy can be used to establish identity and is limited to people listed in Health and Safety Code section 103526. An informational certified copy carries the legend "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" and is available to anyone.

Both versions are certified copies of the same original record on file with CDPH-VR. Because they reproduce the same document, the informational copy shows the recorded cause of death just as the authorized copy does.

So while the parent California Death Records page explains that the identity-proving copy is restricted, the cause of death itself is reachable by the general public through the informational copy. For a broader view across states, see Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death is recorded in two main places in California: the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the coroner or medical examiner autopsy report.

The Death Certificate

The death certificate has a medical certification section completed by a physician, coroner, or medical examiner. It lists the immediate cause, the underlying conditions that led to it, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

This is the standard, official source. Any person who obtains a copy of the certificate, authorized or informational, can read the cause of death.

The Coroner or Medical Examiner Autopsy Report

For deaths that fall under coroner jurisdiction, the autopsy report is the most detailed source. It typically includes autopsy findings, toxicology results, and the investigator's narrative.

County coroners and medical examiners take jurisdiction over deaths that are violent, sudden, unattended by a physician, or otherwise unexplained. They determine the cause and manner of death and certify it on the death certificate.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request records that show the cause of death, order a certified copy of the death certificate from CDPH-VR or the county, and request the autopsy report from the county coroner or medical examiner.

For the death certificate, you can order from CDPH-VR in Sacramento or from the county registrar or recorder where the death occurred. If you are an authorized person under Health and Safety Code section 103526, you complete a notarized sworn statement to receive an authorized copy. If you are not, you skip the sworn statement and receive an informational copy, which still shows the cause of death.

For the autopsy report, contact the county coroner or medical examiner that handled the case. Coroner and medical examiner case records are public under the California Public Records Act and may be requested in person, by mail, by phone, or by email, depending on the county.

Be aware that autopsy reports can take several months to finalize, and reports tied to homicides or open investigations may be withheld until the case is adjudicated. Contact the office first to confirm the report is complete and releasable.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older or historical California deaths, the same death certificate is available, and aged coroner records and public archives become easier to access over time. California death records reach back to July 1905, so a certificate showing the cause of death usually exists for any 20th-century death.

For genealogical research, you can order a certificate copy from CDPH-VR or the county where the death was registered. County coroner offices, such as large urban medical examiner offices, retain historical case files going back many decades.

The Social Security Death Index is useful for confirming the fact and date of death of an individual, but it does not list the cause of death. Use it to confirm who died and when, then order the certificate or coroner report for the cause.

Newspaper archives and published obituaries can also fill in the cause for older deaths, especially where the certificate is hard to obtain.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and processing times change. Verify the current requirements with the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, or the relevant county office before you rely on them.

Sources

This page relies on the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records, California Health and Safety Code section 103526, and county medical examiner and coroner offices.

Return to California Death Records or browse the full Death Records by State hub.