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

To find someone's cause of death in Georgia, you check the medical certification on the death certificate or the autopsy report from the medical examiner. The cause of death is not fully open to the public. In Georgia, the Social Security number is automatically redacted on a plain copy, but the cause of death is omitted only if you ask for it, so a plain copy ordered by anyone usually still shows the cause of death. A certified copy that contains the cause of death is reserved for next of kin, estate representatives, and others with a legal need.

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

You find a cause of death in Georgia by obtaining a record that contains the medical cause of death. The two official records that carry it are the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the autopsy report.

The death certificate is held by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Office of Vital Records. The autopsy report, when one exists, is held by the coroner or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Medical Examiner's Office.

Outside those official records, families often first learn the cause of death from an obituary, a funeral home, or a newspaper notice. These sources are public but unofficial, and they may not state the medical cause.

For an official answer, you need to qualify as an eligible requester. Georgia limits access to the cause-of-death details to family and others with a direct and tangible interest.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Georgia?

The cause of death is not fully public in Georgia. While Georgia is an open-record state for the basic fact of death, the cause-of-death details are restricted.

Anyone may order a Georgia death record and receive a plain paper copy. On that copy the Social Security number is automatically redacted, but the cause of death is left on unless the requester specifically asks for it to be omitted, so a plain copy ordered by the public will usually still show how the person died.

A certified copy of a death certificate that contains the cause of death is issued to specific people. Under Georgia's vital records rule (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-1-3-.33), it goes to a child, parent, legal living spouse, or other next of kin of the decedent; to a person who has been appointed, or who has applied in good faith to become, the executor or administrator of the decedent's estate; or to a person who shows that a certified copy is needed to establish a legal right or claim. O.C.G.A. 31-10-26 also authorizes issuance to a court upon its order or subpoena and to a state or federal agency that needs the certificate for official purposes.

The fact of death is fully public; only a certified copy showing the cause of death is limited. This is the same open-versus-restricted split covered on the parent page, Georgia Death Records. The fact of death is open, but the cause of death sits behind an eligibility rule. For how this pattern works across states, see Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death lives in two places: the death certificate and the autopsy report. They serve different purposes.

The Death Certificate

Every Georgia death is registered on a death certificate, which the DPH describes as an official recording of the cause, date, and place of death. A physician, coroner, or medical examiner completes the medical certification that states the immediate cause and any contributing conditions.

This is the standard record of cause of death. If a doctor was treating the person and the death was expected, the attending physician certifies the cause, and no autopsy is needed.

The Autopsy Report

When a death is sudden, violent, suspicious, or unexplained, an autopsy may be performed. The autopsy report gives a detailed forensic finding of the cause and manner of death.

In Georgia, a death that is violent, sudden while the person was in apparent good health, suspicious, drug related, or unattended by a physician must be reported to the local coroner or county medical examiner under the Georgia Death Investigation Act (O.C.G.A. 45-16-24), and that office handles the case. The GBI Medical Examiner's Office provides forensic pathology services to most of Georgia's counties for these investigated deaths.

The cause and manner of death are usually determined when the autopsy is complete, and the report is typically issued in about four weeks.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request a record showing the cause of death, you go to either the Office of Vital Records or the agency that investigated the death.

For the death certificate, order a certified copy from the DPH Office of Vital Records. You can order online through ROVER, by mail with Form 3912, or in person at a county vital records office. You must be an eligible requester to receive a certified copy that shows the cause of death.

For the autopsy report, request it through the GBI Division of Forensic Sciences open records process. The GBI notes there is no charge to next of kin for an autopsy report.

If the death was a coroner case handled locally, the coroner for the county where the person died is responsible for notifying next of kin of the findings. You can also direct your request to that county coroner's office.

Be ready to show identification and, where required, proof of your relationship to the decedent. The cause-of-death restriction in O.C.G.A. 31-10-26 means the office will confirm your eligibility before releasing the full record.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the cause of death is usually easier to find. The same death certificate carries the cause, and historical records can be reviewed for genealogy and research.

Georgia's state death records run from January 1, 1919 to the present. Some counties also hold older death records in their files, predating statewide registration.

Once a death is old enough that immediate family members are themselves deceased, the practical barrier to access often falls away, because eligible next of kin can still apply and historical records are commonly used for genealogical research. County offices may help with these older searches.

For the simple fact that an older relative died, the Social Security Death Index is a useful starting point. It is a public index drawn from federal records that confirms a death but never states the cause of death.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and forms change. Confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records or the GBI before you request a record.

Sources

This page is based on the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records, Georgia Code O.C.G.A. 31-10-26 and 45-16-24, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-1-3-.33, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner's Office.