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

To find someone's cause of death in Illinois, look at the medical certification on the death certificate or the coroner or medical examiner's autopsy report. Illinois is a closed-record state, so the cause of death on a certified death certificate is restricted to eligible requesters, not the general public.

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

You find a cause of death in Illinois by obtaining the death certificate, which carries the medical certification, or by getting the coroner or medical examiner's autopsy report when one was performed. The cause of death is a medical finding, not a separate public filing.

For most people, the practical first step is the obituary or a newspaper notice, which sometimes names a cause. When it does not, the death certificate is the authoritative source.

If the death was sudden, violent, or unexplained, a county coroner or, in Cook County, the medical examiner investigates and sets the cause and manner of death. Their autopsy report is the most detailed record.

For older deaths, the path shifts to genealogical and archival records, which open up once enough time has passed.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Illinois?

No. The cause of death is not open public information in Illinois because the death certificate itself is a closed record. Under the Illinois Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535/25), a certified copy goes only to a person with a personal interest, a property right interest, or a genealogical interest in the record.

This ties directly to the state's certificate access rule. Illinois does not sell death certificates to anyone who asks, so the cause-of-death line on a certified copy is restricted to those eligible requesters.

There is no separate confidentiality window that hides the cause of death while releasing the rest of the certificate. The whole certified record, including the cause of death, follows one eligibility test.

That restriction eases over time. Once a death occurred at least 20 years before the request, the record becomes available for genealogical purposes and the copy is stamped "FOR GENEALOGICAL PURPOSES ONLY." For the national context, 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 Illinois: the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the autopsy report. They are different documents with different access rules.

On the Death Certificate

The death certificate includes a medical certification section where the certifying physician, coroner, or medical examiner records the immediate cause of death, any underlying conditions, and the manner of death. This is the standard, official statement of cause.

That information appears on the full certified copy issued by IDPH or the county clerk. It does not appear on a simple verification of death, which only confirms the fact of death.

In the Autopsy Report

When a coroner or medical examiner orders an autopsy, the resulting report explains the cause in clinical detail, often with toxicology results. This is separate from the certificate's single cause-of-death line.

Autopsy reports carry their own access limits and are generally released to next of kin, an attorney, or an insurer rather than the general public.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

You request the cause of death by ordering a full certified copy of the death certificate from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Vital Records or the county clerk where the death occurred. You must qualify as an eligible requester.

Submit a completed application with a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID. The first certified copy costs $19, and each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $4.

You can request by mail, fax, in person at the Springfield office, or online through VitalChek, the state-authorized vendor. Mailed state requests can take roughly 12 weeks, while expedited requests for an urgent need run about 5 to 7 business days.

If an autopsy was performed, contact the county coroner's office, or the Cook County Medical Examiner, to ask about obtaining the autopsy report under their release rules.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older Illinois deaths, the cause of death becomes easier to find once the record qualifies as genealogical. A death record is available for genealogical purposes once the death occurred at least 20 years before the request.

For those records, IDPH issues a genealogical (uncertified) copy for $10, plus $2 for each additional copy. That copy still shows the cause of death and is stamped for genealogical use.

The Illinois State Archives, under the Secretary of State, hosts the Illinois Statewide Death Index for deaths from 1916 to 1972, which helps you locate the certificate number you need. For Cook County deaths under the medical examiner's jurisdiction, the county's open data Medical Examiner Case Archive lists cause and manner of death for cases from 2014 forward.

The Social Security Death Index is useful for confirming the fact and date of a death, but it does not list the cause of death. Treat it as a finding aid, then go to the certificate or autopsy report for the cause.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and processing times change, so verify the current requirements with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the county clerk, or the county coroner or medical examiner before you rely on them.

Sources

This page draws on the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535/25), the Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/3-3013), the Illinois State Archives, and the Cook County Medical Examiner open data archive.

UP to Illinois Death Records and the hub Death Records by State.