How to Get a Kentucky Death Certificate (2026)

Kentucky death certificates are issued by the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort for deaths from 1911 to the present. Anyone who provides the required information to identify the record and pays the search fee may obtain a certified copy. The fee is $6.00 for the first copy and $6.00 for each additional copy.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Kentucky?

You get a Kentucky death certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics, part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Frankfort. The office holds records for deaths that occurred in Kentucky from 1911 to the present.

There are four ways to request a certified copy.

Order Online

You can order online through VitalChek, the state-authorized vendor at vitalchek.com. Online orders can be delivered by overnight courier for an additional shipping fee.

Order by Phone

Call (800) 241-8322 and choose option 1 to place a death certificate order by phone.

Order by Mail

Mail your request with payment to the Office of Vital Statistics, 275 East Main Street, 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621. Pay by check or money order in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank, made payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer.

Order in Person

Visit the Office of Vital Statistics at 275 East Main Street in Frankfort. The office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. For same-day service on an in-person request, apply before the 3:45 p.m. Eastern cutoff.

To order, you must provide the decedent's full name, the month, day, and year of death, and the county where the death occurred.

Who Is Eligible to Request a Kentucky Death Certificate?

In Kentucky, anyone who provides the required identifying information and pays the proper search fee may generally obtain a certified copy of a death certificate. The state does not limit certified death certificates to next of kin the way some states do.

Kentucky is therefore a relatively open-access state for death records. The official application still asks for your name, your relationship to the decedent, and the purpose of the request, and access to certain restricted details on the record can be limited, so be prepared to supply that information.

Because the requester must still supply accurate details to locate the record, having the decedent's full name, date of death, and county of death on hand makes the request faster. For background on what is and is not publicly available, see the parent guide on Kentucky Death Records.

Kentucky Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

A Kentucky death certificate costs $6.00 for the first certified copy and $6.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. The fee is a search fee, so it is generally not refunded even if no matching record is found.

Mailed requests can take up to 30 working days to process from the date payment is posted. In-person requests are usually handled faster, often the same day depending on volume.

Online orders through VitalChek may be expedited with overnight courier delivery for an extra shipping charge. Always confirm current turnaround times with the office before relying on a specific date.

Certified vs Informational Copy in Kentucky

Kentucky issues certified copies only. The Office of Vital Statistics does not issue photocopies, faxed copies, non-certified copies, or electronic copies of records.

A certified copy carries the official seal of the State Registrar and is accepted for legal and administrative purposes. These uses include settling an estate, claiming life insurance or pension benefits, closing financial accounts, and transferring property or a vehicle title.

Because Kentucky does not offer a separate informational version, every copy you receive is a certified document suitable for official use.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

You request additional or replacement Kentucky death certificates the same way you order the first one: online through VitalChek, by phone, by mail, or in person. Each copy costs $6.00.

If you know in advance that you will need several copies, order them together. Estates, banks, insurers, and government agencies often each want their own original certified copy, so families commonly request multiple copies at once.

To replace a lost certificate later, simply submit a new request with the decedent's details and the $6.00 fee per copy. There is no separate replacement process; a replacement is just another certified copy.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information about obtaining a Kentucky death certificate and is not legal advice. Fees, processing times, and rules can change. Verify current details with the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics before submitting a request.

Sources

This page is based on information published by the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Revised Statutes.

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