New Jersey Death Records: Are They Public + How to Get One

New Jersey is a closed-record state for death certificates. Vital records are not public, so a certified copy goes only to the people state law lists: close relatives, a legal representative, a State or federal agency acting for official purposes, or someone holding a court order. A death that occurred more than 40 years ago is reclassified as a genealogical record, but that does not make it public or waive the eligibility rules for a certified copy.

Are Death Records Public in New Jersey?

No. New Jersey is a closed-record state, and death certificates are not public records. State law protects and restricts the release of vital records, and they cannot be searched online by the general public.

The Office of Vital Statistics releases a certified copy only to the people state law lists, whatever the age of the record. Anyone else may instead request a "certification," which is an informational copy that is not valid for legal or identity purposes.

This closed approach is similar to how New Jersey treats other life-event documents. For broader context, see Are Birth Certificates Public Records?, which follows the same restricted model.

Who Can Request a New Jersey Death Record?

New Jersey limits certified copies of a death certificate to the people named in N.J.S.A. 26:8-62. That list covers the subject's parent, legal guardian, spouse, or civil union partner; child; grandchild; or sibling, if of legal age. It also covers a State or federal agency acting for official purposes, a person holding an order from a court of competent jurisdiction, and a person authorized under other emergent circumstances determined by the commissioner. The Department of Health notes that a subpoena alone is not sufficient.

A legal representative may also order a certified copy. To do so, the representative must supply proof of a legal retainer from an eligible individual along with that person's proof of relationship to the deceased. The statute additionally deems an employee of a registered mortuary, or a licensed funeral director affiliated with that mortuary, to be the subject's legal representative entitled to full copies of the death certificate when that mortuary was recorded on the original certificate.

Every certified-copy request requires a copy of the applicant's valid government-issued identification, the correct fee, and documents proving the relationship to the person named on the record.

If you do not qualify for a certified copy, you can still request a certification. A certification does not require proof of relationship, but it is issued on plain paper with no raised seal and cannot be used to establish identity or for legal purposes.

How to Get a New Jersey Death Certificate

Death certificates are issued by the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, in Trenton. New Jersey offers four ways to order a non-genealogical death record.

Ordering methods

• Online: Place a request through the state's authorized vendor with a credit card. Online orders are typically processed within 4 to 6 weeks.
• Mail: Submit your application by mail through the vendor VitalChek. Mail orders are typically processed within 2 to 4 weeks, not including delivery time.
• In person: Walk-in service is available at the State Office in Trenton and at local registrar offices. The state office typically processes walk-in requests in about two hours.
• Phone: Call the vendor to order by phone, then fax the required supporting documents. Additional processing fees apply.

Fees

The fee is $25 for the initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record (or a No Record Statement). Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $2.

Orders placed through the online or phone vendor carry an added processing fee, such as $6 for mail orders or $12.95 for phone orders. Local registrar fees can vary by municipality.

You can also request a death certificate from the local registrar in the New Jersey municipality where the death occurred or where the deceased lived. The same eligibility and identification rules apply.

Is the Cause of Death Public in New Jersey?

The cause of death is not public in New Jersey. Because the entire death certificate is a restricted vital record, the medical cause-of-death information on it is released only to the same eligible relatives and legal representatives who may obtain a certified copy.

A certification (the informational copy available to the general public) does not serve as a legal record and is not a route around these access limits. New Jersey treats the full death record, including cause-of-death data, as confidential rather than open.

For how cause-of-death and related records are handled more broadly, see Are Cause of Death Records Public? and Are Autopsies Public Records?, which cover medical examiner findings that follow separate access rules.

How Far Back Do New Jersey Death Records Go?

New Jersey's statewide death records begin on May 1, 1848. A death that occurred more than 40 years ago is treated as a genealogical record, but that label does not open the record: a certified copy of a genealogical death record still requires proof of relationship, and only a certification can be ordered without it.

The two agencies split the records by date rather than by a rolling 100-year window. The New Jersey State Archives, part of the Department of State, holds death records from May 1, 1848 through December 31, 1950, along with historical indexes. The Office of Vital Statistics holds deaths registered after December 31, 1950. A 1935 or 1945 New Jersey death record therefore comes from the State Archives, not the Department of Health.

For deaths nationwide, no single federal database exists. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics confirms that death records are issued by individual states, not the federal government. The Social Security Administration's public Death Master File can help locate older deaths, but under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 it excludes any death that occurred within the last three calendar years.

For records in other states, start with Death Records by State.

New Jersey Death Records at a Glance

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information about public records access in New Jersey and is not legal advice. Eligibility rules, fees, and processing times change. Always verify current requirements with the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, before ordering.

Sources

This article is based on official New Jersey Department of Health, New Jersey State Archives, CDC, and Social Security Administration sources, listed below.