Minnesota Death Records

Although Minnesota has seen a rising trend in the number of deaths in recent years, it remains one of the states with the lowest mortality rates. With an average of 49,099 deaths recorded annually, the state's death rate of 699.8 per 100,000 residents is notably lower than the national average, which stands at 793.7 per 100,000 United States residents.

Although state law required the recording of death events beginning in 1870, many counties were not formed in Minnesota until after 1870. As a result, general compliance and statewide registration of deaths did not happen until between 1908 and 1910. Death records in the state are either certified or non-certified and are usually issued in the form of a certificate.

A certified Minnesota death certificate is an official legal document prepared from the original certificate and issued on security paper. On the other hand, a non-certified death certificate is typically issued on plain paper and is primarily meant for informational purposes. However, both types of records (certificates) display the decedent's name and the place and date of death. An original death certificate is generally prepared after a person's death and is always filed with the relevant government agency.

In Minnesota, funeral directors, funeral staff, or morticians are responsible for registering deaths with the state and assigning medical certifiers to provide cause and manner of death details for the death record. Where the cause of the death is suspicious and not natural, a medical examiner in the county where the death occurred must provide information about the cause of death. According to State Rule, the completed, original death certificate must be filed with the local registrar (county Vital Records Office) of the registration district where the death occurred.

How Do I Get a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, the Office of Vital Records under the state's Department of Health (MDH) provides access to copies of death records in the state, including certified copies. However, anyone who needs a certified copy of a death certificate may also visit a county Vital Records Office.

An interested and eligible party may request a certified copy of a Minnesota death certificate from the state's Vital Records Office by taking the following steps:

• Complete the Death Certificate Request Form.
• Sign the request form in front of a notary public to attest eligibility to receive the death certificate. The notary public will verify the requester's government-issued photo ID and witness their signature on the request form.
• Pay a $13 request fee for the first copy of the certificate and $6 for each additional copy needed in the same request. Make a money order or check payable to the Minnesota Department of Health.

• Mail the completed and notarized application form, fees, and every other required documentation to the Minnesota Department of Health at:

  Minnesota Department of Health

  Office of Vital Records

  P.O. Box 64499

  St. Paul, MN 55164-0499

  It generally takes several days or weeks to process death certificate requests submitted by mail in Minnesota. For faster service, a requester may consider submitting their request in person at a county Vital Records Office. In most cases, requests made in person at a county Vital Records Office are fulfilled on the same day while the requesters wait. Another benefit of submitting an in-person request for a certified copy of a Minnesota death certificate at a county vital record office is that the requester can present their ID and sign the forms in the presence of county staff rather than see notarization services.

Are Minnesota Death Records Public?

Minnesota death records are public records. Per Section 144.255, Subdivision 1 of the state Statutes, pieces of information contained in death records are public information. Interested persons may access them under the supervision and regulation of the state registrar and employees in compliance with rules promulgated by the commissioner in a bid to protect the records and prevent improper disclosure. Generally, anyone may access a non-certified copy of a death record in Minnesota.

Who Can Request an Original Death Certificate in Minnesota?

Original death certificates in Minnesota are not issued to the public. They remain permanently on the file of the county or state's Vital Records Office once filed by the funeral directors or morticians. Although any individual may request non-certified copies of a death certificate in the state, access to certified copies is restricted to certain individuals or entities, including the following:

• The decedent's spouse, children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, and grandparents.
• The decedent's successor.
• Personal representative of the decedent's estate.
• Trustee of a trust.
• Attorney representing an eligible requester.
• Authorized representative of an eligible requester.
• Any individual or entity who can demonstrate that the certificate is required to determine and protect personal or property rights.
• Representative of a state, local, federal, or tribal government agency, if the certified death certificate is necessary for the agency to perform its official and authorized duties.
• Authorized representative of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Anyone with a court order requiring the disclosure or release of the death certificate.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in Minnesota?

It usually takes between 2 to 3 weeks to process a certified death certificate request in Minnesota for a death event that happened naturally and whose original has been filed with the Vital Records Office. Nevertheless, the State Office of Vital Records offers rush processing and shipping for additional fees.

In Minnesota, cases where the cause and manner of death must be determined due to the usual circumstances leading to death events typically require an autopsy. In such cases, there is often a delay in making the original death certificate available for filing at the Office of Vital Records. This generally impacts how long it takes to get certified copies of such death certificates.

In most cases, it takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete the final reports of an autopsy. However, this may extend longer if further laboratory testing is needed to determine the cause and manner of death. As a result, it may take some months before the original death certificate is ready, which will only be prepared after the final autopsy report is completed. Afterward, certified copies will be available for issuance at the Minnesota Office of Vital Records.

Can I view Minnesota Death Records online for free?

There are several options for viewing informational death records online for free in Minnesota. For instance, the Minnesota People Records Search maintained by the state's Historical Society has death records from 1904 to 2001, which are publicly available. Also, anyone may use the Department of Health's Search Index to verify a death in the state that occurred in 1997 or later. Furthermore, some county Vital Records Offices in Minnesota provide computer terminals that allow members of the public to search death records. Interested persons may check with the county officer near them to find out if they offer this service.

Alternatively, online resources like FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com have a large collection of historical records and may have records of death events in Minnesota. Similarly, third-party services like Minnesotapublicrecords.us, which typically costs a nominal fee to use, offer members of the public access to death records in the state.

Information about some death records in Minnesota may also be accessed by checking various substitute records. These records are a great alternative to looking up death records, especially where no official records of such deaths exist. They include obituaries, church records, cemetery records, probate records, newspapers, and tax records.

When Would You Require A Death Certificate in Minnesota?

A certified copy of a death certificate is needed to provide proof for several administrative and legal purposes in Minnesota. These include:

• Arranging a funeral for a deceased person.
• Claiming life insurance.
• Accessing certain benefits like pension benefits, Medicaid benefits, veterans benefits, and other employer or retirement benefits of the deceased person.
• Getting married (the death certificate is proof that the previous partner is no more).
• Settling a deceased person's estate.
• Notifying some important government agency about the passing of a deceased person.
• Notifying mortgage lenders and creditors.
• Notifying banks of the death of a person in a bid to close the deceased person's accounts and subsequently move the balance to an authorized person.
• Cancelling telephone services/bills and other utility services used by the decedent.
• Transferring titles of the decedent's assets to another person.

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need in Minnesota?

The actual number of certified copies of a death certificate to obtain in Minnesota varies by the situation. It largely depends on the type of estate the decedent has and the size of that estate. In addition, the number of agencies or entities that need a copy of a death certificate for varying legal or administrative purposes goes a long way in determining the number of copies to request from the state's Office of Vital Records. In most cases, it is often recommended to consider obtaining copies of a Minnesota death certificate ranging from 8 to 12, depending on the number of assets the decedent had in their name.