Find Buckeye Death Records

Death records for Buckeye residents are handled by Maricopa County, not the City of Buckeye. The Buckeye City Clerk's office at 530 East Monroe Avenue does not issue vital records. Arizona law puts death certificates under county and state control. If someone died in Buckeye, you must contact the Maricopa County Public Health Office of Vital Registration to get a certified copy. The county runs five vital records offices across the Valley including locations in Goodyear, Phoenix, and other cities. The Goodyear office at 14130 West McDowell Road is the closest Maricopa County location for most Buckeye residents. This office can issue certified death certificates for any death that occurred in Arizona since the state began keeping records in 1909.

Maricopa County Handles Buckeye Death Records

The City of Buckeye does not issue death certificates. This is true for all Arizona cities. State law assigns vital records to county public health departments and the Arizona Department of Health Services. The Buckeye City Clerk at 530 East Monroe Avenue handles city business like council agendas, business licenses, and city document requests. When residents ask about death certificates, the City Clerk refers them to Maricopa County or the state vital records office.

For Buckeye residents, Maricopa County Public Health is the main source for death certificates. The county operates five vital records offices across the Phoenix metro area. The closest office to Buckeye is in Goodyear at 14130 West McDowell Road. This location is about 10 miles east of downtown Buckeye. You can drive there in 15 to 20 minutes depending on where you live in Buckeye. The Goodyear office has the same access to the state vital records database as all other county offices. Staff can help you apply for a death certificate and answer questions about eligibility, fees, and what documents you need.

Other Maricopa County offices include Phoenix, Mesa, Peoria, and Glendale. The Phoenix office at 1645 East Roosevelt Street is the main county location, but it is farther from Buckeye than the Goodyear office. The Peoria office at 8088 West Whitney Drive serves northwest Valley residents. All five offices can issue the same certified death certificates. You can pick whichever location works best for your schedule.

Visit the Maricopa County death records page for details on all five office locations, hours, and how to apply by mail or online.

Buckeye City Clerk's Office

The Buckeye City Clerk is located at Buckeye City Hall, 530 East Monroe Avenue, Buckeye, Arizona 85326. This office handles public records requests for city documents. You can get copies of city council minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and other city paperwork. The City Clerk processes business licenses and keeps official city records. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. The main phone number is 623-349-6000. You can also call 623-349-6911 or send an email to laja@buckeyeaz.gov.

The City Clerk does not have access to the state vital records database. Staff cannot print or issue death certificates. When residents call or visit asking about vital records, the City Clerk refers them to Maricopa County Public Health or the Arizona Department of Health Services. This is standard across all Arizona cities. State law puts vital records under county and state control, not city control.

If you show up at Buckeye City Hall asking for a death certificate, staff will tell you to contact the county or state office instead. Knowing this in advance can save you a trip. Plan to visit the Goodyear county office or another Maricopa County location if you need a certified death certificate.

How Buckeye Residents Obtain Death Certificates

Buckeye residents have three main ways to get a death certificate. The first option is to visit a Maricopa County vital records office in person. The Goodyear office is the closest to Buckeye. Bring your government photo ID like a driver's license or passport. You also need proof of your relationship to the person who died. This could be a birth certificate showing you are a child or parent, a marriage certificate if you are the spouse, or other documents proving you are an eligible family member under Arizona law.

Fill out the application at the office. Pay the $20 fee with cash, check, money order, or credit card. Most requests are filled the same day if the death certificate is in the system and you meet all eligibility requirements. But if the death happened very recently, it might not be in the database yet. Funeral homes have up to seven days to file a death certificate under state law. The registrar then has 72 hours to process it. So a death that occurred a few days ago may not be ready for another week or so.

The second option is to order by mail. Download the death certificate application form from the Arizona Department of Health Services website. This is form VS-159, revised December 2025. Fill it out with all the details you know about the person who died. Include a copy of your photo ID and any proof of relationship documents. Send a check or money order for $20 per copy made out to Bureau of Vital Records. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope so they can mail the certificate back to you. Mail everything to PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005. This is the state vital records office. Processing time for mail orders is usually 10 to 15 business days from when they receive your complete application.

The third way is to order online through VitalChek. VitalChek is the official online partner for Arizona vital records. You fill out the application on their website and upload a photo of your ID. The system lets you choose your shipping speed. Standard mail takes 7 to 10 business days. Expedited shipping costs extra but can get the death certificate to you in 3 to 5 days. VitalChek charges service fees on top of the $20 state fee. But it is faster than mailing your own request and more convenient if you cannot visit an office in person during business hours.

Arizona law sets strict rules on who can get death certificates. You must be at least 18 years old. You must also be a family member, legal representative, or person with a legal interest in the record. Common eligible persons include the spouse, parents, adult children, siblings, attorneys, funeral directors, insurance companies, banks, and government agencies. If you do not fit one of these categories, you may need written permission from an eligible family member to get a copy.

Death Certificate Fees and Processing Times

A certified death certificate costs $20 in Arizona. This is the standard fee set by state law under Arizona Revised Statutes § 36-341. Each copy you order costs $20. There is no discount for multiple copies. If you need three copies, you pay $60. Corrections or amendments to a death certificate cost $30 for the first corrected copy, plus $20 for each additional copy of the amended record.

Wait times depend on how you apply. Same-day service is usually available at Maricopa County offices if you go in person. The Goodyear office can print your death certificate while you wait as long as the record is in the state database and you have all the right documents to prove eligibility. But recent deaths may not be in the system yet. The medical examiner or funeral home must complete the certificate first, which can take up to seven days after the death. Then the state registrar has 72 hours to register it. So a very recent death may not be available for another week or more.

Mail requests to the state office take 10 to 15 business days. This includes the time it takes for your application to arrive, get processed, and have the death certificate mailed back to you. VitalChek online orders arrive in 7 to 10 business days for standard shipping. Expedited shipping costs extra but cuts that time down to 3 to 5 days. During busy times, all these time frames can stretch longer. Call ahead if you need the death certificate by a certain date.

Arizona State Vital Records Office

The Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records is the main state agency for death certificates. This office is at 150 North 18th Avenue, Suite 120, in Phoenix. The bureau keeps records for all Arizona deaths from 1909 to the present, plus some older records dating back to 1877 from county sources. You can call them at (602) 364-1300 or toll-free at (888) 816-5907 with questions about death certificates or to check if a record is available.

The state office does not offer walk-in service anymore. That ended during COVID-19. Now the only way to get death certificates from the state office is by mail or online through VitalChek. For in-person service, you need to go to a county vital records office instead. Maricopa County is the best choice for Buckeye residents because the county has five locations and can usually print your certificate the same day.

The state office does handle certain requests that counties cannot process. If you need to correct a death certificate for a death that occurred before 2008, you must go through the state office. County offices can only amend records from 2008 forward. The state also handles special requests for genealogy research, delayed death certificates, and presumptive death certificates ordered by a court. Mail these requests to PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005.

Arizona Death Certificate Laws

Arizona vital records are governed by state law, not city law. The main statutes are in Arizona Revised Statutes Title 36, Chapter 3. State law defines key terms like "certificate," "certified copy," and "vital record." It explains that a death certificate is a record that documents a death and becomes a vital record once it is registered by the state or a local registrar.

ARS § 36-325 sets the timeline for death certificate registration. A funeral home or responsible person must complete the death certificate within seven days of taking possession of human remains. They must get the medical facts from a physician or medical examiner, fill in the personal details, and submit the certificate to a local registrar or the state registrar. The registrar then has 72 hours to register the certificate if it is accurate and complete.

ARS § 36-342 is the confidentiality law. It says that vital records are not public records in Arizona. Local registrars, deputy registrars, the state registrar, and their employees cannot permit inspection of a vital record or disclose information from a vital record except as authorized by law. This makes Arizona a "closed record" state for vital records. You cannot just walk in and ask for a copy of any death certificate like you might request a court record or property deed. You must prove you are eligible under the law and have a legal right to the record.

Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 spell out the eligibility rules in more detail. These regulations list the categories of people who can get certified death certificates and what documents they need to prove their status. The rules apply statewide. The same eligibility requirements apply whether you request a death certificate from Maricopa County, the state office, or any other county in Arizona.

Under ARS § 36-301, a certified copy is defined as a written reproduction of a registered certificate that a local registrar, deputy local registrar, or state registrar has authenticated as a true and exact written reproduction. The certified copy includes an embossed seal and the signature of the registrar. This makes it acceptable for legal purposes like settling estates, claiming life insurance, and changing property deeds.

Genealogy Research for Old Buckeye Deaths

If you need a death record for family history research and the death occurred more than 50 years ago, you can use the Arizona Genealogy Record Search. This is a free online database run by the state. It covers deaths from 1870 through 1970. You can search by name, date, and location to find old Buckeye death records without proving a family relationship.

The search tool is at genealogyapp.azdhs.gov. Enter the name of the person who died and any other details you know. The system will return a list of matching records. Click on a result to view an image of the original death certificate. These images are not certified copies. They do not have the official seal and cannot be used for legal purposes. But they work fine for building family trees and tracing your Buckeye ancestors.

Under ARS § 36-351, the state makes these old records available to the public for genealogy purposes. If you find an error in the data or have a confidentiality concern, you can contact the Bureau of Vital Records at 602-364-1300 or send an email to the address listed on the genealogy website.

Other Vital Records in Buckeye

Just like death certificates, other vital records in Buckeye come from the county or state level. Birth certificates are issued by Maricopa County Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services. Marriage licenses and marriage certificates come from the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court, not the city. Divorce records are court records kept by the Clerk of the Superior Court. You cannot get any of these records from the Buckeye City Clerk.

Maricopa County Public Health handles both birth and death certificates at the same five Valley locations. So if you need a birth certificate and a death certificate, you can get both in one trip to the Goodyear office. The eligibility rules and fees are similar for both types of vital records.

For marriage and divorce records, you need to contact the Maricopa County Superior Court. The court has a records department that handles requests for marriage licenses, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and other family court records. These are separate from vital records and have their own fees and procedures. The main courthouse is in downtown Phoenix at 201 West Jefferson Street.

Death Records in Nearby Cities

Other cities in the Phoenix metro area also refer residents to Maricopa County for death certificates. Cities do not issue vital records anywhere in Arizona. If you live in a neighboring city, you can still use the same Maricopa County offices to get death records. The five Valley locations serve all Maricopa County residents no matter which city you live in.

Cities near Buckeye with death records available through Maricopa County include:

• Goodyear - has a dedicated county office at 14130 W. McDowell Rd.
• Avondale - served by the Goodyear or Glendale offices
• Surprise - served by the Peoria or Glendale offices

Each of these cities follows the same system as Buckeye. City clerks do not handle vital records. Residents must go to Maricopa County Public Health or the state vital records office to get certified death certificates.