Find Gilbert Death Records

Death records for Gilbert residents are maintained by Maricopa County, not the Town of Gilbert. The Town Clerk's Office does not issue death certificates or maintain vital records. Arizona law places all vital records under county public health departments and the state health agency. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Gilbert, you must contact the Maricopa County Public Health Office of Vital Registration or the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records. Maricopa County operates five Valley locations where Gilbert residents can obtain certified death certificates. The closest office to Gilbert is the East Valley location at 331 East Coury Avenue in Mesa, which serves the Gilbert area and surrounding communities.

Maricopa County Handles All Death Records

The Town of Gilbert does not issue death certificates. This applies to all Arizona cities and towns. State law assigns vital records to county public health departments and the state health agency. The Gilbert Town Clerk's Office at Town Hall handles municipal business like council minutes, public records requests for town documents, and business licenses. But vital records such as death certificates, birth certificates, and marriage records must be obtained from the county or state level.

For Gilbert residents, this means Maricopa County Public Health. Maricopa County runs the Office of Vital Registration, which issues certified copies of death certificates for any death that occurred in Arizona. The county maintains five offices across the Valley. The East Valley office in Mesa is the closest to Gilbert. This location is at 331 East Coury Avenue in Mesa, just a short drive west of Gilbert. The office has on-site parking and staff who can help you apply for a death record and answer questions about fees, eligibility requirements, and necessary documentation.

Other Maricopa County offices include Phoenix, Peoria, Glendale, and Goodyear. If you are in north Gilbert or traveling from another part of town, you might find one of the other four locations more convenient. All five locations can access the same statewide database and issue identical certified death certificates. The choice of office does not affect the certificate you receive or the fees you pay.

The Maricopa County death records page has complete information on each office location, hours, fees, and required documents. You can also visit the Maricopa County Vital Records website to confirm current hours and wait times before you go.

Gilbert Town Clerk Office

The Gilbert Town Clerk handles public records for the Town of Gilbert, but not vital records. You can request copies of town council agendas, meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and other municipal documents. The Town Clerk also manages business licenses and keeps official town records. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. The office is closed on Fridays. You can reach the Town Clerk's Office at (480) 503-6000 or by email at ClerksOffice@gilbertaz.gov.

When residents contact the Town Clerk asking about death certificates, staff direct them to the county or state. The Town of Gilbert does not have access to the state vital records database and cannot print or issue death certificates. This is standard across all Arizona municipalities. Knowing where to go ahead of time saves you a trip and gets you the death certificate faster.

If you visit Town Hall for other business and need a death certificate, staff can tell you how to reach the Maricopa County office in Mesa or provide contact information for the state vital records office. But the Town Clerk cannot process your application or issue the certificate on site. You must go to a county office or order by mail through the state.

How Gilbert Residents Get Death Certificates

You have three ways to obtain a death certificate as a Gilbert resident. The first option is to visit the Maricopa County vital records office in Mesa at 331 East Coury Avenue. Bring your government photo ID such as a driver's license or passport. You also need proof of your relationship to the deceased. This might be a birth certificate showing you are a child or parent of the person who died, a marriage certificate if you are the spouse, or other documents that prove you are an eligible family member under Arizona law. Fill out the application at the office and pay the $20 fee. Most requests are processed the same day if the death certificate is in the system and you meet all eligibility requirements.

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. Fill it out with all the details you know about the deceased person. 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, which processes mail requests for all Arizona deaths. Processing time for mail orders is 10 to 15 business days from the time 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 allows you to pick 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 Costs 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, with 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 the Maricopa County office in Mesa if you go in person. The 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 if the death happened very recently, it might not be in the system yet. Funeral homes have up to seven days to file a death certificate under ARS § 36-325. The state registrar then has 72 hours to register it. So a death that took place a few days ago may not be ready for another week.

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. You can pay extra for expedited shipping to cut 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.

Note: Processing delays can occur if your application is missing required documents or if the fee amount is incorrect.

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 used to offer walk-in service, but 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 Gilbert 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 town or 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. This law keeps the process moving so families can get copies when they need them for funeral arrangements, insurance claims, and estate matters.

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, so the same eligibility requirements apply whether you request a death certificate from Maricopa County, the state office, or any other county in Arizona.

Genealogy Research for Old Gilbert 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 Gilbert 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 Gilbert 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. The state updates the database regularly as more old records are scanned and indexed.

Other Vital Records in Gilbert

Just like death certificates, other vital records in Gilbert 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 town. Divorce records are court records kept by the Clerk of the Superior Court. You cannot get any of these records from the Gilbert Town 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 office in Mesa. 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 court location is at 201 West Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix.

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 Gilbert with death records available through Maricopa County include:

• Mesa - home to the East Valley office at 331 E. Coury Ave.
• Chandler - served by the Mesa office
• Tempe - close to the Mesa office in the East Valley
• Phoenix - has a dedicated county office at 1645 E. Roosevelt St.

Each of these cities follows the same system as Gilbert. 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.