Peoria Death Records

Death records for Peoria residents are available through Maricopa County Public Health, not the City of Peoria. The Peoria City Clerk at 8401 West Monroe Street does not handle vital records like death certificates. Under Arizona state law, cities do not process or issue death records. You must contact the Maricopa County Office of Vital Registration or the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records to get certified death certificates for deaths that occurred in Peoria. Maricopa County runs a Northwest Valley office right here in Peoria at 8088 West Whitney Drive, Suite 2A, making it easy for local residents to get death records without driving downtown.

Maricopa County Handles Death Records for Peoria

The City of Peoria does not process birth and death certificates. This is spelled out clearly on the city website. All Arizona cities refer vital records requests to the county or state level because state law puts vital records under the control of county public health departments and the state health agency. The Peoria City Clerk handles city business like council agendas, public records requests for city documents, and municipal records. But vital records are a different category entirely.

For Peoria residents, death records come from Maricopa County. The county runs the Office of Vital Registration, which issues certified copies of death certificates for any death that occurred in Arizona. Maricopa County has five offices across the Valley, and one of them is right here in Peoria. The Northwest Valley office is at 8088 West Whitney Drive, Suite 2A. This is the same building that houses other county health services, and there is patient parking available on site.

The Peoria location offers the same death certificate services as all other Maricopa County vital records offices. Staff can help you apply for a death record in person. They can answer questions about fees, eligibility, and processing times. In most cases, you can get a certified death certificate the same day if the record is in the statewide database and you bring all the right documents to prove you are eligible under Arizona law.

Other Maricopa County vital records offices include Phoenix at 1645 East Roosevelt Street, Mesa at 331 East Coury Avenue, Glendale at 5141 West Lamar Road, and Goodyear at 14130 West McDowell Road. All five locations can access the same database and issue the same certified death certificates. You can go to whichever office is most convenient for you.

Peoria City Clerk Office

The Peoria City Clerk is at 8401 West Monroe Street in the main city administration building. This office handles public records requests for city documents. You can get city council agendas, meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and other municipal records from the City Clerk. The office also processes business licenses and keeps official city records.

When you call the Peoria City Clerk at 623-773-7340 or send an email to CityClerk@PeoriaAz.gov asking about death certificates, staff will tell you that Peoria does not process birth and death certificates. They will direct you to Maricopa County Public Health or the Arizona Department of Health Services instead. This saves you a trip to the wrong office if you know in advance where to go for vital records.

The city website makes it clear that vital records like birth certificates and death certificates are not handled at the city level. If you show up at the City Clerk's office looking for a death certificate, the staff can give you the address and phone number for the county vital records office in Peoria. But the City Clerk does not have access to the state vital records database and cannot print or issue death certificates under Arizona law.

How Peoria Residents Get Death Certificates

You have three main ways to get a death certificate as a Peoria resident. The first is to visit the Maricopa County vital records office at 8088 West Whitney Drive, Suite 2A, right here in Peoria. Bring your government photo ID. You need a driver's license, passport, or other valid ID issued by a state or federal agency. You also need proof of your relationship to the person who died. This could be a birth certificate showing you are the child or parent of the deceased, a marriage certificate if you are the surviving spouse, or other documents that prove you fit into one of the eligible categories under Arizona law.

Fill out the application form at the office. Pay the $20 fee per copy. The office accepts credit cards, debit cards, and money orders. Cash is not accepted at most Maricopa County locations. If the death certificate is in the system and you meet all eligibility requirements, you can usually get your certified copy the same day. Processing time is just a few minutes once the staff verify your documents and enter your request into the system.

The second way is to order by mail. Download the death certificate application from the Arizona Department of Health Services website. This is form VS-159, revised as of December 2025. Fill it out completely with all the details you know about the person who died. Include their full name, date of death, place of death, date of birth, and any other information requested on the form. Make 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.

Processing time for mail orders is 10 to 15 business days from the time the state office receives your complete application. If anything is missing or the fee is wrong, they will send it back to you and processing time starts over once you resubmit the correct paperwork. Make sure you have everything the first time to avoid delays.

The third option is to order online through VitalChek. VitalChek is the authorized online ordering partner for Arizona vital records. Go to their website and fill out the death certificate application online. Upload a photo of your government ID. The system walks you through each step and tells you what documents you need to provide. You can choose your shipping speed. Standard shipping 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, so the total cost will be higher than ordering in person or by mail. But it is faster and more convenient if you cannot visit an office during business hours.

Who Can Get Death Records in Peoria

Arizona is a "closed record" state for vital records. This means death certificates are not public records. You cannot just walk in and ask for a copy of any death certificate. You must prove you are eligible under state law. Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 list the categories of people who can get certified death certificates.

Eligible persons include the surviving spouse, parents, adult children, adult siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and first or second cousins. You must provide proof of your relationship. For a spouse, bring your marriage certificate. For a child, bring your birth certificate showing the deceased as your parent. For a parent, bring the deceased person's birth certificate showing you as the mother or father. For siblings, bring both birth certificates to show you share at least one parent.

Attorneys can get death certificates if they represent the estate or have a legal interest in the case. Funeral directors can get copies if they handled the funeral arrangements for the deceased. Government agencies can get copies for official purposes. Insurance companies and banks can get copies if the deceased had a policy or account with them. Executors of estates can get copies if they provide proof of their appointment by the court.

If you do not fit one of these categories, you may be able to get a death certificate with written permission from an eligible family member. The family member must sign an authorization letter stating that it is okay for Arizona to release a copy of the record to you. You must also provide a copy of your government photo ID. This process takes longer because the state office has to verify the authorization letter is legitimate.

Everyone who requests a death certificate must be at least 18 years old. This is true no matter what your relationship to the deceased. If you are under 18, you cannot get a certified death certificate even if you are the child of the deceased.

Note: Being listed as the informant on a death certificate does not automatically make you eligible to get copies.

Death Certificate Costs and Wait Times

A certified death certificate costs $20 in Arizona. This fee is set by state law under Arizona Revised Statutes § 36-341. Each copy you order costs $20, whether you order one copy or ten copies. There is no discount for multiple copies. The state also assesses an additional one dollar surcharge on all certified copies of death certificates, but this is included in the $20 fee you pay.

Corrections or amendments to a death certificate cost $30 for the first corrected copy, plus $20 for each additional copy of the amended record. The Maricopa County vital records office can process corrections for deaths that occurred in 2008 or later. For deaths that occurred before 2008, you must send correction requests to the state vital records office at PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005, or call (602) 364-1300.

Wait times depend on how you apply. Same-day service is usually available at the Peoria office 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. But if the death happened very recently, it might not be in the system yet. Under ARS § 36-325, funeral homes have up to seven days to file a death certificate after receiving possession of human remains. Once the funeral home submits the certificate, the state registrar has 72 hours to register it. So a death that occurred less than ten days ago may not be ready yet.

Mail requests to the state office take 10 to 15 business days. This includes the time it takes for your application to arrive in the mail, get processed by staff, and have the death certificate mailed back to you in your self-addressed stamped envelope. During busy times, mail processing can take longer. 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 or even overnight in urgent cases.

If you need a death certificate by a certain date, plan ahead. Call the Maricopa County office at 602-506-6805 to check if the record is available before you make the trip. Ask how long the current processing time is for mail orders if you plan to request by mail. The staff can tell you if there are any delays or backlogs that might affect your request.

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. Some older records from county sources date back to 1877. 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 and has not resumed. 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. The Maricopa County office in Peoria is the most convenient option for local residents because it is right here in the Northwest Valley.

The state office handles certain requests that counties cannot process. Corrections or amendments to death certificates for deaths that occurred before 2008 must go through the state office. County offices can only amend records from February 2008 forward. The state also handles special requests for genealogy research, delayed death certificates, and presumptive death certificates ordered by a court. These are less common situations, but if you need one of these services, mail your request to PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005.

Arizona Death Certificate Laws

Arizona vital records are governed by state law in Arizona Revised Statutes Title 36, Chapter 3. These laws apply statewide, so the same rules apply in Peoria as in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, or any other Arizona city. State law defines a death certificate as a record that documents a death. Once the certificate is registered by the state registrar or a local registrar, it becomes a vital record.

ARS § 36-325 sets the timeline for death certificate registration. When a funeral establishment or responsible person takes possession of human remains, they have seven days to complete the death certificate. They must get the medical facts from a physician or medical examiner. They must fill in the personal information about the deceased. Then they must submit the certificate to a local registrar, a deputy local registrar, or the state registrar. The registrar has 72 hours to register the certificate if it is accurate and complete. This law keeps the process moving so families do not have to wait weeks to get copies for funeral arrangements 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 must prove you are eligible under the law and have a legal right to the record before you can get a certified copy.

The fee structure is set in ARS § 36-341. This law gives the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services the authority to set fees for searches, copies, certified copies, amendments, and corrections. The statute also allows local registrars to set their own fees, but in practice most counties charge the same $20 fee as the state. The law requires an additional one dollar surcharge on all certified copies of death certificates, and this money goes into a special fund for the vital records system.

Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 spell out the eligibility rules in 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 whether you request a death certificate from Maricopa County, the state office, or any other county in Arizona. If you are not sure whether you qualify, read these regulations or call the vital records office at 602-506-6805 and ask.

Genealogy Research for Old Peoria 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 Peoria death records without proving a family relationship or paying a fee.

The search tool is at genealogyapp.azdhs.gov. Enter the name of the person who died and any other details you know, like mother's maiden name or approximate date of death. 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 ribbon and cannot be used for legal purposes like settling an estate or claiming insurance proceeds. But they work fine for building family trees and tracing your Peoria 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. The state updates the database regularly as more old records are scanned and indexed, so check back if you do not find what you are looking for the first time.

Other Vital Records in Peoria

Just like death certificates, other vital records in Peoria come from the county or state level. Birth certificates are issued by Maricopa County Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services. The same office that handles death certificates also handles birth certificates. So if you need both a birth certificate and a death certificate, you can get both in one trip to the Northwest Valley office at 8088 West Whitney Drive.

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 marriage or divorce records from the Peoria City Clerk. The court is at 201 West Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix, which is about a 30 to 45 minute drive from Peoria depending on traffic.

The Maricopa County Public Health office in Peoria can help with birth and death certificates only. For other types of records, you need to contact the court or other agencies. The staff at the Peoria vital records office can give you the phone numbers and addresses for other record types if you ask.

Death Records in Nearby Cities

Other cities in the Northwest Valley 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 Northwest Valley office in Peoria serves all Maricopa County residents no matter which city you live in.

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

• Glendale - has a dedicated county office at 5141 W. Lamar Rd.
• Surprise - served by the Peoria or Glendale offices
• Phoenix - served by all five Maricopa County offices
• Avondale - can use the Goodyear or Glendale offices
• Goodyear - has a county office at 14130 W. McDowell Rd.

Each of these cities follows the same system as Peoria. 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. The five Valley locations make it easy to find an office close to home no matter where you live in the Phoenix metro area.