Greenlee County Death Certificates

Death records for Greenlee County are kept at the county office on 5th Street in Clifton. The county can give you certified death certificates for deaths that took place in Arizona from February 2008 to the present. If the death was before that time, you will need to contact the state vital records office in Phoenix. Greenlee County operates on a limited schedule with hours from Monday through Thursday only. Payment is accepted in cash or money order, but no credit cards or personal checks are allowed at the Greenlee County office.

Greenlee County Office Information

The Greenlee County vital records office is at 253 5th Street in Clifton. This is also where the main county government offices are. The office is open from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon Monday through Thursday. It is closed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. If you plan to visit in person, call first to make sure they can help you with your request. The phone number is (928) 865-2072. You can also call (928) 865-2601 for questions about death records in Greenlee County.

Greenlee County only keeps death records that go back to February 2008. Deaths that took place before that date are not in the county system. For older records, you must contact the Arizona Department of Health Services in Phoenix. The state office has death records from 1903 to the present. Some records go back even further to the late 1800s if they were filed with the state. Check the Greenlee County vital records page for more details on what the county can provide.

Greenlee County is one of the smallest counties in Arizona by population. It covers a rural area in the eastern part of the state near the New Mexico border. Clifton is the county seat and the only place to get death records in person. There are no branch offices or outreach services at this time in Greenlee County.

How to Request Death Certificates

You can get a death certificate in person or by mail in Greenlee County. For an in-person visit, go to the county office in Clifton during business hours. Bring a valid ID with you. You need to show proof of who you are and how you are related to the person who died. This can be a birth certificate, marriage license, or other legal documents. Fill out the death certificate application at the office or print it from the state website before you go.

Payment is cash or money order only at the Greenlee County office. They do not accept credit cards or debit cards. Personal checks are also not allowed. The fee is $20 for each certified copy of a death certificate. If you need more than one copy, you pay $20 for each one. Make sure you bring exact change or a money order made out to Greenlee County.

For mail requests, send a completed application to PO Box 936, Clifton, AZ 85533. Include a money order for $20 per copy. Do not send cash in the mail. Also include a photocopy of your valid ID. Write your return address clearly so the county can mail the death certificate back to you. Processing time for mail requests can take several weeks, so plan ahead if you need the death record by a certain date in Greenlee County.

If the death took place before February 2008, you cannot get it from Greenlee County. Contact the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records instead. The state office is at 150 North 18th Ave., Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85007. The mailing address is PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005. You can call the state office at (602) 364-1300.

Who Can Get Death Records in Arizona

Arizona is a closed record state. This means death certificates are not public. Only certain people can request a certified copy. You must be at least 18 years old to apply. Family members are the main group who qualify. This includes the spouse, parents, adult children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and grandchildren of the person who died in Greenlee County.

You need to prove your relationship. Bring a copy of a birth certificate or marriage certificate that shows your connection to the deceased person. If your name is on the death certificate as the informant, that is not enough by itself. You still need to show proof of your family link under Arizona law.

Other people can get death records if they have a legal interest. Attorneys can request copies if they represent the estate. Funeral directors can get them to do their work. Insurance companies and banks can request death certificates if the person had a policy or account with them. You must show proof of this business relationship. Government agencies can also get death records for official purposes. If you do not fit into any of these groups, ask a family member to give you written permission to get the death record in Greenlee County.

Genealogists have special access to old death records. The state of Arizona has a genealogy search database for deaths that are more than 50 years old. You can search death records from 1870 to 1970 for free. These are not certified copies, but they can help with family history research. For certified copies of old death records, you need to meet the same eligibility rules as modern records.

Death Certificate Fees and Payment Methods

The fee for a certified death certificate is $20 in Greenlee County. This is the same as other Arizona counties. Each copy costs $20, no matter how many you order at once. There is no discount for multiple copies. If you need to correct or amend a death certificate, the fee is $30 for the first corrected copy, then $20 for each extra copy of the corrected version.

Greenlee County only accepts cash or money orders for payment. Credit cards are not accepted. Debit cards are not accepted either. Personal checks are also not allowed. This is different from most other Arizona counties, which take credit and debit cards. Make sure you have cash or a money order before you go to the office in Clifton or send a mail request.

For online orders, you can use VitalChek to get Arizona death records. VitalChek is the state's official online partner. You can pay with a credit card through VitalChek. The service adds extra fees for processing and shipping, but it lets you avoid the trip to Clifton if you live far away. VitalChek orders go through the state vital records office, not the county, so processing times may be different.

All death certificates in Arizona have a one-dollar state surcharge added to the base fee. This is required by ARS 36-341. The $20 fee you pay includes this surcharge. The money goes to a special state fund that supports the vital records system.

Arizona State Vital Records for Older Deaths

If the death took place before February 2008, Greenlee County cannot help you. The county system only has death records from 2008 to now. For deaths before that date, contact the state office in Phoenix. The state has records going back to 1903. Some older records from the late 1800s are also available if they were filed with the state in Greenlee County.

The state vital records office is part of the Arizona Department of Health Services. The office is at 150 North 18th Ave., Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85007. For mail requests, send your application to PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005. The phone number is (602) 364-1300. You can also call toll-free at (888) 816-5907. The state office is open Monday through Friday from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon.

The state office does not offer walk-in service. All requests must be made by mail or through VitalChek online. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not gone back to walk-in service. Processing time for mail requests is usually one to two weeks. If you need the death certificate faster, use the VitalChek online service, which can deliver in a few days for an extra fee.

The fee for state death certificates is the same as the county fee. You pay $20 per certified copy. Send a money order or cashier's check made out to Bureau of Vital Records. The state office does not accept personal checks. Include a photocopy of your ID and proof of your relationship to the person who died. The state uses the same eligibility rules as the county under Arizona law.

Arizona Death Record Laws and Requirements

Arizona law controls how death records work. The main statute is ARS 36-325, which says a funeral home or other responsible person must file the death certificate within seven calendar days. The county or state registrar then has 72 hours to register the death certificate if it is complete and accurate. Once the death is registered, it goes into the statewide database and certified copies can be issued in Greenlee County.

The confidentiality law is ARS 36-342. This statute says that vital records staff cannot show death records or give them out except as allowed by law. Only eligible people can get certified copies. This is why Arizona is called a closed record state for death certificates. Most other public records in Arizona are open to anyone, but death records are restricted to protect privacy.

ARS 36-341 sets the fees for vital records. The law gives the state director and each county the power to charge for certified copies, searches, and amendments. The law also requires a one-dollar surcharge on all death certificates. This money goes to a special state fund. Counties can set their own fees, but most charge $20 to match the state fee.

ARS 36-301 defines what a death certificate is and other key terms. The law defines certified copy as a written reproduction that the state or county registrar has authenticated as true and exact. A vital record means a registered death certificate or birth certificate. The law also covers fetal death and stillbirth records, which are kept separately from regular death certificates in Greenlee County.

Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 spell out the eligibility rules in more detail. These rules say who can get a death certificate and what proof you need to show. If you are not sure if you qualify, call the county office at (928) 865-2072 or the state office at (602) 364-1300 to ask before you submit your request.

Correcting Death Certificates in Greenlee County

If you find a mistake on a death certificate, you can request a correction. The fee is $30 for the first corrected copy. This includes fixing names, dates, places, or other facts. You need to show proof that the information is wrong. This can be other official records, court documents, or sworn statements from people who have direct knowledge.

Greenlee County can only make corrections to death certificates from February 2008 to now. For deaths before 2008, the state office must handle the correction. Call the Bureau of Vital Records at (602) 364-1300 to start the amendment process for older death records.

Some changes are easier to make than others. Simple spelling errors can usually be fixed quickly. Changing major facts like the cause of death or the date of death may take longer. The vital records staff will review your request and the evidence you provide. They may ask for more documents if needed. Once the correction is approved, you will get a new certified copy with the corrected information in Greenlee County.

Note: Corrections can take several weeks to process, so start the request as soon as you find an error.

Other Vital Records in Greenlee County

The county office also handles birth certificates. If you need both a birth and death certificate, you can request them at the same time. The fee is $20 for each record. You need to fill out separate forms for birth and death certificates. The same eligibility rules apply to both types of records under Arizona law.

For fetal death or stillbirth certificates, call the county office to ask about the process. These records are kept separately from regular death certificates. The eligibility rules and fees may be different. The state office can also provide fetal death and stillbirth records if needed.

If you need a death certificate for a legal case, make sure you get a certified copy with the raised seal. Some agencies and courts will not accept regular photocopies or uncertified copies. The certified copy has special security paper and an embossed seal that proves it is an official document. This is what you get when you pay the $20 fee in Greenlee County.

For genealogy research, the state offers non-certified copies of old death records through the genealogy database. These are free to search and download. They do not have the official seal and cannot be used for legal purposes, but they are fine for family history research. Death records more than 50 years old are available through this system.

Medical Examiner Cases in Greenlee County

Some deaths require a medical examiner or coroner investigation. This includes deaths that are sudden, unexpected, or suspicious. It also includes deaths from accidents, injuries, or unknown causes. In these cases, the medical examiner must sign the death certificate before it can be filed and registered in Greenlee County.

Greenlee County works with the Pinal County Medical Examiner's Office for these cases. If you have questions about a medical examiner case, call the Pinal County Medical Examiner at the number listed on the Greenlee County website. The medical examiner investigation can delay when the death certificate is available. It may take several weeks or longer before the death record is filed and you can get a certified copy.

Once the medical examiner completes the investigation and signs the death certificate, it gets filed with the county or state registrar. At that point, you can request a certified copy through the normal process. The death certificate will show the cause and manner of death as determined by the medical examiner. If you have questions about the cause of death listed on the certificate, contact the medical examiner's office, not the vital records office in Greenlee County.

Greenlee County Communities

Greenlee County has several small towns but no cities that meet the population threshold for individual pages. Clifton is the county seat and the largest community. Other towns include Duncan and Morenci. Most of the county is rural with mines, ranches, and public lands. The population is spread out over a large area.

No matter where you live in Greenlee County, the vital records office in Clifton is the only place to get death certificates in person. The county does not have branch offices or outreach services at this time. If you live far from Clifton, you can send a mail request to PO Box 936, Clifton, AZ 85533. You can also use the VitalChek online service if you prefer not to mail a request.

Nearby Counties

These counties are next to Greenlee County. If you need a death certificate for someone who lived near the county line, make sure you know which county the death took place in before you request records. The vital records office can search the statewide database for any Arizona death, but knowing the county can help speed up the search.