According to New Jersey law, vital records such as death records are not considered as public records and are therefore not available to just anyone from the public. The Department of Health and Senior Services keeps file of all vital records, including death records, of events which took place within the state since 1900. These files are taken charge of specifically by the state's Bureau of Vital Statistics.

But since January 1, 2009, vital records filed on dates between 1878 and 1900 are not filed with the Division of Archives, so now the death certificates that are with the Bureau of Vital Statistics are those that are dated on the year 1901 and onwards.

Death records are also available at the local vital records office of the county where the person whose name is on the death certificate has died.

"Looking for Public Death Records in New Jersey?"

"Why not save some time by searching billions of public records? Make things a lot faster by starting your preliminary search at the top or bottom of this page to see if there's a record available for your query."

The first thing that you want to consider when ordering a copy of a death certificate from New Jersey is what type of copy are you going to ask for. There are two types: certified copies and certifications.

Certified copies are issued with the raised seal of the Vital Records office that issued the document. These copies are always issued using the State of New Jersey safety paper. If you have a certified copy of a death certificate you can use them for identification and legal purposes because these copies are deemed as legal documents.

Certifications, on the other hand, are merely issued on paper and do not come with the seal. This means that these documents cannot be used to establish identity or other legal purposes that the certified copy could otherwise do. People who usually apply for this kind of certificate are those who are conducting genealogy research. Also, certifications do not have the Social Security number of the deceased nor does it contain the cause of death medical terminology.

Fees for the death certificates vary per local office, but at the Bureau of Vital Statistics the initial document costs $25, which covers the search, and $2 for every additional copy. Make sure that when you send personal checks or money orders via mail they are made payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey.

"Looking for Public Death Records in New Jersey?"

"Why not save some time by searching billions of public records? Make things a lot faster by starting your preliminary search at the top or bottom of this page to see if there's a record available for your query."