How to Get a Death Certificate in Connecticut
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers Connecticut. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Connecticut, certified death certificates are issued by Connecticut's town vital records offices (the town clerk or registrar of vital statistics) and the Department of Public Health's Vital Records Section in Hartford. Connecticut charges $20 per certified copy from either the state or the town, so every copy costs the same. You can choose a long form or a short form certificate, and each costs $20.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Connecticut, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Connecticut.
Who issues death certificates in Connecticut?
Certified copies come from Connecticut’s town vital records offices (the town clerk or registrar of vital statistics) and the Department of Public Health’s Vital Records Section in Hartford. In practice, the funeral home usually files the certificate and orders an initial batch of certified copies for you.
How much does a certified copy cost in Connecticut?
Connecticut charges $20 per certified copy from either the state or the town, so every copy costs the same. You can choose a long form or a short form certificate, and each costs $20.
Who can order a copy in Connecticut?
Anyone at least 18 can buy a certified copy of a Connecticut death certificate. For deaths on or after July 1, 1997, only the informant, the surviving spouse, or next of kin (or a funeral director acting for an eligible family member) can get a copy that shows the Social Security number. Everyone else receives a copy without it.
How do I order more copies in Connecticut?
- At the town vital records office: in the town where the death occurred. The town clerk or registrar issues certificates, and you can mail the town’s form with ID and payment (made out to the town) instead of going in.
- By mail to the state: Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, Hartford, CT 06134-0308, with the request form and a postal money order payable to “Treasurer, State of CT.”
What else should I know before I order?
If the person was a veteran and the death certificate says so, the spouse, child, or parent can get one free copy.
What should I do next?
Confirm with the funeral home how many copies it is ordering for you, then decide how many more you need; see how many death certificates you need in Connecticut and our general guide to death certificates.
Add this to your Final Day Plan: your Social Security number, birthplace, and parents’ full names - the death certificate application asks for these, and they’re often surprisingly hard for a family to track down under pressure.
Fees and rules change - confirm current details with your Connecticut town vital records office or the state DPH before you send payment.
Sources
- Connecticut Department of Public Health - Request for a Certified Copy of a Death Certificate from the State Vital Records Office ($20; Social Security number rule; veteran fee waiver)(Government)
- Town of East Hartford - Death Certificate Request Form ($20 long or short form; informant, spouse, next of kin; veteran waiver)(Government)
- Town of Somers - Certified Death Record Request (anyone at least 18; Social Security number restriction)(Government)
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 17, 2026.
Fees, eligibility rules, and ordering options were checked on October 17, 2026 against the state's own published fee information, application forms, and county government pages listed in the sources. Death certificate fees change often, and some official pages were read only as search extracts, so the current fee should be confirmed on the agency's page before paying. Recommended for periodic re-verification. This is general information, not legal advice
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