How to Get a Death Certificate in Michigan
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers Michigan. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Michigan, certified death certificates are issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics in Lansing, which holds death records from 1867, and the county clerks. The state charges a $34 search fee that covers the search of one year and one certified copy, and it is non-refundable. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $16. Mail orders can be expedited for $12, and online orders through VitalChek, Michigan's only authorized online provider, add a $12 rush fee and a $12.50 handling charge. County clerk fees vary.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Michigan, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Michigan.
Who issues death certificates in Michigan?
Certified copies come from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics in Lansing, which holds death records from 1867, and the county clerks. 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 Michigan?
The state charges a $34 search fee that covers the search of one year and one certified copy, and it is non-refundable. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $16. Mail orders can be expedited for $12, and online orders through VitalChek, Michigan’s only authorized online provider, add a $12 rush fee and a $12.50 handling charge. County clerk fees vary.
Who can order a copy in Michigan?
Michigan death records are not restricted, so anyone can order a certified copy by completing the application and paying the fee.
How do I order more copies in Michigan?
- By mail: with the state’s death record application and a check or money order payable to the State of Michigan, to Vital Records Requests, P.O. Box 30721, Lansing, MI 48909.
- Online: through VitalChek, the only authorized online provider.
- In person: at the state office in Lansing, or at the county clerk where the death occurred (county fees vary).
- Detroit: the city’s vital records office closed in 2013, and its records are held by Wayne County and the state office.
What else should I know before I order?
A search covers only the year you name on the application, so make sure the year of death is correct.
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 Michigan 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 Michigan MDHHS Vital Records or your county clerk before you send payment.
Sources
- Michigan MDHHS - Vital Records Fees ($34 search fee covers one year and one copy; VitalChek rush and handling fees)(Government)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics - Where to Write for Vital Records: Michigan (death records not restricted; $16 additional copies; county clerks; Detroit)(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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