How to Get a Death Certificate in Tennessee
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers Tennessee. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Tennessee, certified death certificates are issued by the Tennessee Department of Health's Office of Vital Records in Nashville and the county health departments. Tennessee charges $15 for each certificate, with no lower price for additional copies. The fee covers the search and one copy if the record is found; if nothing turns up after a three-year search, you get a letter saying so for the same fee.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Tennessee, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Tennessee.
Who issues death certificates in Tennessee?
Certified copies come from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records in Nashville and the county health departments. 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 Tennessee?
Tennessee charges $15 for each certificate, with no lower price for additional copies. The fee covers the search and one copy if the record is found; if nothing turns up after a three-year search, you get a letter saying so for the same fee.
Who can order a copy in Tennessee?
The state’s application asks whether you want the certificate to show the cause of death. That version is available only to the decedent’s parent, child, spouse, or an attorney or agency acting for them. Include a copy of your ID with every request.
How do I order more copies in Tennessee?
- In person: at the Office of Vital Records in Nashville (710 James Robertson Parkway) or at any county health department in Tennessee.
- By mail: with the application (PH-1663), a copy of your ID, and a check or money order payable to Tennessee Vital Records, sent to Tennessee Vital Records, Nashville, TN 37243.
- Online: through the state’s ordering page, which adds fees. Questions: (615) 741-1763.
What else should I know before I order?
The state office holds the past 50 years of records. Older ones are at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
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 Tennessee 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 the Tennessee Office of Vital Records or a county health department before you send payment.
Sources
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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