How Florida Death Records Work

Florida splits the record: anyone 18+ can buy a death certificate immediately, but the version WITH cause of death is restricted to close family and the estate for 50 years. For most searches the without-cause copy answers the question. Certified copies without cause of death are open to any adult; the SSN stays redacted permanently, even on open records.

A $5 search buys the first certificate; county health departments can issue only 2009-to-present deaths, so older records go through Jacksonville. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (Jacksonville)
Official Free
Where the official record lives. Current forms, fees, and who-can-order rules, direct from the custodian.
🌐 floridahealth.gov
CDC — Where to Write for Vital Records
Official Free
The federal directory of every state's vital records office — the authoritative answer to 'where do I order' for any state and any year.
🌐 www.cdc.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Florida death certificates become public?
Florida splits the record: anyone 18+ can buy a death certificate immediately, but the version WITH cause of death is restricted to close family and the estate for 50 years.
Can I get a copy if I'm not family?
Certified copies without cause of death are open to any adult; the SSN stays redacted permanently, even on open records.
Can I search Florida deaths online for free?
The Florida Death Index 1877–1998 is searchable on the genealogy platforms.
What if I just need to confirm a death or find an obituary?
Skip the certificate entirely: newspaper obituaries (many are indexed by library databases), the Social Security death index carried on the big genealogy platforms, and probate case files in the county court that handled the estate all confirm a death without touching the restricted certificate.

Related Florida Records

The Florida vital records page covers the full birth-marriage-death picture; birth certificates follow their own (usually longer) privacy clock; probate lives in Florida court records; and people search shows how death records fit a full person lookup. County pages list the local offices that issue copies.