How Maryland Death Records Work

Maryland has the shortest death-record closure in America: 10 years. After that the certificate is open at the Maryland State Archives, and free community-built indexes cover 1898–2014. Inside 10 years: surviving relatives, authorized representatives, or funeral directors only.

Once a death passes 10 years, genealogists order from the State Archives, not the vital records division — and the division's own fee is just $10. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Maryland Division of Vital Records
Official Free
The official custodian. Application forms, current fees, eligibility rules, and processing times — order direct and skip the third-party markup.
🌐 health.maryland.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

How long are Maryland death records restricted?
Maryland has the shortest death-record closure in America: 10 years.
Can I get a copy if I'm not family?
Inside 10 years: surviving relatives, authorized representatives, or funeral directors only.
Can I search Maryland deaths online for free?
State Archives death indexes for 1950–1972 are online, and free volunteer-built indexes span 1898–2014.
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 Maryland Records

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