How Minnesota Death Records Work

Every Minnesota death record is public. Anyone can buy a $13 noncertified copy immediately; the certified version requires tangible interest and a notarized application. The $13 noncertified informational copy is available to any requester with no relationship test.

Any county vital records office in the state can issue any Minnesota death record — the central MDH office has no walk-in counter at all. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Minnesota Office of Vital Records (MDH)
Official Free
The official custodian. Application forms, current fees, eligibility rules, and processing times — order direct and skip the third-party markup.
🌐 health.state.mn.us
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
MNHS People Records Search
Official Free
The Minnesota Historical Society's People Records Search indexes deaths 1904–2001.
🌐 mnhs.org

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Minnesota death certificates become public?
Every Minnesota death record is public.
What can non-family requesters get?
The $13 noncertified informational copy is available to any requester with no relationship test.
Is there a free Minnesota death index online?
The Minnesota Historical Society's People Records Search indexes deaths 1904–2001.
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 vital records queue.

Related Minnesota Records

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