How Pennsylvania Death Records Work

Pennsylvania opens death certificates at 50 years as public archival records. The state pairs that with a real digitization program: certificate images for 1906–1972 are on Ancestry, free to Pennsylvania residents through the state partnership. Inside 50 years, certified copies go to extended family and direct financial interest; after, anyone may get an uncertified archival copy.

State registration began in 1906 (earlier deaths sit with county orphans' courts), and the $20 fee is waived for armed forces members. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records (DOH)
Official Free
The official custodian. Application forms, current fees, eligibility rules, and processing times — order direct and skip the third-party markup.
🌐 health.pa.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 Pennsylvania death certificates become public?
Pennsylvania opens death certificates at 50 years as public archival records.
What can non-family requesters get?
Inside 50 years, certified copies go to extended family and direct financial interest; after, anyone may get an uncertified archival copy.
Can I search Pennsylvania deaths online for free?
Death indices are online through the State Archives, with 1906–1972 images on Ancestry — free for PA residents.
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 Pennsylvania Records

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