How Vermont Death Records Work

Vermont lets any person obtain a noncertified copy of any death record — free, with a watermark. Certified copies tightened in 2019 to family and legal interest, but the open noncertified route covers research completely. Noncertified watermarked copies are free to anyone; certified copies cost $10 and follow the family list.

Vermont's ordering runs through the state's own system at a $2 fee, with town clerks and the state archives as walk-in options; pre-1909 records live with the town where the death occurred. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Vermont Vital Records Office (Health Department)
Official Free
Where the official record lives. Current forms, fees, and who-can-order rules, direct from the custodian.
🌐 healthvermont.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 Vermont death certificates become public?
Vermont lets any person obtain a noncertified copy of any death record — free, with a watermark.
What can non-family requesters get?
Noncertified watermarked copies are free to anyone; certified copies cost $10 and follow the family list.
Can I search Vermont deaths online for free?
No state-run public index — but any town clerk can issue any 1909-forward record from the statewide registration system.
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 Vermont Records

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