Death Records
The Oakland County Clerk's Office is now open as follows:
- Pontiac location is open Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm - No appointment necessary.
- Troy location is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm - By appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 248.858.0571 or click the link below.
Ordering Certificates
Order Death Certificate Online
Certified copies of Death Certificates are available for events that occurred in Oakland County. All copies issued by this office are certified copies and serve as an original document. Death Records prior to 1942 are available in person or by mail only.
Online
You must provide the full name of the deceased and the date of death. If you do not know the date of death for whom you are looking for, please use the Genealogy Research Service.
Your credit card is authorized for the amount charged at the end of your transaction. Only when the Clerk's Office fulfills your request, and your record(s) have been mailed, will your credit card be charged for the amount of the transaction.
In Person
Death Certificates requests received in-person are provided the same day. Please note, our busiest times are 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
By Mail
- Include completed Death Request Form.
- Include payment - see Fees section for more information.
- For payment by credit card - you must include a photocopy (front and back sides) of both your credit card and valid driver license or state ID.
- Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
- Requests submitted by mail are processed within 3 business days and should be received within 7-10 business days.
Additional Information
- $15 for 1st copy (birth, death, and marriage records)
- $10 for 1st copy (birth records only - seniors 65 or older of your own record)
- $5 for each additional copy of same record
- Service Fee (for online orders only)
Online
- Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
In-Person
- Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
- Cash
- Money Order: payable to Oakland County Clerk
- No Personal Checks
- Money Order: payable to Oakland County Clerk
- No Personal Checks
Express Mail: $35.90 - This shipping option guarantees delivery in 1-2 business days from receipt at the post office. Orders will be processed and mailed from our office the next business day. This shipping option should arrive in 2-3 business days from the date it is processed and is available for orders within the continental U.S. only. Please note: This is not overnight delivery.
Regular Mail: No Charge - This shipping option should arrive in 7-10 business days.
Oakland County has developed and maintains its own proprietary application for processing online requests for vital records.
By creating its own, rather than using a third party developer, Oakland County may claim that no other entity has access or will ever have access to the information you supply.
Our Privacy Policy clearly states that the information you provide to us online is in no way shared with third parties or is used in any way other than to process your requested transaction.
It is unlawful to provide false information when requesting information from a government office. You will be prosecuted to the fullest measure of the law for making any such false claims and submitting requests for information or records that are intended for illegal activities.
Electronic Death Registration System
The State of Michigan's Electronic Death Registry System (EDRS) allows for the electronic submission and acceptance of death records from funeral homes, medical examiners and physicians.
If you have not yet filed a death record through EDRS, you will need to sign up to use the system and obtain a fingerprint scanner, which is required to sign in to this system. The steps to become an EDRS user and the fingerprint scanners are available (at no charge) from the Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics in Lansing. Please contact them directly by phone at 517-373-6579 or by email to the State of Michigan.
Genealogy Research Service
Search and order death records that have occurred in Oakland County. There is no fee for this service; fees are only applicable if you order a certificate. For more information regarding this service, please visit our Genealogy Research Service page.