Death certificates
Death certificate: what a certified copy costs in each state
The fee of every state office for the first copy and the extra ones, the people allowed to order, and the order total for the number of copies an estate needs.
Total for your order · Texas
$32
$6.40 per copy
| First certified copy | $20 |
| 4 more copies at $3 | $12 |
| Same copies ordered one at a time: $100 | $68 saved by ordering them together |
Office: DSHS Vital Statistics Section. Published processing time: Mail: 25-30 average business days; online: 20-25 average business days (Texas.gov); in person: same day in most cases (Austin central office). Official fee page
A certified copy of a death certificate costs between $5 and $35 at the state vital records offices in 2026, with a median of $17.50 across the 52 offices covered here (50 states, the District of Columbia and New York City). The cheapest first copy is in Florida and New Mexico and the most expensive in Utah. Many states charge less for each extra copy ordered at the same time, which matters because settling an estate usually takes several copies: five copies in one order cost from $21 to $160 depending on the state. The funeral home normally orders the first copies right after the death and adds them to its bill; later copies come from the state office or a local registrar of the place of death, never of the place of residence. Most states limit certified copies to the spouse, close relatives, the executor and people with a legal interest, and some issue a version without the cause of death to everyone else. Fees were read on each office's official page; the date is shown for each state.
What your death certificates cost
5 death certificates · Texas
$32
| First copy | $20 |
| Each extra copy | $3 |
| Rank (1 = cheapest) | 7 / 52 |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Death certificate fees in all 52 offices
Sorted from the cheapest to the most expensive total for five copies in one order, the count many families end up needing. The figures are state fees, without the online charge or shipping.
| Office | First copy | Each extra copy | 5 copies | 10 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $5 | $4 | $21 | $41 |
| Indiana | $8 | $4 | $24 | $44 |
| South Carolina | $12 | $3 | $24 | $39 |
| New Mexico | $5 | $5 | $25 | $50 |
| Hawaii | $10 | $4 | $26 | $46 |
| Kentucky | $6 | $6 | $30 | $60 |
| Texas | $20 | $3 | $32 | $47 |
| Wisconsin | $20 | $3 | $32 | $47 |
| New Jersey | $25 | $2 | $33 | $43 |
| Illinois | $19 | $4 | $35 | $55 |
| Louisiana | $7 | $7 | $35 | $70 |
| Minnesota | $13 | $6 | $37 | $67 |
| Alabama | $15 | $6 | $39 | $69 |
| Maine | $15 | $6 | $39 | $69 |
| Mississippi | $17 | $6 | $41 | $71 |
| Arkansas | $10 | $8 | $42 | $82 |
| Georgia | $25 | $5 | $45 | $70 |
| Vermont | $10 | $10 | $50 | $100 |
| New Hampshire | $15 | $10 | $55 | $105 |
| North Dakota | $15 | $10 | $55 | $105 |
| Maryland | $10 | $12 | $58 | $118 |
| Missouri | $14 | $11 | $58 | $113 |
| West Virginia | $12 | $12 | $60 | $120 |
| New York City | $15 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| Oklahoma | $15 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| South Dakota | $15 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| Tennessee | $15 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| Utah | $35 | $10 | $75 | $125 |
| Virginia | $15 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| Idaho | $16 | $16 | $80 | $160 |
| Montana | $16 | $16 | $80 | $160 |
| Nebraska | $16 | $16 | $80 | $160 |
| North Carolina | $24 | $15 | $84 | $159 |
| District of Columbia | $18 | $18 | $90 | $180 |
| Rhode Island | $22 | $18 | $94 | $184 |
| Michigan | $34 | $16 | $98 | $178 |
| Arizona | $20 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Connecticut | $20 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Iowa | $20 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Kansas | $20 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Pennsylvania | $20 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Colorado | $25 | $20 | $105 | $205 |
| Wyoming | $25 | $20 | $105 | $205 |
| Ohio | $21.50 | $21.50 | $107.50 | $215 |
| Delaware | $25 | $25 | $125 | $250 |
| Nevada | $25 | $25 | $125 | $250 |
| Oregon | $25 | $25 | $125 | $250 |
| Washington | $25 | $25 | $125 | $250 |
| Alaska | $30 | $25 | $130 | $255 |
| California | $26 | $26 | $130 | $260 |
| New York (outside NYC) | $30 | $30 | $150 | $300 |
| Massachusetts | $32 | $32 | $160 | $320 |
The order of events
- The funeral home collects the personal details from the family and files the record with the local registrar.
- The doctor, coroner or medical examiner certifies the cause of death.
- The record is registered, and the funeral home receives the copies the family asked for.
- Banks, insurers, pension funds, motor vehicle offices and the probate court each keep or examine a copy.
Ordering every copy at step 3 is the cheapest moment in states where extra copies cost less. The copy planner counts how many you need from the list of accounts and assets.
How much do you save by ordering all copies at once?
8 copies in one order
$33
| Ordered one at a time | $40 |
| Saved | $7 |
| Price per copy in one order | $4.13 |
When the cause of death is pending
If an autopsy or toxicology report is awaited, the record can be registered with the cause marked as pending. Some institutions accept that version to freeze accounts or start a claim; life insurers usually wait for the final one. Once the cause is entered, order new copies: the pending ones are not updated.
Death abroad or in another state
A death outside the United States is not registered by any state; the U.S. embassy or consulate issues a Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad, and the local foreign certificate remains the primary record. A death in another state is ordered from that state, whatever the residence, through the vital records office of the place of death.