Jefferson County Death Records

Jefferson County death records are kept at the county health department in Steubenville, Ohio. The Jefferson County General Health District holds death certificates going back to 1908 and makes them available to anyone who asks. You can get a certified copy by walking in, sending a mail request, or placing an order through VitalChek. The county seat sits along the Ohio River in the far eastern part of the state, and all death records for this area are filed at the sixth floor of the Market Street office. If you need a record from before 1908, the Steubenville City Health Department or the county probate court may have what you are looking for.

Jefferson County Death Certificate Office

The Jefferson County General Health District is the main place to get death records in Jefferson County. Their vital statistics office is at 500 Market Street, 6th Floor, Steubenville, OH 43952. You can call them at (740) 283-8530. Walk-in service is the fastest way to get a copy. Staff can pull the record and print it while you wait.

Office hours are a bit different from most counties in Ohio. They are open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:15 AM to 3:45 PM. On Wednesday the office opens late at 10:00 AM and stays open until 4:45 PM. Friday hours run from 8:15 AM to 2:45 PM. Plan your visit around these times if you want same-day service. Death records in Jefferson County are filed by year and then sorted in order by last name, so having the year of death helps the staff find what you need fast.

The screenshot below shows the Jefferson County General Health District page for birth and death certificate requests.

This page has the forms and details you need to place your request for Jefferson County death records.

How to Order Jefferson County Death Records

There are three ways to get a death certificate from Jefferson County. Each has its own cost and wait time.

Walk-in service is the quickest option. Go to the health department on Market Street and ask for a death certificate. You pay the $28.00 fee and get the record on the spot. No appointment is needed. Bring the name of the person who died and the date of death. If you know the parents' names, that helps too. The office takes cash and cards.

Mail orders work if you can not visit in person. Send a completed request form with a check or money order for $28.00 per copy to the Jefferson County General Health District at 500 Market Street, 6th Floor, Steubenville, OH 43952. The office mails the certificate the next business day after they get your payment. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope to speed things up. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24, the county sets its own fee for certified copies, and Jefferson County charges $28.00 per copy for both birth and death records.

You can also order through VitalChek online. This adds a processing fee on top of the base cost, but it lets you order from home with a credit card. VitalChek is handy if you live outside the area or just want to skip the trip.

The VitalChek portal for Jefferson County death records is shown below.

VitalChek handles the payment and sends your request to the Jefferson County health department for processing.

Jefferson County Death Records History

Jefferson County has death records going back to 1908. That is when Ohio started requiring statewide registration of deaths under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705. The county health department holds all records from that point forward. Birth records go back even further to 1876 in Jefferson County.

For death records from before 1908, you have a few options. The Steubenville City Health Department at 312 Market Street has records for deaths that happened in the city. You can reach them at 740-283-6050. The county probate court may also have older records from the 1867 to 1908 period, though those early records vary in detail and completeness. The Ohio History Connection has death certificates from 1908 through 1953 available online through their free index search. FamilySearch also provides free access to Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953 if you create an account.

The Jefferson County records hub shown below lists additional resources for vital records in the county.

This hub links to both local and state-level resources for finding death records and other vital documents in Jefferson County.

Death Records Laws in Jefferson County

Ohio is an open records state. Death certificates are public records. Anyone can ask for a copy. You do not need to prove a family tie or give a reason for your request. This comes from Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, which says public offices must make records available to anyone who asks during normal business hours.

The main limit is the social security number rule. Under Section 3705.23, the SSN is taken off death certificates for the first five years. Only certain people can get a copy with the SSN showing. The list includes the spouse, children and other direct descendants, the executor of the estate, attorneys, funeral directors, government investigators, licensed private investigators, veteran service officers, and accredited media. After five years pass, the full record is open to everyone.

Birth records work a bit differently in Jefferson County. They are issued as certified abstracts unless you need the full certificate for things like dual citizenship, an international marriage, a legal case, or genealogy work. An affidavit can fix a spelling error or add a name to a birth record, but changing a legal name requires going through the probate court. Death records do not have this abstract restriction. You always get the full certified copy.

Jefferson County Death Certificate Fees

Each certified copy of a death certificate in Jefferson County costs $28.00. The fee is the same for birth certificates. This is on the higher end for Ohio counties, where fees range from about $21 to $32 across the state. Part of the fee stays with the county health department and part goes to the Ohio Department of Health as required by state law.

If you order through VitalChek, expect to pay the $28.00 base fee plus a processing charge. VitalChek accepts all major credit cards. The county office takes cash, checks, and cards for in-person visits. For mail orders, send a check or money order made payable to the Jefferson County General Health District. Under Section 3705.24, the minimum fee a county can charge for a certified copy is $12.00, and state law breaks down how the fee is split between local and state accounts.

Nearby Counties

Jefferson County borders several other Ohio counties. If the death you are looking for happened in a neighboring county, you will need to contact that county's health department instead.