Paulding County Death Records Search

Paulding County death records are managed by the health department in the town of Paulding. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Paulding County, you can visit the office, send a mail request, or go through the state system. The county has held death records since 1908. Ohio treats death certificates as public records, which means anyone can request a copy with just a few basic facts. The process is simple and the office usually handles same-day requests when they arrive by mail. Older records from before 1908 are at the Paulding County Probate Court.

Paulding County Health Department Death Records

The Paulding County Health Department is the place to go for death certificates. The office is at 800 E. Perry Street, Paulding, OH 45879. Phone is (419) 399-3921. Fax is (419) 399-3494. You can also reach the vital statistics staff by email at robing@pcohhd.com or chelseak@pcohhd.com. The local registrar is Robin Gonzales. Chelsea Kipfer serves as deputy registrar.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. They close from noon to 1:00 PM for lunch. A certified death certificate costs $25.00 per copy. The office takes cash, money orders, and checks. They do not accept out-of-state checks, so keep that in mind if you are ordering from outside Ohio. Walk-in requests are handled quickly during business hours.

Paulding County death records cover deaths from 1908 to the present. The health department can also issue birth certificates for anyone born in Ohio from 1908 forward. Death certificates are only available for deaths that took place in Paulding County. If the person died somewhere else, you need to contact the health department in that county.

The image below shows the Paulding County Health Department website where you can find vital statistics information.

This site lists contact details, fees, and ordering steps for death certificates in Paulding County.

How to Get Paulding County Death Certificates

You can get a death certificate in Paulding County two main ways. Walk into the office or send a mail request.

For in-person visits, go to 800 East Perry Street during office hours. Fill out an application and pay $25.00. Staff will pull the record. For mail orders, download the request form from the health department website. Fill it out, sign it, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Send a check or money order payable to Paulding County Health Department. Mail it to 800 East Perry St., Paulding, Ohio 45879. Mail requests are usually processed the same day they arrive, which is faster than many Ohio counties.

You can also order through the Ohio Department of Health for $21.50 per copy. The state office is at 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228. Phone is 614-466-2531. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, death certificates are public records. Anyone can request one. You do not need to prove a family connection.

Paulding County Death Records and SSN Rules

For deaths within the last five years, the social security number on a Paulding County death certificate is redacted. This is true across Ohio under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23. Only certain people can get a copy with the SSN showing. The list includes:

• Spouse of the deceased
• Lineal descendant (child or grandchild)
• Executor, administrator, or attorney of the estate
• Licensed funeral director or employee
• Government official investigating a crime
• Private investigator with a Class A or B license
• County veterans service officer

After five years, the full record including the social security number is available to anyone. This rule is meant to cut down on identity theft from recently filed death records.

The VitalChek ordering page for Paulding County is shown below.

VitalChek accepts credit cards and offers expedited processing for Paulding County death certificate orders.

Paulding County Death Record Fees

Each certified copy of a death certificate in Paulding County costs $25.00. The state fee through the Ohio Department of Health is $21.50 per copy under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24. That section says the fee for a search applies even when no record is found. Payments over $21.50 by more than $2.00 are refunded if the record cannot be located.

The office accepts cash, money orders, and checks. Out-of-state personal checks are not accepted. If you need to pay with a credit card, VitalChek is an option, though they add their own processing fee. The trade-off is the ability to order from home.

Historical Death Records in Paulding County

The Paulding County Probate Court has birth and death records from before 1908. These records date back to the 1860s when Ohio counties first started keeping vital records locally. The probate court is in Paulding. Contact them for details on how to get copies of pre-1908 death records.

The Ohio History Connection holds state-level death certificates from 1908 through 1970. They have a free online index covering 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. FamilySearch has digitized many Ohio death records from 1908 to 1953. Both are free resources for genealogy and historical research.

The local registrar in Paulding County numbers each death certificate, signs it, and sends the original to the state per Section 3705.07. Falsifying any vital record is a crime under Section 3705.29.

Nearby Counties

Paulding County is in northwest Ohio near the Indiana border. These neighboring counties have their own health departments that handle death records.

Cities in Paulding County

Paulding County has no cities with dedicated pages on this site. Paulding is the county seat. All Paulding County residents get death certificates through the Paulding County Health Department.