Portage County Death Records
Portage County death records are handled by the Kent City Health Department, which serves as the county's vital statistics office. If you need to find a death certificate in Portage County, you can visit the office in Kent, order by mail, call with a credit card, or use VitalChek online. The county has records from 1909 to the present. Older death records from 1867 to 1908 sit at the Portage County Probate Court in Ravenna. Certified copies cost $24.00 each. Ohio law treats death records as public, so you can request a copy without proving a family tie.
Portage County Death Records Overview
Kent City Health Department Death Records
The Kent City Health Department is the vital statistics office for Portage County. They operate under Registration District No. 6700. The office is at 201 East Erie Street, 2nd Floor, Kent, OH 44240. The mailing address is Kent City Health Department, Attention: Vital Statistics, 201-G East Erie Street, Kent, Ohio 44240. Call (330) 678-8109. Fax is (330) 678-2082. You can email the local registrar, Linda Grimm, at linda.grimm@kentohio.gov.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Walk-in service is fast. No appointment is needed. Certificates are usually ready in 15 minutes or less. To get same-day service, arrive by 3:30 PM. A certified copy costs $24.00 per copy. The fee is set per Ohio Revised Code 3705.242.
Portage County death records cover deaths from 1909 to the present. The department also issues birth certificates for anyone born in Ohio from 1909 forward. Death certificates are only for deaths that happened in Portage County. If the death occurred elsewhere, contact that county's health department or the Ohio Department of Health.
Below is the Kent City Health Department website for Portage County vital statistics.
This site has contact details, hours, and fees for ordering death certificates in Portage County through the Kent City Health Department.
How to Get Portage County Death Certificates
You have four ways to request a Portage County death certificate.
Walk-in is the best option if you need it fast. Go to 201 East Erie Street, 2nd Floor in Kent during business hours. Staff will look up the record and have it ready in about 15 minutes. Pay $24.00 per copy. Payment methods include cash, check, money order, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express). There is a $1.50 fee for credit card use.
Mail requests work for people who cannot visit. Fill out the Application for Certified Copies-Death Record form. Include a large self-addressed stamped envelope and your payment. Mail it to Kent City Health Department, Attention: Vital Statistics, 201-G East Erie Street, Kent, Ohio 44240. You can also call (330) 678-8109 to order by phone with a credit card. Extra charges apply for phone orders.
Online ordering is available through VitalChek. They add a processing fee on top of the $24.00 base cost. This is the most convenient option if you want to pay by credit card from home. The Ohio Department of Health also issues copies at the state level for $21.50.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, death records are public records. Anyone can request a copy.
Note: Online orders from VitalChek not picked up within 30 days may be destroyed, and all sales are final once the certificate is issued.
Portage County Death Record Fees and Rules
Each certified copy of a Portage County death certificate is $24.00. Burial permits cost $10.00. Credit card transactions have a $1.50 surcharge. The state charges $21.50 per copy at the Ohio Department of Health under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24.
For deaths within the last five years, the social security number is redacted on the certificate. This is per ORC Section 3705.23(5). Authorized requestors who can get the SSN include the spouse, lineal descendants, executors, attorneys, funeral directors, government investigators, private investigators, veteran's service officers, and accredited media. You must show proof of your status to get the unredacted copy.
The VitalChek page for ordering Portage County death certificates through Kent City Health Department is shown below.
VitalChek is an authorized third-party service that handles expedited orders for Portage County death certificates.
Historical Death Records in Portage County
The Portage County Probate Court has birth and death records from 1867 to 1908. The court is at 241 S. Chestnut Street, Ravenna, OH 44266. Call (330) 297-3644. They also hold estate records, wills, guardianships, and marriage records. These pre-1908 records are available for public inspection and certified copies can be obtained for genealogical research.
The Ohio History Connection holds archival death certificates from 1908 through 1970. Their online index covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. FamilySearch has free digitized Ohio death records from 1908 to 1953. Records from 1971 forward are at the Ohio Department of Health. The Kent City Health Department is not responsible for USPS mail delays or lost mail, so consider certified mail for important requests.
What Portage County Death Certificates Show
A Portage County death certificate has the full name, date of birth, date and place of death, cause of death, and manner of death. Parents' names, marital status, and usual address are included. The doctor or coroner signs the medical portion. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.16, every death in Ohio must be registered with the local registrar.
The funeral director files the certificate and collects personal details from the family. Burial or cremation information appears on the record. A burial permit cannot be issued until the death certificate is filed per Section 3705.17. Falsifying any vital record is a crime under Section 3705.29. The local registrar numbers each certificate, signs it, and sends the original to the state per Section 3705.07.
Nearby Counties
Portage County is in northeast Ohio. These nearby counties have their own health departments that handle death records.
Cities in Portage County
Portage County includes the city of Cuyahoga Falls, which has a dedicated page on this site. Kent and Ravenna are also in Portage County. Ravenna is the county seat. Death certificates for all deaths in Portage County come from the Kent City Health Department.