Find Scioto County Death Records
Scioto County death records are managed by the county health department in Portsmouth. The office holds death certificates dating back to 1888 for deaths that occurred within the county. You can visit the office on Seventh Street during business hours and get a certified copy the same day. Mail requests work too. The Scioto County Probate Court keeps older death records from 1867 to 1908. Ohio is an open records state, so anyone can request a copy of a death certificate without showing a family relationship or giving a reason for the request.
Scioto County Death Records Overview
Scioto County Health Department Death Records
The Scioto County Health Department handles death certificates for the county. The office is at 602 7th Street, Room 210, in Portsmouth, Ohio 45662. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The registration district number is 7300. Call the main line at 740-355-8358 or the vital statistics line at 740-354-3241. The fax number is 740-354-8623.
Scioto County has death records going back to 1888. That is two decades before Ohio started its statewide vital records system in December 1908. Each certified copy costs $25.00. The office takes cash, money orders, and cashier's checks. Local residents may be able to pay with a personal check, though you should call ahead to confirm. The office processes in-person requests the same day.
The image below shows the Scioto County Health Department website where you can find information about ordering death certificates.
This site provides contact details and basic steps for requesting death certificates in Scioto County.
How to Get Scioto County Death Certificates
Walk into the health department during business hours. Bring the full name of the person who died and the approximate date of death. Staff can look up the record and print a certified copy while you wait. The fee is $25.00 per copy.
For mail requests, send a completed request form along with your payment to the Scioto County Health Department at 602 Seventh Street, Room 210, Portsmouth, OH 45662. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Make checks or money orders payable to the Scioto County Health Department. Mail requests take longer than in-person visits, but the process is the same. You can also order through the Ohio Department of Health ordering system, which adds extra fees on top of the base cost.
The City of Portsmouth has its own vital statistics office that holds death certificates for deaths within city limits from 1908 and 1909 onward. If the death happened in the city proper, that office may have the record too. For deaths outside the city but within Scioto County, the county health department is the right place.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, death records are public. You do not need a reason to request one. The social security number is hidden for the first five years after death unless you are an authorized requestor under Section 3705.23.
Note: Scioto County also has a genealogical research room available at the health department for those doing family history work.
Historical Scioto County Death Records
The Scioto County Probate Court holds death records from 1867 to 1908. The court is at 602 7th Street in Portsmouth, Ohio 45662. Call them at 740-355-8290. They have an index to death records for that period. These older records were kept at the county level before Ohio began statewide registration.
The Ohio History Connection keeps death records from 1908 through 1970. Their online death record index is free. The Ohio Department of Health has records from 1954 to the present. The state fee is $21.50 plus a $5.00 surcharge. FamilySearch offers free access to Ohio death certificates from 1908 through 1953.
The state portal below shows the Ohio Department of Health vital statistics page, which Scioto County residents can use for statewide death record searches.
The ODH site covers all ordering methods available to Ohio residents, including those in Scioto County.
Scioto County Death Record Fees and Ohio Law
A certified copy from Scioto County costs $25.00. The health department also handles fetal death records and burial permits. Burial permits cost $10.00 under Section 3705.17 and cannot be issued until a death certificate is on file.
Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.16 requires every death to be registered with the local registrar. The funeral director collects the personal details and files the certificate. A doctor or coroner fills in the medical section. Section 3705.07 requires the registrar to number each certificate, sign it, copy it, and send the original to the state. Section 3705.24 sets the minimum fee for a certified copy search at $12.00.
Falsifying a Scioto County death certificate is a crime. Section 3705.29 makes it illegal to forge, alter, or counterfeit any vital record in Ohio.
Note: The Scioto County Health Department maintains death records for statistical purposes in addition to issuing certified copies to the public.
Nearby Counties
Scioto County is in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. These neighboring counties also have health departments that issue death certificates.
Cities in Scioto County
Scioto County has no cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated page. Portsmouth is the county seat and largest city. All Scioto County residents can get death certificates from the Scioto County Health Department at 602 7th Street in Portsmouth.