Union County Death Records
Union County death records are held at the health department in Marysville, Ohio. If you need a certified copy of a death certificate for someone who died in Union County, you can request one by phone, mail, or in person. The county has been filing death records since December 1908 when Ohio started its statewide vital records system. Union County is part of the Columbus metro area, so the office handles a growing number of requests each year. Anyone can get a copy of a death certificate here because Ohio is an open records state.
Union County Death Records Overview
Union County Health Department Death Records
The Union County Health Department handles death certificates for all deaths that happened in Union County. The office is at 940 London Ave, Suite 1100, Marysville, OH 43040. You can reach them by phone at (937) 645-2060. For fee questions, call 937-642-2053. The local registrar is Gretchen Krantz, and the deputy registrar is Diane Morrison.
Walk in during business hours and the staff will look up the record you need. Bring the full name of the person who died and the date of death. Having the parents' names also helps. The registration district number is 8000 for the county and 8001 for Marysville City. Death certificates are only issued for deaths that took place in Union County. If the person died in a different county, contact that county's health department or the Ohio Department of Health at 614-466-2531.
The image below shows the Union County Health Department website where you can find details on vital statistics and death record requests.
The site provides contact information and basic steps for getting a certified copy of a death certificate in Union County.
How to Get Union County Death Certificates
Union County offers phone, mail, and in-person options for ordering death certificates. Each certified copy costs $22.00, which is lower than most Ohio counties. The office accepts cash, personal checks, money orders, and major credit cards. This gives you more payment choices than many other counties.
For mail requests, send a letter with the name of the deceased, date of death, and your return address along with $22.00 to the Union County Health Department at 940 London Ave, Suite 1100, Marysville, OH 43040. Make checks payable to the Union County Health Department. Mail orders usually take one to two weeks to process and return. In-person requests are done the same day in most cases.
You can also use the VitalChek service to order online, which adds a processing fee on top of the base cost. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, death certificates are public records. Anyone can request a copy. You do not need to prove any family tie or state a reason.
The screenshot below shows the VitalChek portal for ordering Ohio vital records including Union County death certificates.
VitalChek provides expedited shipping options and accepts credit cards, which can be helpful if the local office is not close by.
Note: The social security number on Union County death certificates is redacted for the first five years after death unless you qualify as an authorized requestor.
Union County Death Record Fees
A certified copy of a death certificate from Union County costs $22.00. The state charges $21.50 per copy if you go through the Ohio Department of Health, plus a $5.00 modernization surcharge. Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24 sets the minimum fee at $12.00 and spells out how fees are divided between local and state offices.
Union County accepts cash, personal checks, money orders, and major credit cards. This is more flexible than many Ohio counties that refuse personal checks. If you use VitalChek, their service fee is added on top of the $22.00 base cost. Expedited shipping through VitalChek costs more but gets the certificate to you faster.
Historical Death Records in Union County
Death records from before December 1908 are held at the Union County Probate Court in Marysville. These records cover the years 1867 to 1908. The quality and detail of early records can vary. Not every death was recorded during that time, especially in rural parts of the county.
For death records from 1908 through 1970, the Ohio History Connection in Columbus keeps archival copies. They have a free online index you can search. Records from 1954 to the present are also at the Ohio Department of Health at 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228. Genealogy researchers often start with the Ohio History Connection for older Union County death records and then move to the county health department for more recent ones.
What Union County Death Certificates Show
A Union County death certificate includes the full name of the deceased, date and place of death, cause of death, and parents' names. It shows the date of birth, marital status, usual residence, and the attending physician or coroner who certified the death. The funeral director files the certificate and gathers personal details from the family. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.16, every death in Ohio must be registered with the local registrar.
The certificate also notes how the body was disposed of, whether by burial or cremation. A burial permit cannot be issued until the death certificate is on file, per Section 3705.17. People use death certificates for settling estates, filing insurance claims, closing bank accounts, and property transfers. Ohio courts accept them as prima facie evidence of the facts they contain.
Death Records and Ohio Law
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705 covers the vital statistics system. The local registrar in Union County numbers each death certificate, signs it, keeps a copy, and forwards the original to the state office. Section 3705.07 details these duties. Deaths involving communicable diseases require the registrar to notify the health commissioner right away.
It is a crime to falsify a death certificate. Section 3705.29 makes it illegal to forge, alter, or counterfeit any vital record. Only a coroner or medical examiner can certify deaths that were violent, suspicious, or sudden. The medical certification must be done within 48 hours after the physician learns of the death.
Note: Under Section 3705.23, authorized requestors for the social security number include the spouse, lineal descendants, attorneys, funeral directors, and government officials.
Nearby Counties
Union County is in central Ohio, northwest of Columbus. These neighboring counties have their own health departments for death certificate requests.
Cities in Union County
Union County has no cities above the population threshold for a dedicated page. Marysville is the county seat and largest city. Residents throughout Union County obtain death certificates from the Union County Health Department in Marysville or through the Ohio Department of Health.