Atlanta Obituary Records

Atlanta obituary and death records go through the Fulton County Vital Records Office in downtown Atlanta. As Georgia's capital and largest city, Atlanta has one of the longest local death record histories in the state. The city started tracking deaths in 1889, well before the statewide system began in 1919. Fulton County handles all death certificate requests for Atlanta residents. You can walk in, mail a request, or order online. The office sits in the Fulton County Government Center at 141 Pryor Street, which is easy to reach from most parts of the city.

Fulton County Vital Records Office for Atlanta

The Fulton County Vital Records Office is the main place to get Atlanta obituary and death records. This office acts as the local agent for the Georgia Department of Public Health. It can issue certified death certificates for any death that took place in Georgia from 1919 to the present. For Atlanta deaths, this is almost always the first stop. The office is part of the Fulton County Board of Health and serves all of Fulton County, including Atlanta.

Atlanta has two walk-in locations for death certificate requests. The main office is at 141 Pryor Street, Suite 1029A, Atlanta, GA 30303. A second location sits at the College Park Regional Health Center at 1920 John Wesley Avenue, College Park, GA 30337. Both are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-in service costs $25 for the first certified copy of an Atlanta death record. Each extra copy of the same record costs $5 when ordered at the same time. The office takes cash, credit cards, and debit cards for walk-in visits.

How to Get Atlanta Death Records

There are three ways to get an Atlanta obituary or death record. You can walk in to either Fulton County office for same-day service. You can order online through VitalChek, which the county has partnered with. Or you can send a mail request with a completed Death Certificate Request Form. Each method starts at $25 for the first certified copy. VitalChek adds its own service fee on top of that base amount.

For a mail order, send a completed form with a copy of your photo ID and payment to Fulton County BOH Vital Records at 141 Pryor Street, Suite 1029A, Atlanta, GA 30303. The $25 fee is a non-refundable search fee. It includes one certified copy if the Atlanta death record is found. Extra copies cost $5 each when ordered at the same time. Mail-in payments must be by certified check or money order made out to "Fulton County Board of Health Vital Records." Personal checks are not accepted for Atlanta obituary record requests.

The state also runs the ROVER online system for ordering death certificates. The ROVER fee is $25 plus an $8 processing charge. Standard ROVER orders take 8 to 10 weeks. For faster service, the walk-in option at the Atlanta office is best.

The DPH office locator shown below can help you find the nearest vital records office if you are not near downtown Atlanta.

This tool from the Georgia Department of Public Health lets you search by zip code or city to find offices near you.

Who Can Get an Atlanta Death Certificate

Not everyone gets the same type of Atlanta death certificate. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified copies go to people with a direct and tangible interest in the record. That means the legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or a legal representative of the family. Insurance companies and financial institutions with a legitimate interest also qualify. These parties must show proof of their relationship when they request an Atlanta obituary record.

A certified copy of an Atlanta death certificate has an embossed seal that is slightly raised. It bears the signature of both the State and County Registrar and is printed on security paper. Banks, courts, and insurance companies need this type. Members of the public who do not have a direct interest can still order an Atlanta death record. They get a plain paper copy with the Social Security number removed. That version still shows the cause, date, and place of death. It works fine for genealogy research and general lookups.

According to the Fulton County FAQ page, a death certificate with a "Pending" cause of death means more testing or investigation is still needed. A pending status still allows funeral arrangements to go forward in Atlanta.

Historical Atlanta Obituary Records

Atlanta has some of the oldest death records in Georgia. The city began recording deaths in 1889, three full decades before the state started its own system in 1919. The Fulton County Vital Records Office can print copies of some of these historical deaths that occurred in Georgia as early as 1889. This makes Atlanta one of the best places in the state to search for old obituary records. If you are looking for a death that happened in Atlanta before 1919, the Fulton County office downtown is your best local source.

For records from 1919 through 1943, the Georgia Archives in Morrow has additional resources. The Archives hold death certificates from this period that can be searched in person. The Virtual Vault also has digitized records you can browse from home. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-27, the state keeps records indefinitely. This means old Atlanta death records should still be in the system somewhere, whether at the county level or in the state archives.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-30, the State Registrar can match birth and death certificates to prevent fraud. When a match is confirmed, the birth certificate gets marked "Deceased." This is part of how Georgia protects against misuse of vital records.

Georgia State Resources for Atlanta Death Records

If the Fulton County office cannot help with your Atlanta obituary search, the state has other options. The Georgia DPH Vital Records office at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 accepts walk-in, mail, and phone requests. You can call them at (404) 679-4702 for questions about any Georgia death record. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-15, every death in Georgia must be registered with the local registrar within 10 days. The funeral director files the certificate within 72 hours of the death.

The state fee schedule sets the same $25 base cost no matter which office you use. The ROVER system adds an $8 processing fee for online orders. Walk-in service at the state office is the same $25 first copy and $5 for each extra. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-31, the state can charge these fees to cover the cost of maintaining vital records. Processing times vary. Walk-in requests at the Atlanta office are usually same-day. Mail requests take 2 to 4 weeks. ROVER orders take 8 to 10 weeks.

The ROVER system shown above is the state's official online portal for ordering death certificates from anywhere in Georgia.

Nearby Cities

Several cities near Atlanta also have their own obituary and death record pages. Each of these cities uses its county vital records office. Most of the cities listed below are also in Fulton County, so they use the same office as Atlanta.