Banks County Obituary Records

Banks County obituary and death records are handled by the Banks County Probate Court in Homer. This office works as a local agent for the Georgia Department of Public Health. It can issue death certificates for any death that happened in the state from 1919 to the present day. Banks County is in the northeast Georgia foothills, and the probate court on Yonah Homer Road is where residents go for death record requests. You can also order through the state online system or by mail if a trip to Homer is not practical for you.

Banks County Probate Court Details

The Banks County Probate Court is at 144 Yonah Homer Road, Suite 7, in Homer. This office handles death certificate requests for Banks County and can access the statewide database to pull records from any Georgia county. The probate court is located inside the Banks County government complex.

To request a Banks County death certificate in person, you need a valid photo ID and the $25 fee. Each extra copy costs $5 if ordered at the same time. The staff at the Banks County Probate Court can typically process walk-in requests quickly for recent deaths. Older death records may take more time to retrieve. Cash and money orders are the usual payment options at this office. Call the probate court before your visit if you have questions about payment or need to confirm they can find a specific Banks County death record.

The Banks County office does not have an online ordering system of its own. For online orders, use the state ROVER system instead.

How to Search Banks County Death Records

Walk-in visits to the Homer probate court are the fastest path to a Banks County death certificate. You show up, fill out the form, pay the fee, and usually leave with your record. Simple as that for most recent deaths.

Online orders go through Georgia ROVER. The site is run by the state and charges $25 plus an $8 processing fee. You enter the name of the person who died and the date and place of death. ROVER mails the certificate to you. Standard delivery for Banks County records ordered through ROVER takes 8 to 10 weeks. That is the same wait for any county in the state.

Mail requests work too. Write a letter with the decedent's full name, date of death, and place of death. Include your name, address, phone number, and a copy of your photo ID. Attach a money order for $25 payable to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Send it to the Banks County Probate Court or to the state vital records office. O.C.G.A. § 31-10-15 requires that deaths be registered within 10 days. So most Banks County death records are available within a few weeks of the death.

Death Certificate Access in Banks County

Certified copies are limited under Georgia law. O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26 restricts them to people with a direct and tangible interest in the Banks County death record. That covers the spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and legal representatives. Insurance companies with a claim connected to the death can also get certified copies.

The certified version of a Banks County death certificate is on security paper with a raised seal and registrar signatures. It is the type that banks, courts, and insurance companies require. If you do not qualify for a certified copy, you can still order a non-certified version of the Banks County obituary record. The non-certified copy has the Social Security number removed but otherwise shows the same information. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-27, falsifying any part of a vital records request is a criminal act.

Georgia State Death Record Options

Beyond Banks County, the Georgia DPH Vital Records office at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 can fill your request. Call (404) 679-4702 for help. They handle walk-in, mail, and phone orders for death records from all 159 Georgia counties, including Banks County.

The Georgia Archives in Morrow has historical death records from 1919 to 1943. If you need an old Banks County death record for genealogy, the archives may have it. Some files are available through the Virtual Vault online. DPH Regulation 511-1-3 governs how vital records are stored and maintained statewide. Funeral homes must keep their own case records under these rules, which can sometimes provide extra details about a Banks County death. The DPH fee schedule has current pricing for all record types.

This screenshot shows the Georgia DPH location page for the Banks County Probate Court in Homer.

Visit the page above for driving directions and to verify Banks County office hours.

Nearby Counties

Banks County is in northeast Georgia. These bordering counties have their own vital records offices that can also issue death certificates for any Georgia death.