Emanuel County Obituary Search

Emanuel County obituary and death records are managed by the Emanuel County Probate Court in Swainsboro. As a local agent for the Georgia Department of Public Health, the probate court issues certified death certificates for deaths in any Georgia county from 1919 to the present. Emanuel County is in east-central Georgia. Swainsboro is the county seat. If you need to find a death record or get a copy of a death certificate in Emanuel County, the probate court on South Main Street is your local option. The state also provides online and mail ordering.

Emanuel County Probate Court

The Emanuel County Probate Court in Swainsboro handles vital records requests for the county. Staff can issue certified death certificates for deaths that took place in any Georgia county. The office is on South Main Street in Swainsboro.

You need a valid photo ID to request records in person. The fee is $25 for the first certified copy. Additional copies of the same Emanuel County death record cost $5 each when ordered at the same time. Cash and money orders are accepted. Walk-in requests are usually processed the same day. Some older Emanuel County obituary records may take a bit longer if the file needs to be pulled from state archives. For mail requests, send a completed application with a copy of your ID and a money order payable to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Include the full name and date of death of the person whose Emanuel County record you need.

How to Get Emanuel County Death Records

You have three ways to get Emanuel County obituary and death records. Visit the probate court in Swainsboro. Mail a request. Or order online. The base fee is $25 for the first certified copy with any method.

The Georgia ROVER system handles online orders for death certificates from all 159 Georgia counties. You need the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and the county of death. ROVER charges $25 plus an $8 processing fee. Standard delivery takes 8 to 10 weeks. For faster service, visit the Emanuel County Probate Court in Swainsboro. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-15, every death in Georgia must be registered within 10 days. The funeral director files the certificate within 72 hours. Most Emanuel County death records are available within two weeks of the death.

Mail orders should include a signed request, your name, address, phone number, a photo ID copy, and a money order for $25. Send to the Emanuel County Probate Court or the Georgia DPH office in Atlanta.

Who Can Get Emanuel County Death Certificates

Georgia law controls access to death certificates. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified copies of Emanuel County death records go to people with a direct and tangible interest. This includes the spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. Legal representatives and insurance companies with a financial interest also qualify.

Certified copies have a raised seal and signatures from the State and County Registrar. They are on security paper. Banks, courts, and insurance firms require certified copies. If you lack a direct interest, you can still get a non-certified copy of an Emanuel County death record. The non-certified version removes the Social Security number but shows the cause, date, and place of death. It works for genealogy and general research into Emanuel County obituary records. O.C.G.A. § 31-10-27 makes forging or tampering with a death certificate a crime in Georgia.

State Resources for Emanuel County Death Records

The Georgia DPH Vital Records office at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 handles requests from all Georgia counties. Call (404) 679-4702 for details. They accept walk-in, mail, and phone orders for Emanuel County death records.

Historical Emanuel County obituary records from 1919 through 1943 are available at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. The Virtual Vault provides online access to some of these older records. DPH Regulation 511-1-3 sets the rules for vital records maintenance across Georgia. Funeral homes must also keep their own records of each case they handle, which means there are multiple possible sources for Emanuel County death information.

The DPH fee schedule page shows current costs. Confirm fees before sending payment for an Emanuel County death record.

The image below shows the Emanuel County Probate Court listing on the Georgia DPH website, where you can find contact info for the Swainsboro office.

Check this page for hours and directions before visiting the Emanuel County office.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Emanuel County. Any Georgia county vital records office can issue a death certificate for a death that took place in the state. If one of these is closer to you, you can request your record there.