Fulton County Obituary Records

Fulton County obituary and death records are handled by the Fulton County Vital Records Office in Atlanta. This office acts as the local agent for the Georgia Department of Public Health and can issue certified death certificates for any death that took place in Georgia from 1919 to the present. Fulton County is the most populous county in the state, home to Atlanta and several other major cities. If you need to search for a Fulton County obituary record or get a copy of a death certificate, the vital records office in downtown Atlanta is where you start. You can also order online or by mail.

Fulton County Vital Records Office

The Fulton County Vital Records Office is the main place to get obituary and death records in Fulton County. This office can print and issue certificates for births and deaths that happened in any Georgia county, not just Fulton. Georgia law and DPH regulations require that all requests include a signature, picture ID, and the proper fee. The office is part of the Fulton County Board of Health.

Fulton County has two walk-in locations for death certificate requests. The main office is at the Fulton County Government Center at 141 Pryor Street, Suite 1029A, Atlanta, GA 30303. The second location is the College Park Regional Health Center at 1920 John Wesley Avenue, College Park, GA 30337. Both offices 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 and $5 for each extra copy of the same Fulton County obituary record ordered at the same time. Cash, credit cards, and debit cards are accepted for walk-in visits. For mail orders, send a certified check or money order made out to "Fulton County Board of Health Vital Records."

Search Fulton County Death Records

You can get Fulton County obituary and death records in three ways. Walk in at either Atlanta location for same-day service. Order online through VitalChek for convenience. Or send a mail request with the completed Death Certificate Request Form. Each method has the same base fee of $25 for the first certified copy in Fulton County. VitalChek adds its own service fee on top of that.

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

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

Fulton County Death Certificate Access

Not everyone gets the same type of Fulton County death certificate. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified copies go to people with a direct and tangible interest. That means the legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or a legal representative of the family. Insurance companies and other parties with a financial interest in the death also qualify for certified copies in Fulton County.

A certified copy of a Fulton County death certificate has an embossed, slightly raised seal. It also bears the signature of both the State and County Registrar and is printed on security paper. This is the kind of copy banks, courts, and insurance companies need. Members of the public can still order Fulton County obituary records, but they receive a plain paper copy with the Social Security number removed. That version still shows the cause, date, and place of death. It works for genealogy research and general lookups in Fulton County.

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 Fulton County.

Historical Obituary Records in Fulton County

Fulton County has some of the oldest death records in Georgia. The City of Atlanta began recording deaths in 1889, three decades before the state started its 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 Fulton County one of the best places to look for old obituary records in the state. For records from 1919 through 1943, you can also check the Georgia Archives in Morrow.

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 the misuse of vital records. If you are searching old Fulton County obituary records for family research, the Georgia Archives Virtual Vault has digitized records you can search from home.

Note: For Fulton County deaths before 1919, the vital records office in Atlanta is often the best local source.

Georgia State Resources for Death Records

If the Fulton County office cannot help, the state has other options. The ROVER online system lets you order death certificates from the state office. It costs $25 plus an $8 processing fee. Standard orders take 8 to 10 weeks to arrive. The Georgia DPH Vital Records office at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 also accepts walk-in, mail, and phone requests. You can call them at (404) 679-4702.

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. This means Fulton County death records are usually available within a few weeks of the death. Under DPH Regulation 511-1-3-.36, funeral directors must keep their own detailed records of each case they handle in Georgia.

Cities in Fulton County

Fulton County has several major cities. All of them use the Fulton County Vital Records Office for obituary and death records. Atlanta is the county seat and largest city. Other Fulton County cities with their own pages include:

Nearby Counties

These counties border Fulton County. If you are not sure which county handles your area, check your address. You can get a death certificate from any Georgia county office, but local records may be easier to find in the county where the death took place.