St. Louis Death Record Search

St. Louis death records are managed by the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, not a county health department. St. Louis is an independent city in Missouri, meaning it operates separately from St. Louis County. This distinction matters when you are looking for death certificates. The Recorder of Deeds office at City Hall handles vital records requests for deaths that occurred within the city limits. You can visit in person, send a mail request, or use the state's online vendor to order copies. Fees follow the statewide schedule set by Missouri law.

St. Louis Recorder of Deeds

The St. Louis Recorder of Deeds is where you go for St. Louis death certificates. The office is located in City Hall, Room 127, at 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. Phone is (314) 613-3016 and you can email recorder@stlouis-mo.gov with questions. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm, and Saturday from 9am to 1pm. The Saturday hours make this one of the more accessible vital records offices in Missouri.

St. Louis is unique in Missouri. It is the only independent city in the state, which means it is not part of any county. Do not confuse it with St. Louis County, which is a separate jurisdiction with its own health department and vital records office. If the death happened in the city of St. Louis, you contact the Recorder of Deeds. If it happened in St. Louis County (places like Clayton, Florissant, or Chesterfield), you go through the St. Louis County Department of Public Health instead. Getting this right from the start saves you a wasted trip or phone call.

Credit card fees apply for card payments at this office. Bring cash or a check to avoid the extra charge.

How to Request St. Louis Death Certificates

Walk-in requests at the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds office are the quickest option. Bring a valid photo ID and be ready to fill out a request form. The first certified copy costs $14 under RSMo 193.265. Additional copies ordered at the same time cost $11 each. The staff can usually pull recent records and have your copy ready within a short wait. Having the full name of the deceased, the approximate date of death, and the place of death helps them locate the record faster.

For mail requests, send a written application to the Recorder of Deeds at 1200 Market Street, Room 127, St. Louis, MO 63103. Include the deceased person's full name, date of death, your relationship, your ID copy, and a check or money order for $14. You can also download the form from the Missouri vital records application page. Expect two to four weeks for mail processing. The City of St. Louis website has more details on local services and office hours.

VitalChek handles online orders. The state fee plus the VitalChek service charge comes to about $24.25 total. Orders ship in 5 to 7 business days. This works well for people who cannot visit the St. Louis office or prefer to handle everything online.

Who Can Get St. Louis Death Records

Missouri law limits who can receive certified death certificates. Under RSMo 193.255 and 19 CSR 10-10.090, you must be an eligible person to get a certified copy of a St. Louis death record. Eligible people include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or legal guardian of the deceased. Attorneys acting on behalf of eligible parties also qualify. Funeral directors who handled the arrangements can request copies. Anyone else needs to show a direct and tangible interest in the record.

You must provide identification. A photo ID is the standard requirement. If you do not have one, two alternate forms of ID may work. The St. Louis Recorder of Deeds staff will verify your identity and your relationship to the deceased before releasing a certified copy. This is not optional. It applies to every request, whether in person, by mail, or online. Under RSMo 193.145, all deaths in St. Louis must be registered through the state's electronic system within five days, so recent records should be on file fairly quickly after the event.

Historical St. Louis Death Records

The Recorder of Deeds keeps St. Louis death records from around 1980 forward. For older records, the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City has death certificates dating back to January 1, 1910. The fee is the same $14. You can order by mail or through VitalChek. State office processing takes 4 to 8 weeks by mail.

Free historical records are available through the Missouri State Archives death certificate database. Under RSMo 193.225, death records older than 50 years become public and transfer to the archives. You can view digital images of original St. Louis death certificates from 1910 to 1975 at no charge. The Missouri Death Index covers 1968 to 2022 and helps confirm names and dates before ordering a certified copy. These free tools are especially useful for genealogy research involving St. Louis families.

St. Louis has a long history, and its vital records reflect that. The city's population has changed significantly over the decades, which means the volume of death records varies by era. Researchers working on older St. Louis death records should also check the Missouri State Archives for supplemental records and historical context.

What St. Louis Death Certificates Show

A St. Louis death certificate lists the full name of the deceased, date and place of death, date and place of birth, and parents' names including the mother's maiden name. Cause of death, occupation, last address, and burial or cremation details are all included. The funeral home name appears on the record as well. RSMo 193.145 requires this information to be filed electronically within five days.

Missouri offers short form and long form death certificates. The short form covers the basic facts. The long form is a complete reproduction of the original filing with every data field shown. Under RSMo 193.245, photocopies of certified death certificates are not valid as official documents. You need a fresh certified copy for each use that requires one. When ordering from the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, specify which version you need.

Other Missouri Cities

Other Missouri cities handle death records through their local county health departments. Here are links to death record information for other major cities in the state.