Search Frederickson Death Index

Frederickson death index records are part of Washington State's vital records system, with the free historical death index available through the Washington State Digital Archives covering deaths from 1907 through 1967. Frederickson is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, and all death records from the Frederickson area flow through the state Department of Health and Pierce County's vital statistics office. This page explains how to search Frederickson death records, how to order certified death certificates, and what state laws govern access.

How Frederickson Death Index Records Work

Death records in Frederickson follow Washington State's centralized vital records system. When a death occurs in Frederickson, the attending physician or funeral home must file a death certificate with the Washington State Department of Health within ten days. DOH maintains all death certificates from 1907 to the present for every location in Washington. The state runs one unified registry, not separate city or county databases.

Frederickson is an unincorporated community. This means it has no city government of its own. All local administrative functions, including the handling of death records at the county level, fall under Pierce County. When searching for death records from Frederickson, you search by Pierce County or by the decedent's name in the statewide index. The community does not have its own separate death index entry.

The death index is a summary record, not a full death certificate. It shows the name of the deceased, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. No cause of death appears in the index. To get the full details, you use the certificate number from the index to order the complete certified death certificate from DOH or through an authorized vendor.

Note: Because Frederickson is unincorporated, all county-level services apply. Pierce County processes death records through the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and the state DOH system.

Which County Handles Frederickson Death Records

Frederickson is in Pierce County, Washington's second most populous county. Because Frederickson is unincorporated, Pierce County handles all local administrative functions related to death records. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department serves as the local vital records office and can issue certified death certificates for Pierce County events.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Vital Records office at 3629 S. D St. can issue certified death certificates for events that occurred anywhere in Pierce County, including Frederickson. The fee is $20 per copy. The Pierce County Medical Examiner at 3619 Pacific Ave., Tacoma (253-798-6497) handles sudden, unexplained, or violent deaths in the county, including the Frederickson area.

Searching Frederickson Death Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free tool for searching Frederickson death index records. It covers the statewide death index from 1907 through 1967 and also includes Pierce County death registers going back to 1883, which predate statewide registration. That gives researchers access to over 80 years of indexed records at no cost.

To search, go to the Digital Archives and use the search fields for first name, last name, year, and county. Filter by Pierce County to narrow results to the Frederickson area. Each result shows the person's name, death date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Write down the certificate number when you find a record, because you will need it to order the full certified copy.

Source: Pierce County Public Records

Pierce County's public records portal provides guidance on requesting county records and can direct you to the appropriate state agency for death certificates.

You can also search by "Frederickson Washington death" using the targeted search at digitalarchives.wa.gov for results specific to the Frederickson community. For deaths after 1967, contact DOH directly or use VitalChek.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives search is free and open to the public with no account or registration required.

Ordering a Death Certificate for Frederickson

Washington State law under RCW 70.58 governs access to death certificates. Deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. The fee is $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter, which confirms a death occurred but contains less information, costs $15.

Qualified applicants for restricted records include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative of the deceased. You must show proof of your identity and relationship to the deceased when requesting any restricted record. Deaths older than 50 years are public records available to anyone.

You can order a Frederickson area death certificate in four ways:

• In person at DOH in Tumwater at 101 Israel Road SE, or at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
• By mail to DOH at PO Box 9709, Olympia WA 98507-9709
• By phone at 360-236-4300, Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm
• Online through VitalChek at vitalchek.com

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is the only authorized third-party vendor for online Washington death certificate orders and charges a $12.50 processing fee on top of the $20 state fee.

Mail orders typically take 4 to 6 weeks. Walk-in service at DOH's Tumwater office handles records from 1968 to present on the same day. Records from 1907 to 1967 may need extra time even with in-person requests.

Frederickson Local Resources

Because Frederickson is an unincorporated community, there is no city clerk for Frederickson. Public records requests for county-level records in the Frederickson area go to Pierce County. Pierce County handles public records requests under RCW 42.56. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office covers law enforcement for unincorporated Frederickson, and sheriff's records may document death-related incidents such as accidents or investigations.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner investigates sudden, unexplained, or violent deaths in Frederickson and the surrounding unincorporated area. When the ME's office handles a case, it files the death certificate with DOH. The ME's investigative records are separate from the vital records system and can be requested under RCW 42.56 through Pierce County's public records process.

Historical Frederickson Death Records

For deaths before 1907, researchers need to look beyond the DOH system. The Washington State Archives holds early death registers and pre-statehood records that predate Washington's mandatory death registration law. Pierce County death registers go back to 1883 and are indexed in the Digital Archives for free searching. The Frederickson area was part of unincorporated Pierce County throughout its early history, so records from those years appear in Pierce County death registers.

The State Archives Research Facility in Olympia at 1129 Washington St SE can assist with requests that go beyond what is available online. Staff can be reached at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Their main site is at sos.wa.gov/archives.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds pre-1907 Pierce County records and can assist genealogical researchers looking for early Frederickson area deaths.

Other useful sources for historical Frederickson death research include probate records at Pierce County Superior Court, historic newspapers digitized through the Washington State Library, FamilySearch's Washington death index collections, and cemetery records for Pierce County cemeteries in the Digital Archives.

Public Records and Access Laws

Two state laws govern death record access in Washington. The first is RCW 70.58, the Vital Statistics Act. It limits access to certified death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years. Only qualified applicants can get those records. Deaths older than 50 years are public and available without restriction.

The second law is RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act. This law applies to all government records held by state and local agencies. For records outside the vital records system, such as police or sheriff reports and medical examiner files, you submit a public records request under RCW 42.56. Agencies must respond within five business days. Because Frederickson is unincorporated, public records requests for local records go to Pierce County rather than any city clerk.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 sets out who can obtain certified copies of Washington death certificates and what fees apply statewide.

Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1907 through 1967 are fully public. The index shows only basic identifying details with no cause of death, so it does not trigger the same privacy restrictions as a certified certificate. Anyone can search and view the index at no cost and with no account required.

Nearby Cities

These Washington cities also have death records resources and guidance for the death index.