Find Spokane Death Records

Death index records for Spokane, Washington are maintained through the state vital records system at the Washington State Department of Health and are searchable online through the Washington State Digital Archives. Spokane is the largest city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, with a population of around 230,000. Death records here go back to the early days of the city, with Spokane County death records in the Digital Archives dating to 1882. This page covers how to search the Spokane death index, order a certified death certificate, and use local and state resources.

How Spokane Death Index Records Work

When someone dies in Spokane today, the funeral home or attending physician files a death certificate through Washington's electronic registration system within ten days. That record goes into the state DOH database. Spokane is in Spokane County, and the county seat role means most government services, including health department functions, are centered here. But death certificates are a state matter, not a city one. Spokane city offices do not hold death certificates.

The Spokane Regional Health District is the local public health authority for the Spokane area. They handle various public health functions and can provide guidance on accessing death records. The actual certificates are held by DOH in Tumwater. For historical records, the Washington State Digital Archives is the free online tool. The death index there covers 1907 through 1967 statewide. Spokane County also has earlier death records indexed from 1882, which appear as Spokane County Death Records in the Digital Archives.

The death index is different from a certified certificate. The index shows the name, date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. No cause of death is included. You use the index to find the certificate number, then order the full document from DOH if needed. For deaths after 1967, there is no public search tool online, so you contact DOH directly by phone or mail.

Note: The Spokane City Clerk handles public records requests for city records under RCW 42.56. Death certificates are not city records. The city clerk cannot issue or copy death certificates.

Spokane County Handles Spokane Death Records

Spokane County is the county of record for all deaths occurring within Spokane city limits. The county's administrative offices, auditor, and health district all play supporting roles in the records system. For certified death certificates, the state DOH is the primary source. For county-level records such as coroner files, you contact Spokane County directly. The Spokane County Auditor's office handles county records and can be reached through the county's main website.

See the Spokane County Death Index page for details on county-level resources, Spokane County Auditor information, and the full history of death records in the county.

Searching Spokane Death Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the free, public way to search historical Spokane death records. No login is needed. Search by name and filter by Spokane County. The death index covers 1907 through 1967 statewide. For Spokane specifically, the Digital Archives also holds pre-1907 Spokane County Death Records from 1882 through 1907. That gives this area some of the oldest searchable death records in the state.

Results from the Digital Archives show the person's name, death date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Once you have a certificate number, you can order the full death certificate from DOH. The Digital Archives also holds cemetery records and burial permits for the Spokane area, which can add more context to your research. The database uses OCR technology to make scanned records searchable, though older handwritten records may need a closer look.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives is free to use and contains Spokane County death records going back to 1882, well before Washington statehood in 1889.

For deaths after 1967, call DOH at 360-236-4300. Staff can check whether a record exists and guide you through the process. You can also get a Verification of Death letter for $15, which confirms that a death record is on file without giving the full certificate details.

Ordering a Spokane Death Certificate

All certified death certificates for Spokane are issued by the Washington State Department of Health. Under RCW 70.58, deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. These include the spouse or domestic partner, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, legal guardians, and legal representatives of the deceased. You must provide proof of your relationship or legal authority. Records older than 50 years are public and open to anyone.

The state fee is $20 per certified copy. Verification of Death letters cost $15. You have four options for ordering: walk in to DOH in Tumwater, call DOH, send a mail request, or order online through VitalChek. Walk-in and phone orders are usually faster than mail. Online ordering through VitalChek is available any time and adds a $12.50 processing fee per order.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is Washington's authorized online vendor for death certificate orders. Orders go directly to DOH for processing.

Spokane Local Resources

The Spokane City Clerk's office handles public records requests for city records. This covers city administrative files, police reports, and city government documents. Death certificates are not included. To submit a public records request for city records, visit the Spokane City Clerk online at my.spokanecity.org/cityclerk/publicrecords. The city has five business days to respond under the Washington Public Records Act.

The Spokane Police Department maintains police reports and incident records. If you need a police report related to a death in Spokane, submit a request through the police records division at my.spokanecity.org/police/records. Some records related to ongoing investigations may be withheld. The Spokane Regional Health District at srhd.org/vital-records provides local vital records guidance and can direct you to the right resource for your specific request.

The Spokane County Law Library is open to the public and can assist with legal research, including understanding how to interpret RCW provisions related to death records access. The library is located at 1116 W Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260. Phone: 509-477-4733.

Historical Death Records for Spokane

Spokane has one of the richest historical death record collections in eastern Washington. The pre-statehood Spokane County death records in the Digital Archives start at 1882, seven years before Washington became a state in 1889. These records document deaths in a rapidly growing railroad and mining hub. They often include details about occupations, place of birth, and family ties that are hard to find elsewhere.

The Washington State Archives in Olympia holds physical and microfilm copies of records not yet fully digitized. Their research facility is at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504. Contact them at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov. Research hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. The Archives website is at sos.wa.gov/archives.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds territorial-era records and microfilm collections that supplement what is available in the Digital Archives online.

Probate records at the Spokane County Superior Court can also document deaths, especially for estate cases. FamilySearch has a large free database of Washington death indexes and cemetery transcriptions that covers the Spokane area. The Washington State Historical Society and Spokane-area historical societies also maintain cemetery transcriptions and obituary collections useful for older death research.

Public Records and Access Laws

The Washington Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives residents broad rights to government records. Death certificates fall under a more specific set of rules in RCW 70.58. Certified copies of recent death certificates are restricted. Only qualified applicants get access to records for deaths within the past 50 years. Once a death certificate passes the 50-year mark, it becomes publicly available to anyone.

The Digital Archives index from 1907 through 1967 is fully open to the public. No access restrictions apply. The index does not include cause of death, which limits privacy concerns. You can search it for free without a login. Older records in the pre-1907 county registers are also public. They are treated as historical records and accessible to everyone.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 applies to all Washington death records, including those filed in Spokane County.

For Spokane city-level records, the Public Records Act gives you the right to request documents from the city. The city has five business days to respond. Some records may be withheld if they qualify for a statutory exemption, such as active investigation files or records with third-party privacy interests.

Nearby Cities

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