Yakima Death Index Records

Yakima death index records are part of Washington State's centralized vital records system, with free historical indexes from 1907 through 1967 available through the Washington State Digital Archives. Yakima is the county seat of Yakima County, and all death records from the city flow through the state Department of Health registry. This page explains how to search Yakima death records, how to order certified death certificates, what local offices are involved, and what state laws govern access to these records.

How Yakima Death Index Records Work

Death records in Yakima follow Washington State's centralized system. When a death happens in Yakima, the funeral home or attending physician files a death certificate with the Washington State Department of Health within ten days. DOH keeps all death certificates from 1907 to the present in one statewide registry. There is no separate city-level death database for Yakima. Every Yakima death is listed under Yakima County in the statewide death index.

The death index is a summary record, not the full certificate. It shows the name of the deceased, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Cause of death is not in the index. The index helps you find a specific record. Once you have the certificate number, you use it to request the full certified death certificate from DOH or the Yakima County Auditor for older documents.

Yakima has been the county seat since Yakima County was established in 1883. That gives the county a relatively long record history for central Washington. Pre-1907 Yakima County death registers may appear in the Washington State Archives and the Digital Archives. Researchers working on Yakima family history have access to records from the territorial period through the present through these combined sources.

Note: The city of Yakima does not issue death certificates. All certified copies come from DOH or, for historical guidance, from the Yakima County Auditor.

Which County Handles Yakima Death Records

Yakima is in Yakima County. All Yakima city death records run through the county system and the state DOH. Funeral homes file certificates electronically through the state's Electronic Birth and Death Registration System. That record enters the DOH registry. Families can get certified copies through DOH in Tumwater, and the county auditor's office can assist with historical record guidance.

The Yakima County Coroner investigates sudden, unexplained, or violent deaths in Yakima. When the Coroner handles a case, it files the death certificate with DOH. The Coroner's investigative records are separate from the vital records system and can be requested under RCW 42.56. Those records document the Coroner's findings and are distinct from the certified death certificate stored at DOH.

Searching Yakima Death Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free tool for Yakima death index searches. The statewide index covers 1907 through 1967. It is free, searchable, and open to anyone with no account required. Researchers can access over 60 years of Yakima County death records at no cost through this database.

Use the search fields for first name, last name, year of death, and county. Select Yakima County to narrow results to the Yakima city area and surrounding communities. Each result shows name, death date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Note the certificate number if you plan to order the full record from DOH. For deaths after 1967, contact DOH at 360-236-4300 or the Yakima County Auditor at 509-574-1430 to verify whether a record exists.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives is the primary free resource for searching Yakima County historical death records from 1907 through 1967.

A targeted search using "Yakima Washington death" at the Digital Archives may also return cemetery and burial records, early county death registers, and coroner inquest records for the Yakima area. The Yakima County Auditor can help locate pre-1907 records that are not yet in the online database. For a broader view of Yakima County vital statistics data, the county coroner's site at yakimacounty.us/coroner provides contact information for death investigation records.

Source: Yakima County Auditor

The Yakima County Auditor at 128 N. 2nd St. maintains county records and can assist with historical death record requests.

Ordering a Yakima Death Certificate

Under RCW 70.58, death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. The fee is $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter is available for $15 and confirms a death occurred without providing the full certificate details. It can work for many purposes that do not require the full record.

Qualified applicants for restricted Yakima death records include the spouse or domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative of the deceased. You must provide valid photo ID and documentation of your relationship when requesting restricted records. Deaths older than 50 years are public records available to anyone with no relationship requirement.

Ways to order a Yakima death certificate:

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

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek adds a $12.50 processing fee above the $20 state fee. Expedited shipping options are available at extra cost.

Mail orders take 4 to 6 weeks. Walk-in service at the DOH Tumwater office is same day for records from 1968 to present. Records from 1907 through 1967 may take extra time even for in-person requests.

Yakima Local Resources

The Yakima City Clerk handles public records requests for city records under RCW 42.56. The Clerk does not hold death certificates, but can help with city-level documents and direct you to the right agency for vital records. The Yakima Police Department Records unit maintains police reports and incident records, including reports from death-related incidents in the city.

When the Yakima County Coroner handles a case in the city, it files the death certificate with DOH. The Coroner's investigative records can be requested under RCW 42.56. Those records are separate from the certified death certificate and may contain details about the manner of death that do not appear in the vital records system. The Yakima County Auditor's office at 128 N. 2nd St. is also a useful contact for historical record guidance.

Source: Yakima County Coroner

The Yakima County Coroner investigates unexplained or violent deaths and files death certificates with DOH when it handles those cases.

Historical Yakima Death Records

For deaths before 1907, researchers need to go beyond DOH. Yakima County was established in 1883, and early death registers from the county may be held by the Washington State Archives. The Digital Archives contains Yakima County historical death records and can be searched for free. Pre-statehood records from the territorial period may also appear in Archives holdings that predate formal county registration.

The State Archives Research Facility at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, can assist with historical requests beyond the digital resources. Reach staff at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. FamilySearch has a long-running partnership with the Washington State Archives to digitize and index state vital records. Visit sos.wa.gov/archives for details on available collections.

Source: Washington State Archives

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

Other useful sources for historical Yakima death research include probate records at Yakima County Superior Court, digitized newspapers from the Washington State Library, FamilySearch's Washington collections, local historical societies, and cemetery records for Yakima-area burial sites. Some of these cemetery records appear in the Digital Archives and are searchable for free.

Public Records and Access Laws

Washington State has two primary laws governing death record access. RCW 70.58, the Vital Statistics Act, restricts certified death certificates for deaths in the last 50 years to qualified applicants only. Deaths older than 50 years are public records without restriction. The law also sets fees, amendment procedures, and penalties for fraudulent access to vital records.

RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act, applies to all government records outside the vital records system. Police reports, coroner files, city records, and county documents fall under this law. Submit a written public records request to the agency holding the documents. Agencies must respond within five business days and provide estimates for producing records before charging for them.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 is the core statute setting who can get certified death certificates and what fees apply across Washington State.

Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1907 through 1967 are fully public. The index contains only basic identifying data with no cause of death included, so it falls outside the privacy restrictions that apply to certified certificates. Anyone can search the index at no cost. The CDC maintains Washington vital statistics nationally. Their Washington page at cdc.gov provides links to DOH and other state resources for researchers outside the state.

Nearby Cities

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