Find Kittitas County Death Index Records

The Kittitas County death index is part of Washington State's statewide vital records system, with historical indexes searchable for free through the Washington State Digital Archives. Kittitas County sits in central Washington with Ellensburg as its county seat and a population of around 48,000. This page covers how to search Kittitas County death index records, order certified death certificates from DOH, and access historical sources for genealogical research.

How the Kittitas County Death Index Works

Death records in Kittitas County are part of Washington State's central vital records system. When someone dies here, the attending physician or funeral home files a death certificate with the Washington State Department of Health within ten days of the death. DOH holds all certificates in its registry in Tumwater. The county auditor does not maintain a separate modern vital records file.

For historical records, the Washington State Digital Archives indexes Kittitas County deaths from 1907 through 1967. This index is free and public. It shows the name, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. The index does not include cause of death or next-of-kin details. Those fields are in the full certificate, which you request from DOH once you have the certificate number from the index.

Researchers working on Kittitas County family history often start with the Digital Archives and then move to DOH for specific records. The county's auditor and coroner can help with questions about pre-1907 records and investigative files respectively.

Kittitas County Auditor Death Records

The Kittitas County Auditor in Ellensburg maintains county records and holds some historical death registers from before the state vital records system took effect. The auditor's office is at 205 West Fifth Avenue in Ellensburg. Staff can help with questions about early county death records and can point you to the right resource for records both before and after 1907.

The auditor's role in death records is primarily historical. Modern certified death certificates for Kittitas County are issued by DOH, not by the county auditor. For genealogical researchers looking at deaths before 1907, the auditor's early registers may fill gaps not yet digitized in the state archives.

Searching Kittitas County Death Index Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives is the main free tool for searching historical Kittitas County death index records. Go to digitalarchives.wa.gov and search by name with Kittitas County selected. The index covers 1907 through 1967. Each record shows the name, date, certificate number, age, and gender. You can use the certificate number to request the full record from DOH.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives covers Kittitas County deaths from 1907 through 1967 and is free to use without any registration.

For deaths after 1967, no free public online index exists. Contact DOH at 360-236-4300 to ask about a record. Providing the person's name and approximate year of death helps staff search efficiently. You can also submit a formal written request to DOH and confirm whether a record exists before paying for a certified copy.

FamilySearch and Ancestry both maintain collections of Washington death index data that overlap with the Digital Archives and sometimes include additional records. These can supplement your search, especially for deaths at the edges of the indexed period or for records that may be indexed differently in different databases.

Ordering a Kittitas County Death Certificate

Certified death certificates for deaths that occurred in Kittitas County are available from the Washington State Department of Health. The fee is $20 per copy. Under RCW 70.58, deaths within the past 50 years require the requester to be a qualified applicant: spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative. Deaths older than 50 years are open to any member of the public.

To order in person, visit DOH at 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater WA 98501, weekdays 8am to 4:30pm. By mail, send requests to PO Box 9709, Olympia WA 98507-9709. Mail turnaround is 4 to 6 weeks. For faster service, use VitalChek at vitalchek.com. Online orders cost $20 for the certificate plus a $12.50 processing fee.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is the only state-authorized third-party vendor for online death certificate orders in Washington.

DOH also issues Verification of Death letters for $15. These confirm a death occurred but contain less detail than a certified copy. They have fewer access restrictions and work for many legal and administrative purposes that do not require the full certificate.

Kittitas County Coroner Death Records

The Kittitas County Coroner investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, violent, or otherwise require official determination of cause and manner. When the coroner handles a case, the coroner's office files the death certificate with DOH. That record enters the state vital records system. The coroner's own case files are separate.

Coroner investigative files are public records under RCW 42.56 but may be partially withheld for active investigations. You can submit a public records request to the Kittitas County Coroner's office for reports and investigative documents. The county responds to most requests within five business days.

Historical Death Records in Kittitas County

Kittitas County was established in 1883, and historical death records from the early county period are part of the pre-statehood and early statehood archives. The Washington State Archives in Olympia holds physical records that predate DOH. The Archives is at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia WA 98504. You can reach staff at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds Kittitas County records that predate the DOH system and can assist with historical research requests.

Cemetery transcription projects for Kittitas County are available through several genealogical organizations and through the Digital Archives cemetery records collection. Probate records at the Kittitas County Superior Court often list death dates and are public. Ellensburg newspapers from the late 1800s and early 1900s, available through the Washington State Library's digital newspaper collections, can provide additional documentation for deaths not fully captured in early registers.

Public Records Access for Kittitas County Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 establishes broad public access rights. For death records specifically, RCW 70.58 restricts certified certificates for deaths within the past 50 years. Once a death is more than 50 years old, the certificate is available to anyone who requests it.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 is the controlling statute for death certificate access in Kittitas County and across Washington State.

For Kittitas County public records requests outside the vital records system, you contact the relevant county department. The county's public records request process follows the guidelines at co.kittitas.wa.us. Most records are produced within five business days. The death index in the Digital Archives is fully unrestricted and available to everyone at no cost.

The CDC maintains national vital statistics data that includes Washington State information. Their page at cdc.gov links to federal and state resources for death data and is a useful reference for understanding how Washington fits into national vital statistics reporting.

Source: CDC Washington Vital Records

The CDC page provides context on Washington vital statistics and links to both DOH and national data sources.

Cities in Kittitas County

Kittitas County's cities and communities file death records through the Washington State DOH system. No cities in Kittitas County currently meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site.

Major communities in Kittitas County include Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, South Cle Elum, and Kittitas. Death records for all of them are held by the Washington State DOH.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near Kittitas County. Each maintains its own death index records through the state system.