Klickitat County Death Index

Klickitat County death index records are maintained within Washington State's centralized vital records system, with historical indexes available for free through the Washington State Digital Archives. Located in south-central Washington along the Columbia River, Klickitat County has a population of about 22,000 with Goldendale as the county seat. This page explains how to search the Klickitat County death index, request certified death certificates, and find historical records for research purposes.

How Klickitat County Death Index Records Work

Death records in Klickitat County are filed with the Washington State Department of Health in Tumwater. When a death occurs, the attending physician or funeral home submits the death certificate to DOH within ten days. DOH maintains all certificates in the state registry. The county itself does not hold a separate vital records database for modern certificates.

Historical records from 1907 through 1967 are indexed in the Washington State Digital Archives. The index is free to search and shows the decedent's name, death date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Klickitat County's relatively small population means the index has fewer entries than larger counties, but the records that exist are indexed and accessible. Cemetery records and early burial permits for Klickitat County are also available through the Digital Archives.

The death index is a finding tool, not the full record. Once you locate a person in the index, you use the certificate number to request the actual certificate from DOH. The full certificate includes cause of death, place of birth, parents' names, and other details not shown in the index.

Klickitat County Auditor Death Records

The Klickitat County Auditor in Goldendale maintains county records including historical death registers from before the state vital records system. The auditor's office is the right starting point for questions about pre-1907 county records and can help direct you to the appropriate resource for both historical and modern record requests.

The auditor does not issue modern death certificates. Those go through DOH. However, early county registers held by the auditor can be valuable for research into Klickitat County deaths before 1907. Some of these records may not yet be digitized, so a direct inquiry to the auditor's office can clarify what is available and in what form.

Searching Klickitat County Death Records Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free resource for Klickitat County death index searches. The index covers deaths registered in Klickitat County from 1907 through 1967. Search by name and select Klickitat County to narrow results. Each hit shows the certificate number, which you can then use to order a full copy from DOH.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives search is free, public, and requires no registration. It covers Klickitat County deaths from 1907 to 1967.

For deaths after 1967, there is no free public online index. Contact DOH at 360-236-4300 with the person's name and approximate year of death. Staff can search the registry and confirm whether a record exists. This is useful before paying for a certified copy, especially for older post-1967 records.

FamilySearch maintains Washington death index collections that overlap with the Digital Archives and may include some records for Klickitat County not found elsewhere. Checking both resources is worthwhile for thorough research.

Ordering a Klickitat County Death Certificate

Washington State law under RCW 70.58 governs access to certified death certificates. The fee is $20 per copy. Deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants, which include the spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and legal representatives of the deceased. Deaths older than 50 years are available to the general public without a qualification requirement.

Orders go through DOH. In person: 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater WA 98501, weekdays 8am to 4:30pm. By mail: PO Box 9709, Olympia WA 98507-9709. Mail orders take 4 to 6 weeks. Online orders go through VitalChek at vitalchek.com, with a $12.50 processing fee on top of the $20 certificate fee.

Source: VitalChek Online Ordering

VitalChek is the state-authorized online vendor for Washington death certificate orders, including Klickitat County events.

DOH also provides Verification of Death letters for $15. These confirm a death was registered and show less detail than a full certified copy. They are subject to fewer access restrictions and are often sufficient for administrative or legal tasks that do not need the full record.

Klickitat County Coroner Death Records

The Klickitat County Coroner investigates deaths that are unexpected, violent, sudden, or otherwise require official review. When the coroner handles a case, the coroner files the death certificate with DOH. That record enters the same state vital records system as any other certificate. The coroner's investigative files are separate from DOH records.

Coroner records are public under RCW 42.56 except for portions that relate to active investigations or are otherwise exempt. You can submit a public records request to the Klickitat County Coroner to obtain reports and investigative documents. Responses typically come within five business days.

Historical Death Records in Klickitat County

Klickitat County was established in 1859, making it one of the older counties in Washington. Historical death records from the early county period are spread across several sources. The Washington State Archives in Olympia holds physical records from before DOH began operating, including early county registers and territorial records.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives in Olympia is the primary repository for Klickitat County death records that predate the DOH system.

The State Archives is at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia WA 98504. Call 360-586-1492 or email archives@sos.wa.gov. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Staff can help identify what physical records exist for Klickitat County and how to request them.

Cemetery records for Klickitat County are in the Digital Archives and through independent transcription projects. Probate records at the Klickitat County Superior Court reference death dates and are public. The Columbia River Gorge area has been documented in various historical projects, and some of those include death and burial data for Klickitat County communities.

Public Records Access for Klickitat County Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives the public the right to request government records. Death records are subject to the additional restrictions in RCW 70.58. Certified death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years go only to qualified applicants. Records older than 50 years are public.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 is the state law controlling who may obtain a certified death certificate for a Klickitat County death.

The death index in the Digital Archives is fully public and available to everyone without restriction. Showing only basic identifying data, it does not carry the same privacy protections as the full certificate. Anyone can search it at no cost, any time.

For other Klickitat County public records outside the vital records system, you contact the relevant county department. The county processes most public records requests within five business days under RCW 42.56.

The CDC maintains Washington vital statistics at the federal level. Their page at cdc.gov links to both DOH and national resources for Washington death data.

Source: CDC Washington Vital Records

The CDC page connects to both state and federal death data resources for Washington, including Klickitat County.

Cities in Klickitat County

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

The main communities in Klickitat County include Goldendale, White Salmon, Bingen, Klickitat, and Wishram. All death records for these communities are managed through the state DOH vital records system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near Klickitat County. Each uses the same Washington State DOH system for death records.