Search Pend Oreille County Death Records

Pend Oreille County death index records are part of Washington State's vital records system, with the Washington State Digital Archives providing free online access to historical death indexes from 1907 through 1967, and the Department of Health holding certified certificates from 1907 to the present. This page explains how to search Pend Oreille County death records, where to order a certified death certificate, what the county coroner handles, and what state law governs access to restricted records.

How the Pend Oreille County Death Index Works

Washington State operates a centralized vital records system. Deaths in Pend Oreille County are registered with the Washington State Department of Health, which maintains all death certificates from 1907 forward. The county itself does not keep a separate ongoing death registry. Historical indexes for the 1907 through 1967 period are searchable for free through the Washington State Digital Archives.

When someone dies in Pend Oreille County, the attending physician or funeral director files a death certificate with DOH within ten days, as required under RCW 70.58.050. The record goes into the state system regardless of whether the death happened in Newport, Metaline Falls, or any other part of the county. When the Coroner's office handles a case, it files that certificate on behalf of the family.

The death index and the death certificate are not the same thing. The index is a summary record showing the name, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. It does not include cause of death or family members. You use the index to find a specific record, then request the full certificate from DOH if you need more detail.

Pend Oreille County Auditor's Office

The Pend Oreille County Auditor's Office in Newport is the county's main records office. It handles property records, licensing, and historical county documents. For death records, the Auditor may have early registers predating the 1907 statewide system. Researchers looking into older Pend Oreille County deaths should contact the Auditor's Office to ask whether pre-1907 materials are held locally or have been transferred to the State Archives.

Public records requests for Pend Oreille County records outside the vital records system can be submitted under RCW 42.56 through the county's public records process at pendoreillecounty.org/public-records. Most county departments respond within five business days of receiving a records request.

Searching the Pend Oreille Death Index Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the primary free resource for searching the Pend Oreille County death index. The archive covers statewide death records from 1907 through 1967. You can filter by county to narrow results to Pend Oreille specifically. Results show the deceased person's name, death date, certificate number, age, and gender. Use the certificate number when contacting DOH to order a copy.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives covers death index records through 1967 at no cost. For deaths after that date, contact DOH directly.

Pend Oreille County is one of Washington's least populous counties, located in the northeastern corner of the state along the Idaho border. Its death records reflect a largely rural population with ties to mining, logging, and farming communities. The county was formed in 1911 from part of Stevens County, so its earliest records are fewer in number than older counties. Still, the Digital Archives covers all Pend Oreille County deaths indexed from 1911 onward through 1967.

After 1967, DOH does not maintain a public online index. You need to contact DOH or use VitalChek to request a search. If you have an approximate year and county, DOH staff can often confirm whether a record exists before you submit a formal order.

Note: Because Pend Oreille County was formed in 1911, deaths before that year would appear under Stevens County in the Digital Archives.

Ordering a Pend Oreille County Death Certificate

Certified death certificates for Pend Oreille County deaths come from the Washington State Department of Health. The fee is $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter, which confirms a death occurred but provides less detail than a full certificate, costs $15. Mail orders take four to six weeks.

For faster service, VitalChek at vitalchek.com is the only third-party vendor authorized to process Washington State death certificate orders online. The cost is $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee per order, plus shipping. Orders can be placed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Under RCW 70.58.107, death certificates for deaths within the last 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants, including the spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and legal representatives of the deceased. Deaths older than 50 years are available to any member of the public.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is authorized by the Washington State Department of Health to handle online certificate orders.

Pend Oreille County Coroner

The Pend Oreille County Coroner investigates deaths that are unexpected, unattended, violent, or require official inquiry. When the Coroner handles a case, it files the death certificate with DOH, and that record enters the state vital records system. The Coroner's investigative files are separate from the vital records and have different access rules under RCW 42.56.

Contact the Pend Oreille County Coroner at pendoreillecounty.org/coroner for information about coroner records. In small rural counties like Pend Oreille, the coroner is typically an elected official who may also serve in another capacity. Inquest records and coroner's reports from older cases can be useful for genealogical research when they contain cause-of-death information not found elsewhere.

Historical Death Records in Pend Oreille County

Pend Oreille County was established in 1911. Deaths before that date within what is now the county boundary would have been registered under Stevens County, from which Pend Oreille was carved. Washington State began uniform death registration in 1907. So the earliest Pend Oreille County death records as a separate county date from 1911, and they are included in the Digital Archives index through 1967.

The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504 holds microfilmed copies of many county death records, including materials from northeastern Washington. You can contact the Archives at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov to inquire about Pend Oreille County holdings. Their website is at sos.wa.gov/archives, and research hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

For older research, additional sources include probate court files at the Pend Oreille County Superior Court, historic newspapers from the Newport area, local cemetery transcriptions, and the FamilySearch database, which indexes Washington death records and cemetery entries from various collections. The Washington State Historical Society may also hold materials relevant to Pend Oreille County history.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives can assist with older county records and pre-1907 materials not available in the Digital Archives.

Public Records Access for Pend Oreille Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives the public broad access rights to government records. Death records carry a specific restriction under RCW 70.58. Certified death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. Deaths older than 50 years are available to any member of the public with no proof of relationship required.

Qualified applicants for restricted records include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the deceased, as well as legal representatives with documented authority. You must show proof of your relationship or legal standing when requesting a restricted record. Funeral homes and government agencies also qualify for access for official purposes.

Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1907 through 1967 are fully public. The index shows basic information without cause of death, so it doesn't trigger the same privacy restrictions as a full certificate. Anyone can search those records for free.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 defines who qualifies to receive certified Washington death certificates and sets the fee schedule.

The Washington State Legislature's website at leg.wa.gov lets you read the full text of RCW 70.58 and RCW 42.56. Understanding these two statutes covers most questions about what records you can get and how.

Source: Washington State Legislature

The Legislature site provides the full text of every RCW chapter governing vital records and public records access in Washington.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near Pend Oreille County. Each maintains its own death index records and county resources.