San Juan County Death Index
San Juan County death index records are maintained through Washington State's vital records system, with historical death indexes from 1907 through 1967 available free online through the Washington State Digital Archives and certified death certificates from 1907 to the present held by the Department of Health. This page covers how to search the San Juan County death index, where to order a certified death certificate, what the county coroner handles, and what state law governs access to restricted records.
San Juan County Overview
How the San Juan County Death Index Works
Death records in San Juan County follow Washington State's two-tier system. Current certificates are filed with the Washington State Department of Health, which holds all official vital records from 1907 onward. Historical indexes from 1907 through 1967 are freely searchable through the Washington State Digital Archives. San Juan County is unique in Washington because it consists entirely of islands, and all deaths on the San Juan Islands are registered through the same state system.
When someone dies on San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Lopez Island, or any of the smaller islands in the county, the attending physician or funeral home files a death certificate with DOH within ten days under RCW 70.58.050. That record enters the state vital records system. The San Juan County Coroner handles deaths that require official investigation. When the Coroner handles a case, it files the death certificate on behalf of the family.
The death index is a summary record. It shows name, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. It does not include cause of death or family information. Use the index to locate a specific entry, then request the full certificate from DOH if you need more detail.
San Juan County Auditor's Office
The San Juan County Auditor's Office in Friday Harbor maintains county records including historical documents that may include early death registers predating the 1907 statewide system. For records from 1907 onward, death certificates are held by DOH. Researchers looking for early San Juan County death records should contact the Auditor's Office to ask about pre-statehood materials in their custody.
| Office | San Juan County Auditor's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 55 Second St., Friday Harbor, WA 98250 |
| Phone | 360-378-2163 |
| Website | sanjuanco.com/auditor |
For public records requests covering San Juan County documents outside the vital records system, you can submit a request under RCW 42.56 through the county's public records process at sanjuanco.com/publicrecords. Most county departments respond within five business days of receiving a records request.
Searching the San Juan County Death Index Online
The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the primary free resource for San Juan County death index searches. The archive covers statewide death records from 1907 through 1967. You can filter by county to focus on San Juan County. Results show the deceased person's name, date of death, certificate number, age, and gender. Use the certificate number when contacting DOH to order a full copy.
Source: Washington State Digital Archives
The Digital Archives covers San Juan County death index records through 1967 at no cost. For deaths after 1967, contact DOH directly.
San Juan County is Washington's only island county. Its death records reflect a maritime and agricultural community spread across dozens of islands. Because the county is accessible primarily by ferry, requesting records in person can be less practical than for mainland counties. The online Digital Archives and VitalChek are especially useful for San Juan County research.
For deaths after 1967, DOH does not maintain a public online index. You need to contact DOH at 360-236-4300 or use VitalChek to request a search. Staff can often confirm whether a record exists before you pay for a full certified copy.
Note: The Digital Archives lets you search by county, which helps narrow results when a common name appears across multiple counties in the same year.
Ordering a San Juan County Death Certificate
Certified death certificates for San Juan County deaths are issued by the Washington State Department of Health. There is no local vital records office on the islands. The fee is $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter, which confirms a death occurred without providing full certificate details, costs $15.
| Office | Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics |
|---|---|
| Walk-In Address | 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501 |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709 |
| Phone | 360-236-4300 |
| Fee | $20 per certified copy; $15 Verification of Death letter |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
Mail orders take four to six weeks. For San Juan County residents, mailing to DOH or ordering online through VitalChek are typically the most practical options. VitalChek at vitalchek.com processes online orders 24 hours a day for $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee per order, with shipping fees on top.
Under RCW 70.58.107, death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. Those include the spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and legal representatives of the deceased. Deaths older than 50 years are open to any member of the public.
Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering
VitalChek is the only third-party vendor authorized by Washington State DOH to handle online certificate orders.
San Juan County Coroner
The San Juan County Coroner investigates deaths that are unexpected, unattended, violent, or require official inquiry. When the Coroner handles a case, the office files the death certificate with DOH, and that record enters the state vital records system. The Coroner's investigative files are separate and subject to public records access under RCW 42.56.
Contact the San Juan County Coroner at sanjuanco.com/coroner. In small island counties like San Juan, the coroner role is especially important because many deaths occur in remote locations without easy access to medical facilities. Inquest records and coroner's reports can provide useful detail for genealogical research when they include cause-of-death information beyond what appears on the death certificate.
Note: Coroner files are investigative documents separate from death certificates. The certificate is the official vital record; coroner records are held at the county level.
Historical Death Records in San Juan County
Washington began mandatory statewide death registration in 1907. Before that, death records in San Juan County were kept inconsistently. Some records from the territorial period exist at the county level or in the State Archives. Given the islands' isolation and small population in the early settlement period, pre-1907 records for San Juan County may be sparse.
The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504 can assist with older records. Contact the Archives at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Their website is at sos.wa.gov/archives. The Northwest Regional Branch in Bellingham may also hold microfilmed county records for San Juan County that are not yet digitized.
Additional sources for historical San Juan County deaths include probate court files at the San Juan County Superior Court, historic newspapers from the Friday Harbor area, local cemetery records, and FamilySearch, which maintains Washington death index data and cemetery transcriptions. The island communities had well-documented cemeteries that can help confirm deaths and burial locations.
Source: Washington State Archives
The State Archives holds materials from Washington's territorial period and can help fill gaps in the official death record system.
Public Records Access for San Juan Death Records
Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives the public broad rights to access government records. Death records carry a specific restriction under RCW 70.58. Certified certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. Deaths older than 50 years are open to 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 when requesting a record less than 50 years old. Funeral homes and government agencies also qualify for official purposes.
Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1907 through 1967 are fully public with no restrictions. Those records show basic identifying information without cause of death, so they don't trigger the same privacy concerns as full certificates. Anyone can search and use those records at no cost.
Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics
RCW 70.58 sets out who qualifies to receive certified Washington death certificates and what fees apply.
The CDC maintains Washington vital statistics data nationally. Their page at cdc.gov links to both state and federal resources for death data in Washington, including DOH contact information useful for San Juan County record requests.
Nearby Counties
These counties border or lie near San Juan County. Each has its own death index records and county resources.