Death Index for Skamania County

Skamania 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 issuing certified death certificates from 1907 to the present. This page covers how to search the Skamania County death index, where to order a certified certificate, what the county coroner handles, and what state law says about access restrictions.

How the Skamania County Death Index Works

Washington State uses a centralized vital records system. Deaths in Skamania County are registered with the Department of Health, which holds all death certificates from 1907 forward. Historical indexes for the period from 1907 through 1967 are freely searchable at the Washington State Digital Archives. The county does not keep its own separate ongoing registry of deaths.

When someone dies in Skamania County, the attending physician or funeral home files a death certificate with DOH within ten days under RCW 70.58.050. The record goes into the state system whether the death occurred in Stevenson, White Salmon, or a remote area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. For deaths requiring investigation, the Skamania County Coroner files the certificate on behalf of the family.

The death index is a summary finding tool. It shows name, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender but does not include cause of death or family details. Use the index to locate a specific entry, then request the full certificate from DOH.

Skamania County Auditor's Office

The Skamania County Auditor's Office in Stevenson maintains county records including historical materials that may include early death registers predating the 1907 statewide system. For records from 1907 onward, death certificates are held by DOH, not the Auditor. Researchers looking for early Skamania County death records should contact the Auditor's Office to ask about pre-statehood materials held locally.

For public records requests covering Skamania County documents outside the vital records system, you can submit a request under RCW 42.56. Skamania County is one of Washington's smaller and more rural counties, and its public records office handles requests for a range of county documents including coroner records and historical registers.

Searching the Skamania County Death Index Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the primary free resource for Skamania County death index research. The archive covers the statewide death index from 1907 through 1967. You can filter results by county to focus on Skamania. Each result shows name, date of death, certificate number, age, and gender. Use the certificate number to order a full copy from DOH.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives index covers Skamania County from 1907 through 1967 at no cost and requires no registration.

Skamania County is one of Washington's least densely populated counties, covering a large area of forested land along the Columbia River Gorge. Its death records reflect a timber and rural community with smaller numbers of entries per year compared to western Washington counties. For very common names, filtering by county helps narrow results. The Digital Archives also contains cemetery records that can help confirm Skamania County deaths and burial locations.

For deaths after 1967, no public online index is available. Contact DOH at 360-236-4300 or use VitalChek to request a record search. Because Skamania County has a small population, DOH can often confirm whether a record exists before you submit a formal order and pay the fee.

Note: Skamania County's death records volume is smaller than western Washington counties, so the Digital Archives index covers most of the population's recorded deaths from the early twentieth century.

Ordering a Skamania County Death Certificate

Certified death certificates for Skamania 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, costs $15. Mail orders take four to six weeks.

For faster service, VitalChek at vitalchek.com processes online orders for $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee per order, plus shipping. VitalChek is the only third-party vendor DOH authorizes for online ordering. Because Skamania County is in southwest Washington, the drive to DOH in Tumwater is over an hour, so mail or online ordering is typically more practical.

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 available to any member of the public.

Skamania County Coroner

The Skamania County Coroner investigates deaths that are unexpected, unattended, violent, or require official inquiry. The county's rugged terrain along the Columbia River Gorge means the Coroner may handle outdoor and recreational fatalities in addition to typical county deaths. When the Coroner handles a case, it files the death certificate with DOH, and that record enters the state system.

Contact the Skamania County Coroner at skamaniacounty.org/coroner. Coroner investigative files are subject to public records access under RCW 42.56, though some portions may be withheld if they relate to ongoing investigations. For genealogical researchers, coroner inquest records can provide detail about cause and circumstances of death not captured on the death certificate alone.

Note: The Coroner's investigative files are separate from the death certificate. The certificate is the official vital record; the Coroner's case file is a county-level document.

Historical Death Records in Skamania County

Washington began mandatory statewide death registration in 1907. Before that date, Skamania County death records were kept inconsistently at the county level. The county's early history is tied to Columbia River commerce and later to timber operations, and the settler population was relatively small. Pre-1907 records for Skamania County may be sparse but can be worth checking with both the Auditor's Office and the State Archives.

The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504 can assist researchers looking for 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 Archives holds microfilmed county records for many Washington counties, including southwestern Washington counties.

Other useful sources for historical Skamania County deaths include probate court files at the Skamania County Superior Court, historic newspapers from the Stevenson area, local cemetery transcriptions, and FamilySearch, which maintains Washington death index records and cemetery data. The county has several documented historic cemeteries along the Columbia River Gorge that can help confirm deaths and burial information.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds materials from Washington's early settlement period and can help fill gaps in the official death record system for Skamania County.

Public Records Access for Skamania County Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives the public broad rights to 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 anyone, no proof of relationship needed.

Qualified applicants for restricted records include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the deceased, along with legal representatives with documented authority. Funeral homes and government agencies also have access for official purposes. You need to show proof of your relationship when requesting a record under 50 years old.

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 carry the same privacy restrictions as a full certificate. Anyone can search those records at no cost.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 defines who qualifies for certified Washington death certificates and sets the fee schedule applied statewide including Skamania County.

The Washington State Legislature website at leg.wa.gov provides the full text of RCW 70.58 and RCW 42.56. Reading both statutes covers most questions about what records are available and who can get them.

Source: Washington State Legislature

The Legislature site is the authoritative source for the laws governing vital records access throughout Washington State.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near Skamania County. Each has its own death index records and county resources.