Spokane County Death Index

Spokane County death index records span from pre-statehood registers through the present day, with the Washington State Digital Archives providing free online access to historical death indexes from 1882 through 1967, the Washington State Department of Health and Spokane Regional Health District both issuing certified death certificates, and the Spokane County Medical Examiner handling deaths that require investigation. This page covers how to search the Spokane County death index, where to order a certified certificate, what the Medical Examiner's office does, and what state law says about access restrictions.

How the Spokane County Death Index Works

Death records in Spokane County follow Washington State's two-tier system. Current certificates are filed with the Washington State Department of Health, which maintains the statewide vital records registry. Historical death indexes from 1907 through 1967 are freely searchable through the Washington State Digital Archives. Spokane County stands out because it also has death records going back to 1882, well before Washington statehood in 1889 and before mandatory statewide registration started in 1907. That makes it one of the most extensively documented counties for historical death research in eastern Washington.

When someone dies in Spokane County today, the attending physician or funeral home files a death certificate with DOH within ten days under RCW 70.58.050. The record enters the state system regardless of whether the death occurred in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, or a rural area of the county. For deaths requiring official investigation, the Spokane County Medical Examiner files the certificate on behalf of the family.

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

Spokane County Auditor's Office

The Spokane County Auditor's Office in Spokane maintains county records including property records, licensing, and historical materials. Its historical role connects to early county death registers from the 1880s that are now indexed in the Digital Archives. For records from 1907 onward, the Auditor refers researchers to DOH. Researchers tracing older Spokane County deaths should contact the Auditor's Office to ask about pre-1907 materials held locally.

For public records requests covering Spokane County documents outside the vital records system, submit a request under RCW 42.56. Spokane County maintains an online public records portal where residents can submit requests for a wide range of county documents. Most departments respond within five business days.

Searching the Spokane County Death Index Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free tool for Spokane County death index searches. For Spokane County specifically, the archive includes death records from 1882 through 1907 in addition to the statewide index covering 1907 through 1967. That gives researchers access to over 85 years of Spokane County death records at no cost. You can filter by county, search by name, or set a year range to find specific records.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

Spokane County's pre-1907 death records in the Digital Archives go back to 1882, making it one of eastern Washington's most complete historical indexes.

The Digital Archives also contains cemetery records and burial permits from Spokane County cemeteries, including some of the larger Spokane city cemeteries that were established in the late nineteenth century. These can supplement the death index and help confirm burial locations and family connections. The archive's advanced search supports wildcard searches for names with uncertain spellings in older records.

For deaths after 1967, no public online index exists. Contact DOH at 360-236-4300, the Spokane Regional Health District at 509-324-1500, or use VitalChek to request a record search. If you have the approximate year and county, staff can often confirm a record exists before you pay for a full certified copy.

Note: The pre-1907 Spokane County death records in the Digital Archives reflect the early growth of Spokane as a railroad and commercial hub in eastern Washington.

Ordering a Spokane County Death Certificate

Spokane County is one of a small number of Washington counties with a local vital records office. You can order death certificates from either the state DOH in Tumwater or the Spokane Regional Health District. Both charge $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter costs $15 and provides less detail than a full certificate.

You can also order from the state DOH at 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501. Call 360-236-4300 or mail requests to PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709. Mail orders take four to six weeks. For faster online service, VitalChek at vitalchek.com processes orders for $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee per order, plus shipping. The Spokane Regional Health District is especially convenient for Spokane County residents who prefer in-person or local mail requests.

Under RCW 70.58.107, death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants: 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 without proof of relationship.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is the only third-party vendor authorized by Washington State DOH to process online death certificate orders.

Spokane County Medical Examiner

The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, violent, unexplained, or occur without a physician in attendance. When the ME handles a case, it files the death certificate with DOH, and that record enters the state vital records system. The ME's investigative files, including autopsy reports and toxicology results, are separate records with different access rules.

Autopsy reports and investigative records from the Spokane County Medical Examiner are public records in Washington under RCW 42.56. Some portions may be withheld if they relate to ongoing investigations. You can submit a public records request directly to the ME's office. Given Spokane County's large population as eastern Washington's most populous county, the ME handles a significant number of cases each year. These records are often needed for estate matters, insurance claims, and legal purposes.

Historical Death Records in Spokane County

Spokane County has some of the oldest indexed death records in eastern Washington. The pre-1907 death records going back to 1882 are searchable for free through the Washington State Digital Archives. These early records reflect Spokane's rapid growth as a railroad center and regional commercial hub after the transcontinental railroad arrived in 1881. The county's death records from this period can document settler families, mining and railroad workers, and early community members not found in any other source.

The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504 holds microfilmed copies of older county records and can assist with research that goes beyond the Digital Archives. 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. For Spokane County specifically, the Archives has materials from both the territorial period and the early statehood years.

Other useful sources for historical Spokane County death research include probate court files at the Spokane County Superior Court, historic newspapers available through the Washington State Library and digitization projects, local cemetery records from Spokane's many established cemeteries, and FamilySearch, which indexes Washington death records and cemetery data from multiple sources. The county's large urban cemeteries have well-documented records dating back to the 1880s.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds Spokane County records from the territorial period and can assist genealogical researchers with older death records.

Public Records Access for Spokane County 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 any member of the public.

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. Funeral homes and government agencies also qualify for official purposes. You must show proof of your relationship when requesting a record less than 50 years old.

Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1882 through 1967 are fully public with no restrictions. The index shows basic identifying information without cause of death, so it doesn't trigger the same privacy concerns as a full certificate. Anyone can search and use 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 statewide fee structure.

The CDC maintains Washington vital statistics at the national level. Their page at cdc.gov provides DOH contact information and links to state resources for Spokane County death research and Washington vital statistics broadly.

Source: CDC Washington Vital Records

The CDC page is a national portal to Washington's vital statistics system, with direct links to DOH contact information and state resources.

Cities in Spokane County

Spokane County includes several cities and communities. Death records for all of them are filed through the state DOH system and indexed in the Washington State Digital Archives for historical searches.

Nearby Counties

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