Find Death Records in Walla Walla County

Walla Walla County death index records are part of Washington State's statewide vital records system, with historical death indexes from 1907 through 1967 searchable free at the Washington State Digital Archives. This page explains how to search the Walla Walla County death index, how to order certified death certificates from the state Department of Health, what the county auditor and coroner can provide, and how Washington law controls access to death records.

How the Walla Walla County Death Index Works

Death records in Walla Walla County follow Washington State's central registration system. When a death occurs in the county, the attending physician, funeral home, or medical certifier files a death certificate with the Washington State Department of Health through the Electronic Birth and Death Registration System (EBDRS). DOH then holds that record in the state vital records registry. Walla Walla County does not maintain its own set of certified death certificates from 1907 onward. All requests for those records go to DOH.

The death index is different from the full certificate. The index is a summary that includes the deceased's name, date of death, county, certificate number, age, and gender. It does not show cause of death or family relationships. The statewide death index from 1907 through 1967 is free to search at the Washington State Digital Archives. Finding a record in the index gives you the certificate number, which you then use to order the full document from DOH.

For deaths that occurred after 1967, there is no public online index. To search those records, you contact DOH directly. If you are not sure of the exact death year, a phone call to DOH at 360-236-4300 can help you confirm whether a record exists before you pay for a certified copy.

Walla Walla County Auditor's Office

The Walla Walla County Auditor's Office is the main county records office in Walla Walla. While certified death certificates from 1907 onward are held at the state level, the Auditor can provide guidance on historical vital records, early county registers, and records that predate statewide registration. For deaths before 1907, the Auditor's Office may hold early death registers or can direct researchers to the Washington State Archives.

The Auditor's office is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours. It is best to call ahead before visiting for records research. For public records requests, Walla Walla County has an online records request process at co.walla-walla.wa.us/public-records, handled under the Washington Public Records Act, RCW 42.56. The county has five business days to respond.

Searching the Walla Walla County Death Index Online

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the best free tool for searching historical Walla Walla County death index records. The database covers all Washington counties from 1907 through 1967. Use the county filter to narrow results to Walla Walla County, or search by name and year range. Each result in the index shows the deceased's name, date and county of death, certificate number, age, and gender. Cause of death is not in the index.

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives death index is a free finding tool covering Walla Walla County death records from 1907 through 1967. Use it to locate certificate numbers before requesting full records from DOH.

Walla Walla County has historical significance as one of Washington's oldest settled areas, with records potentially going back to the 1850s. The Digital Archives may hold pre-1907 death registers or cemetery records for the county. Search the archives with "Walla Walla County" combined with "death" or "burial" to see what older materials are available. The Washington State Board of Health death registers from 1891 to 1907, available for counties that reported early to the state, may also include some Walla Walla County entries.

For deaths after 1967, contact DOH directly to search for a record. If you have only a rough idea of the death year, DOH staff can help narrow things down before you commit to ordering a certified copy.

Ordering a Walla Walla County Death Certificate

Washington death certificates are issued by the state DOH, not by Walla Walla County. The fee is $20 per certified copy, and each additional copy ordered at the same time costs another $20. A Verification of Death letter costs $15 and confirms that a death occurred without providing the full certificate details. This letter has fewer access restrictions and is often enough for basic legal and insurance purposes.

Under RCW 70.58, death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to qualified applicants. Those who qualify include the spouse or domestic partner, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, legal guardians, and legal representatives of the deceased, along with others who can show a tangible interest in the record. For deaths older than 50 years, any person may request the record without needing to prove a relationship.

Mail orders take 4 to 6 weeks and require a completed form, copy of photo ID, and payment by check or money order. In-person walk-in service at the Tumwater office is available for records from 1968 to present. For faster online ordering, use VitalChek at vitalchek.com. The cost is $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee. Expedited shipping is available at extra cost.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is the only DOH-authorized vendor for online ordering of Washington State death certificates, including Walla Walla County records.

Walla Walla County Coroner

The Walla Walla County Coroner investigates deaths that occur under unusual, sudden, violent, or unexplained circumstances within the county. When the Coroner handles a case, the death certificate is still filed with DOH through the standard process. The Coroner's investigative records, including inquest files and cause-of-death reports, are separate from the vital records system.

Contact the Walla Walla County Coroner at co.walla-walla.wa.us/coroner for information about investigative records. Coroner records are generally available under RCW 42.56 unless an investigation is ongoing, in which case portions may be withheld. Submit a written public records request through the county's records portal for formal access to those files.

Note: Most deaths in Walla Walla County are certified by attending physicians and go to DOH through the normal process. The Coroner handles only the subset of cases that meet specific criteria defined by state law.

Historical Death Records in Walla Walla County

Walla Walla County is one of Washington's original counties, formed in 1854 when Washington Territory was established. Its early records go back well before statehood in 1889 and well before statewide death registration in 1907. The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia WA 98504 (360-586-1492, archives@sos.wa.gov) holds original and microfilm records for many Washington counties, and Walla Walla County materials may include early death registers and territorial documents. The Archives is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, and their website is at sos.wa.gov/archives.

The Whitman Mission area, which is near Walla Walla, is one of the most historically documented places in early Washington history. Deaths connected to early mission records, frontier period deaths, and Native American community records may exist in unique collections not found elsewhere. Local historical societies in the Walla Walla Valley can be valuable partners for this kind of specialized research.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives holds pre-1907 county records that may include early Walla Walla County death registers from Washington Territory days.

FamilySearch is another strong resource for Walla Walla County historical death records. Their free indexed collections include Washington death records and cemetery transcriptions that supplement what is available in the Digital Archives. Probate records at the Walla Walla County Superior Court are also useful for confirming deaths from the territorial and early statehood period. Old Walla Walla newspapers have been digitized through several projects and may have obituaries that supplement official records.

Public Records Access for Walla Walla County Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 gives broad public access to government records. Death certificates, however, are specifically restricted by RCW 70.58. A certified death certificate for a death within the past 50 years is available only to qualified applicants. Once 50 years have passed from the date of death, any member of the public may request the record without proving a relationship to the deceased.

The death index records in the Digital Archives for 1907 through 1967 are fully open to the public. The index shows basic identifying data with no cause of death, and it carries no access restrictions. Anyone can search it for free at any time at digitalarchives.wa.gov.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 defines the 50-year rule and who qualifies as a restricted-access applicant for Washington death records.

For county records outside the vital records system, such as Coroner inquest files or Auditor records, submit a request under RCW 42.56 through the county's public records portal. The county has five business days to respond. The CDC maintains Washington vital statistics data at the national level at cdc.gov, which links to both state DOH and federal resources for death statistics.

Cities in Walla Walla County

Walla Walla County includes the city of Walla Walla, which has its own death records page. Death records for all parts of the county are filed through the state DOH system and indexed in the Digital Archives for historical searches.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near Walla Walla County. Each has its own death index records and county resources for vital records research.