Yakima County Death Index

Yakima County death index records are maintained within Washington State's vital records system, with historical death indexes from 1907 through 1967 searchable free at the Washington State Digital Archives. This page covers how to search the Yakima County death index, where to order certified death certificates, what the county auditor and coroner offer, and how state law governs public access to death records in one of Washington's most populous inland counties.

How the Yakima County Death Index Works

Death records in Yakima County follow Washington State's central registration system. All deaths from 1907 onward are registered with the Washington State Department of Health through the Electronic Birth and Death Registration System. When someone dies in Yakima County, the attending physician, funeral home, or medical certifier completes the death certificate electronically and files it with DOH within ten days. DOH holds all certified death certificates for the entire state in the central vital records registry. The county does not maintain its own set of certified certificates from 1907 forward.

Yakima County covers a large geographic area, including both the city of Yakima and a significant number of smaller agricultural communities. Deaths in all parts of the county are registered the same way and flow to the same state registry. Whether the death occurred in downtown Yakima or in a small orchard community in the valley, the certificate goes to DOH in Tumwater.

The death index is a summary, not the full record. Each index entry shows the deceased's name, date and county of death, certificate number, age, and gender. Cause of death is not included in the index. The statewide index from 1907 through 1967 is free to search at the Digital Archives. After 1967, no public online index exists. For those records, contact DOH directly at 360-236-4300.

Yakima County Auditor's Office

The Yakima County Auditor's Office in Yakima is the main county records office. Certified death certificates from 1907 onward are held at the state level, but the Auditor can provide guidance on historical vital records, early county registers, and records predating statewide registration. The Auditor's Office handles recorded documents and other county records that sometimes reference deaths through estate and property transfer filings.

Source: Yakima County Auditor

The Yakima County Auditor's Office handles county records and can assist researchers with guidance on historical vital records in the county.

Public records requests for Yakima County are handled under RCW 42.56, the Washington Public Records Act. You can submit requests through the county's public records portal at yakimacounty.us/public-records. The county has five business days to respond.

Searching the Yakima County Death Index Online

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

Source: Washington State Digital Archives

The Digital Archives death index is free to search and covers Yakima County deaths from 1907 through 1967. Use it to find certificate numbers before requesting full records from DOH.

Yakima County has significant historical depth. The Yakima Valley was settled by Native peoples for thousands of years and by Euro-American settlers in the mid-1800s. Early deaths in the valley before 1907 may be found through territorial records at the Washington State Archives or through church and mission records held by local historical organizations. The Digital Archives may also have pre-1907 county death registers or Board of Health records from Yakima County covering the period 1891 to 1907, when some counties reported early.

After 1967, contact DOH directly to search for a record. Yakima County's larger population means more records exist and DOH staff can help confirm whether a specific record is in the system before you pay for a certified copy.

Note: The Digital Archives uses OCR technology to make scanned records text-searchable. For handwritten older records, search accuracy can vary. Try multiple spelling variations if an initial search does not return expected results.

Ordering a Yakima County Death Certificate

Washington death certificates are issued by the state DOH. The fee is $20 per certified copy, with each additional copy ordered at the same time also costing $20. A Verification of Death letter, which confirms a death occurred without providing full certificate details, costs $15. 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 guardian, legal representative, and others who can show a tangible interest in the record. Deaths older than 50 years are open to any member of the public.

Mail requests take 4 to 6 weeks and require a completed form, a copy of valid photo ID, and a check or money order payable to "Department of Health." For faster service, use VitalChek at vitalchek.com, the DOH-authorized online vendor. The cost is $20 plus a $12.50 processing fee per order. Expedited shipping options are available at additional cost. Phone orders are accepted at 360-236-4300 Monday through Friday with credit card payment.

Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering

VitalChek is the DOH-authorized online vendor for Washington State death certificates, available 24 hours a day for Yakima County and all other counties.

Yakima County Coroner

The Yakima County Coroner investigates deaths that occur under unusual, sudden, violent, or unexplained circumstances within the county. Given Yakima County's population and geographic size, the Coroner handles a significant number of cases each year. When the Coroner opens an investigation, 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.

Source: Yakima County Coroner

The Yakima County Coroner's Office handles death investigations and maintains inquest records that may be requested under the Public Records Act.

Coroner investigative records are generally public under RCW 42.56, though active investigations may result in portions being withheld temporarily. You can submit a public records request to the Coroner's Office directly or through the county's public records portal at yakimacounty.us/public-records. Older Yakima County coroner inquest records may also be searchable in the Digital Archives, which holds coroner collections from various Washington counties.

Historical Death Records in Yakima County

Yakima County was organized in 1865 as part of Washington Territory. Its early records reflect a diverse history of Native American communities, missionary activity, and settler arrival. Death registration before 1907 was not uniform, and early records may be found through multiple channels. The Washington State Archives at 1129 Washington St SE, Olympia WA 98504 (360-586-1492, archives@sos.wa.gov) holds microfilm and original records for many Washington counties. The Archives is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Their website is at sos.wa.gov/archives.

Source: Washington State Archives

The State Archives in Olympia holds pre-1907 county records and can assist researchers looking for early Yakima County death registers.

The Digital Archives also holds cemetery records and burial permits from various parts of Washington. Cemetery records from Yakima County communities, including records from the many small farming towns in the Yakima Valley, can supplement official death index searches. FamilySearch has free indexed Washington death records and cemetery transcriptions that cover Yakima County and may include records for agricultural worker communities and smaller rural settlements not well represented in the main state index.

Probate records at the Yakima County Superior Court are another valuable historical source. These files typically list the name of the deceased, date of death, and surviving heirs, providing confirmation for deaths that predate official registration. Yakima Valley newspapers, many of which have been digitized, also contain obituaries and death notices that can supplement official records.

Public Records Access for Yakima County Death Records

Washington's Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 provides broad public access to government records. Death certificates, however, carry a specific restriction under RCW 70.58. Certified death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted 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 public and carry no access restrictions. The index shows only basic identifying information with no cause of death. Anyone can search it for free at digitalarchives.wa.gov.

Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics

RCW 70.58 sets the 50-year rule and defines qualified applicants for restricted Washington death certificates.

For county records outside the vital records system, submit a written request under RCW 42.56 through the Yakima County 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 and vital records access.

Cities in Yakima County

Yakima County includes the city of Yakima, which has its own death records page. Death records for all cities and communities in 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 Yakima County. Each has its own death index records and county resources for vital records research.