Death Records

Death certificates will be on file in the county where the person passed away.

• Certified copies of a death certificate can be issued to any applicant upon the local registrar determining if the applicant has a legitimate reason and/or is eligble to receive the record.
• Death records are available from 1867 to present.

To obtain a death record (certificate) for genealogy purposes, please visit the genealogy page for more information.

Fees

Certified copies of a death certificate are $10 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy of the same record at the same time.

Requests by Mail

To request a death certificate by mail:

• Complete a Vital Records Request Form.
• Methods of payment accepted: check, money order (made payable to: Ionia County Clerk) or credit/debit card
• Send a self-addressed, postage paid envelope for the return of the record(s)
• Send completed request form, payment (if not by credit card) and a self-addressed envelope to: Ionia County Clerk’s Office, 100 W. Main Street, Ionia, MI 48846
• Mail requests are processed in 1-2 days

Online Requests

To request a death certificate online, fill out the following form:

How to Pay Online

1. Go to GovPay
2. Enter your name
3. For Type of Fee, select Copy Fee
4. When paying for vital record copy fees, there is NO file/case number
5. Enter payment amount ($10 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy)
6. Fill out payment information and click Process Payment
7. Keep the confirmation code from Government Payment Service for record purposes