Access Lorain County Death Index
Lorain County death index records are managed by Lorain County Public Health in Elyria. This northern Ohio county along the Lake Erie shore has a large population spread across cities like Lorain and Elyria, which means a high volume of death records on file. The health department holds death certificates from 1908 forward. You can search part of the Lorain County death index online for free through the Ohio History Connection database, covering select years from 1913 to 1963. Earlier records from before 1908 are at the Probate Court in Elyria.
Lorain County Overview
Lorain County Death Certificates
The Lorain County Public Health office issues certified copies of death certificates for deaths that happened in Lorain County from 1908 to the present. The office is in Elyria. Walk-in requests during regular business hours are the fastest way to get a copy. Bring a valid photo ID and know the full name and date of death of the person you are looking for. Staff can usually pull the record and print a certified copy the same day.
Certified copies cost about $25.00 each. Cash, check, and money order are accepted. For mail orders, send a request to Lorain County Public Health with the deceased person's full name, date of death, your name, address, phone number, and a check or money order for the total amount. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Processing by mail takes about one to two weeks. The volume of requests can affect turnaround time, especially during summer months when genealogy research tends to pick up across the state.
Here is the Lorain County Public Health death certificates page with the latest forms and fee information.
The Lorain County Public Health main site has details on other services they provide. You can also find updated contact information and office hours there before you visit or send in a request by mail.
Lorain County Death Record Laws
Ohio death certificates are public records under ORC Title 37. Anyone can request a copy. There is no requirement to prove a family relationship. For deaths within the past five years, the social security number is removed from the copy unless the requester is a qualified applicant. Qualified applicants include spouses, parents, children, and legal representatives of the estate.
The Ohio Department of Health is the central repository for vital records statewide. If Lorain County Public Health cannot fill your request, the state office in Columbus can issue certified copies for any Ohio death from December 20, 1908 to the present. State copies cost $21.50 each. The VitalChek online system lets you order with a credit card. It adds extra fees for processing and shipping but is convenient for people who prefer not to deal with checks and mail.
Search the Lorain County Death Index Online
The free Ohio Death Certificate Index covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963. Type a name and the database shows the county, date of death, and certificate number. That number is what you need to order a copy of the actual certificate from the health department or from the state.
FamilySearch has digitized Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953 and makes them available for free with a free account. Their Ohio County Death Records collection spans 1840 to 2001 and may include Lorain County entries beyond the state index. Not every record is name-indexed, so you might need to browse images by county and year. For a county the size of Lorain, that can mean a lot of images to look through, but patient searching can turn up records that are not in any other database.
The Ohio Memory digital library is another free resource. The Ohio Genealogical Society and its local chapters sometimes compile death indexes from cemetery transcriptions, church records, and newspaper obituaries. These supplementary sources are especially useful for the period before 1908 when record keeping was not as uniform across Ohio counties.
Note: Lorain County has two major cities, so check which city a death occurred in to make sure you are looking at the right records.
Death Index Resources for Lorain County
The Ohio local health districts directory can confirm current contact information for Lorain County Public Health. Hours and fees may change, so it is a good idea to check before you visit or mail a request.
Church records and funeral home files are helpful sources for Lorain County deaths. If you know where the deceased lived and which funeral home handled the arrangements, contact them directly. Many Lorain County funeral homes have records going back decades. Newspaper obituaries from the Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria and the Morning Journal in Lorain can provide death dates, family details, and burial information that are not always in the official death record. Cemetery records from Lorain County cemeteries are another good option for tracking down death details when official records are incomplete or missing.
Lorain County Cities
Lorain and Elyria are the two major cities in Lorain County. Death records for residents of both cities are filed with Lorain County Public Health.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Lorain County. Check neighboring counties if a death might have been recorded elsewhere.