The Hamilton County Health Department Office of Vital Records issues birth and death certificates for those born in Tennessee within the last 100 years and for deaths in Tennessee within the last 50 years. "Certified copy of the original" means it will be on the government issued blue security paper, and have a color-changing seal located on the back of the paper, and a red state seal located on the lower right side of the front page. Parents can also add the father's name to a child's birth
certificate with a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAoP).
Certificates can be requested as a walk-in, by email, by mail, or by fax. See the Birth and Death Certificate sections below to print the request form. Requests can be mailed to our address listed above, or if you prefer to pay with a credit card, requests can be fazed or e-mailed to the fax number of email address listed above. A Vital Records representative will contact you for credit card information. We accept Discover, Visa, or MasterCard.
For birth records more than 100 years old and death records more than 50+ years old, check with the Tennessee State Library and Archives here http://sos.tn.gov/tsla/history
The State Vital Records Office can be contacted at (615) 741-1763 (Central Time Zone). All Vital Records applications may be found HERE.
Birth Records
A computer generated certified birth certificate for the last 100 years is available for persons born in TN. Computer generated birth certificates will be processed while you wait. Certified copies of the original records are available to the person named on the record and to certain family members or legal representatives. If you request a birth certificate through the mail, it is usually returned to the customer within one to five days of the date received.
The fee will be $15.00 for each certified copy.
To receive a birth certificate, you will need to provide Vital Records with the following information:
- full name on certificate
- date of birth
- place of birth
- mother's maiden name and father's name
- a check or money order made payable to Hamilton County, or credit card payment
- your signature and relationship to the person named on the birth record
- a daytime telephone number
- a photocopy of a government form of ID, which includes the signature of the requester.
Identification Requirements for Births:
- If the application is signed and notarized, no additional identification documents are required.
- If the actual mother’s copy of a birth certificate is for the prior or current year and is submitted as the application and the response is being mailed or presented to a parent, no additional identification documents are required.
Otherwise, you will need one item from the first list OR two items from the second list.
One item from the following list:
- Current drivers license, including the issue and expiration date.
- Current passport, Military I.D. card, alien, temporary or permanent resident card
- Employment authorization card
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization Certificate of Citizenship or Citizenship I.D. card
OR
Two items from the following list:
- Current pay stub or W2
- Vehicle registration with name and current address
- Voter Registration card
- Military Discharge (DD214)
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement or deposit slip with name and current address
- Health care coverage card
- Medical record application page of an insurance policy
- Signed Social Security Card
For those persons who have had their identification stolen, a copy of a police report or other official document which verifies the theft is required.
You may access the application for Birth Certificate HERE. Please fill it out electronically, print it and then sign where it asks for your signature. Then you can email, fax or mail it to our department.
Death Records
Death records are issued for events occurring in Tennessee within the last 50 years. Cause of death is available
only to the decedent's parent, child, spouse, or an attorney or
agency acting on behalf of the decedent's estate, or qualifying
family member. Copies of
any legal documents, where applicable, should also be submitted.
The fee will be $15.00 per certified copy.
You will need to provide Vital Records with the following information:
- full name on certificate
- date of death
- sex and age at death
- county of death
- name and location of funeral home
- the purpose for the copy of the certificate
- a check or money order made payable to Hamilton County
- your signature and relationship to the person named on the
birth record
- a photocopy of a government form of ID, which includes the
signature of the requester
- the address to which the original should be mailed
- a daytime telephone number
Identification Requirements for Death Certificates
If the application is signed and notarized, no additional identification documents are required.
Otherwise, you will need one item from the first list OR two items from the second list.
One item from the following list:
- Current drivers license, including the issue and expiration date.
- Current passport, Military I.D. card, alien, temporary or permanent resident card
- Employment authorization card
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization Certificate of Citizenship or Citizenship I.D. card
OR
Two items from the following list:
- Current pay stub or W2
- Vehicle registration with name and current address
- Voter Registration card
- Military Discharge (DD214)
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement or deposit slip with name and current address
- Health care coverage card
- Medical record application page of an insurance policy
- Signed Social Security Card
For those persons who have had identification stolen, a copy of a police report or other official document which verifies the theft is required.
You may access the application for Death Certificate HERE. Please fill it out electronically, print it and then sign where it asks for your signature. Then you can email, fax or mail it to our department.
Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity
After a child’s birth certificate has been recorded at the TN
Office of Vital Records, parents who did not acknowledge paternity
in the hospital may go to the local health department for assistance
in acknowledging paternity. Unmarried parents can make an appointment
at the Hamilton County Vital Records Office to add the father to
the certificate through the paternity acknowledgment process. This process can be done for a child up to 19 years of age. Call
(423) 209-8025 to schedule an appointment.