Nevada Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death records, also known as vital records, provide details about important events in your ancestors life. They can include information like the event date and place, parents’ names, occupation and residence. The cause of death is also included in most Nevada death records. Nevada vital records are a cornerstone of Nevada family history research because they were typically recorded at or near the time of the event, making the record more likely to be accurate. This page includes links that can help you request copies from Nevada state and county vital records keepers.
Nevada Birth and Death Certificates
Nevada Birth and death records are at the Nevada Office of Vital Statistics, 4150 Technology Way, Suite 104, Carson City, Nevada 89706; Telephone: 775-684-4242 Fax: 775-684-4156. It is the legal repository of birth and death certificates filed in the state of Nevada from July 1, 1911 to the present. For records prior to 1911, records are usually held in the county Recorder’s office where the event occurred. A list of the county Recorder’s offices can be found on our application for a marriage or divorce record. Birth and death records are confidential in the State of Nevada and may only be released to a qualified applicant (the person on the certificate, a direct family member by blood or marriage, his or her guardian, or his or her legal representative).
Nevada Marriage and Divorce Records
Please note that marriage and divorce records are held at the county level. For certified copies of marriage certificates, you must write to the County Recorder in the county where the license was purchased. For divorce records, you must write to the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. The Office of Vital Records and Statistics can search for and verify marriage and divorce records after 1969 if you submit a request (see below). There is a fee for verification.
- How to Get Copies of Marriage and Divorce Records (pdf)
- Western States Historical Marriage Records - indexes cover from the beginning of county marriage records to about 1900 with some extending to the 1930s
Some counties have available birth and death registers beginning in 1887, a few of which have been deposited with the Office of Vital Records and Statistics. Most of those that still exist are in the county recorder’s office. None of the pre-1911 birth and death records are included in the statewide index, which begins in 1911 and has restricted access.
Although vital statistics are held by county recorders or health officers, those officers are restricted by law from providing certified copies of such documents. Only the Office of Vital Records and Statistics can provide certified copies of birth or death records. Abbreviated birth certificates, which contain birth date, sex, race, and birthplace of the person, are provided. An applicant for a copy of a birth or death certificate must have a direct and tangible interest in the matter recorded. The only available sources for births before 1887 are the extant newspapers or church baptismal records (see Nevada Church Records).
County coroners issued burial certificates based on death certificates issued by physicians. If no physician had been in attendance, it was the duty of the county coroner, based on the facts of the death, to file all physicians’ certificates and memoranda of burial permits issued and turn them over to the successor in office. Incorporated cities required burial permits from the county coroner’s offices (1879 and 1911). These exist for Virginia City and Gold Hill (1879–87) and Carson City (1893–96). Nevada State Library and Archives, Division of Archives and Records, has the Ormsby County Coroner’s burial permit register (1893–96), which includes Carson City’s permits and Storey County’s coroners’ records. There is a compilation of names from the coroner’s records at the Nevada State Library. The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City has some county birth and death records on microfilm.
Prior to that date, marriage records are located in the county recorder’s office where the license was originally obtained. Nevada marriage indexes can be found in two formats available to the public. These latter. The FHL has microfilm copies of the county marriages.
Divorce records from 1862 are kept by individual county clerk’s offices. The indexes of divorce records for the territorial period for Carson County and both Utah and Nevada territories are at the Nevada State Library and Archives, Division of Archives and Records.
