Vital Statistics

Birth and Death Registrations

Out-of-Hospital Birth Registration Interviews

Individuals can request interviews to register out-of-hospital births by appointment only. Please contact the Office of Vital Records to schedule an appointment. You can contact us by phone: 831-763-8430, or email: PHVitalStatistics@santacruzcountyca.gov.

Births/Deaths Certificate Requests

Individuals can request an authorized certified copy of a birth or death record, which can be used to obtain a driver's license, passport, social security card, insurance benefits, close personal business of the deceased and other services related to a person's identity.

To Purchase Copies of Birth & Death Certificates

The Office of vital records has birth certificates three years back. Please contact the County Recorder's Office for records that happened earlier.

Identity theft is on the rise. The release of birth and death records is an important issue in this regard. Pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Section 103526, only specific persons are allowed to receive an authorized certified copy of a birth or death record.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Vital Records has implemented the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) to simplify the process for physicians who certify causes of death. Under EDRS, instead of signing the actual death certificate, the physician certifies the causes of death and other medical information by Remote Attestation – either fax attestation or voice attestation.

Fax Attestation (preferred method):

For EDRS fax attestation, a funeral director or the hospital Office of Decedent Affairs will initiate a death certificate and fax a working copy to you (under a cover sheet with instructions) for your signature. To certify the causes of death and other medical information, you will sign in Field 115 on the faxed attestation copy. Then, you or a member of your staff will fax the attestation copy (but not the cover sheet) back to the toll-free EDRS fax number shown on the instruction sheet. The computer will confirm the presence of a signature in Field 115 and will update the status of the death record in EDRS to “signed.” The EDRS computer will retain the faxed image of the attestation copy with your signature.

Voice Attestation:

For EDRS voice attestation, a funeral director or the hospital Office of Decedent Affairs will initiate a death certificate and fax a working copy to you (under a cover sheet with instructions) for your verbal certification. To certify the causes of death and other medical information, you will call the toll-free EDRS number indicated on the instruction sheet and follow the prompts provided by the voice response system. You will need to have the instruction sheet and the attestation copy with you when you call. Once you have completed the call, the system will inform you whether or not it was successfully attested by voice, and update the status of the death record in EDRS to “signed”. The EDRS computer will retain an electronic record of your verbal attestation.

A word of caution:

If the attestation copy faxed to you is incorrect and requires a change, you or your staff must contact the funeral director or hospital Office of Decedent Affairs immediately. Please do not:

• modify the attestation copy
• sign an incorrect attestation copy
• sign if your name does not appear as the recipient identified on the cover sheet
• sign if your name does not appear as the attending physician in Field 118

A funeral director or hospital Office of Decedent Affairs will make the changes that you request, and the system will re-fax you the corrected copy with new attestation numbers.

The timeline for filing the attestation is 15 hours from time of death or time found.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 831-763-8430.

EDRS Physician Attestation Copy and fax cover sheet sample

Death Certificate Application for Funeral Homes

Please see attached protocol here.

Purpose:

This protocol establishes a process for emergency burial permit requests through the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). Emergency filing is available for urgent situations including:

• Religious burial requirements
• Natural disaster-related circumstances
• Expedited out-of-state transportation of deceased individuals

Emergency Filing Hours:

Weekends and Holidays: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Phone: (831) 706-8259
Important: This service is only available during the two-hour window listed above. We do not provide on-call service outside these hours.

Procedure:

Before You Call
Authorized Personnel: Only licensed mortuary or funeral home staff may submit emergency filing requests.
Required Preparations:

1. Complete the death certificate (DC) in EDRS
2. Thoroughly proofread all information and attestations
3. Ensure the certifying physician is available to sign immediately
4. Confirm the medical certifier has completed the cause of death section
5. Submit the DC through EDRS

Requesting Emergency Filing

1. Call as close to 9:00 AM as possible after submitting the DC in EDRS
2. Provide the following information:
   • EDRS record number
   • Clear reason for urgency (religious burial, disaster, out-of-state transport, etc.)
3. Fees: A non-refundable $50 emergency filing fee applies per request. This fee helps sustain the after-hours service and covers the costs associated with activating staff outside of normal business hours.

Medical Information Review

The Medical Information section (VS-11e fields 101-117) and the Sex and Date of Birth must be submitted to Vital Records for review prior to a request for remote attestation.

Social Security Verification

Social Security Number verification requires the following six fields:

• first name
• middle name
• last name
• date of birth
• sex
• social security number. A death cannot be registered until SSN verification has been attempted.

Disposition Permits

Once a disposition permit is issued, the funeral home will print all four copies and deliver copy #4 to our office, either by fax, by mail or in person. Those who maintain accounts with Santa Cruz Vital Records will be invoiced; others must submit payment along with copy #4.

Certified Copies

To order copies of death certificates, please use the Application for Certified Copy of Death Record. A hard copy can be requested by contacting our office. You may complete the form electronically or manually, but you must submit a hard copy of the signed form, either by fax, by mail or in person. You must submit the sworn statement (funeral homes do not have to have this notarized). Those who maintain accounts with Santa Cruz Vital Records will be invoiced; others must submit payment along with the request form.

Amendments and Corrections

To request that an EDRS record be unlocked, you may fax or phone your request to us. Once a death certificate is registered in EDRS, any change requires an affidavit to amend a record.

Coroner’s Cases

The funeral home should fax the coroner a working copy containing date of birth and as much personal information as is available. Do not lock the personal information section. Social security number verification should be attempted. In Field #108, you must enter a “0” place-holder for the referral number.

Fees

• Death certificate: $24
• Disposition permit: $12

Time Interval Abbreviations

Fields 107a, b, c and d each have room for about six characters, including spaces. We recommend the following abbreviations when needed:

• Registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant
• Child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner of the registrant
• Party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order
• Attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code
• Member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another government agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business
• Attorney representing the registrant or the registrant’s estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant’s estate
• Funeral director ordering certified copies of a death certificate on behalf of the registrant's family

Those who are not eligible to receive an authorized certified copy of a birth or death record may receive an informational certified copy with the words "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" imprinted across the face of the certificate.

If you plan to obtain a certified copy in person, you must sign the sworn statement in the presence of the Deputy Registrar.

If you mail your request, your sworn statement must be notarized. You must sign the request in the presence of the notary. If your mailed request indicates that you want an authorized certified copy, but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be returned to you without being processed.

The County of Santa Cruz can only provide certificates for births or deaths that occurred in Santa Cruz County. For births or deaths that occurred outside Santa Cruz County, please contact the county where the birth or death occurred.

• Child's full name as stated on the birth certificate
• Mother's full maiden name
• Father's full name
• Child's date of birth
• Child's city and location of birth (hospital, home, etc.)

• Full name of the deceased at the time of death
• Date of death
• Place of death
• Date of birth of the deceased, if known

Yes. You can print a copy of the birth or death certificate request form and mail it to us, with a check or money order. If you mail your request, your sworn statement must be notarized. You must sign the request in the presence of the notary.

If your mailed request indicates that you want an authorized certified copy, but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be returned to you without being processed.

To request by mail, print the desired certificate request form, fill in the required information, and enclose a check or money order for the total amount. Checks should be made payable to "HSA Vital Statistics".

Check and form should be mailed to:
County of Santa Cruz
Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 962
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

If a birth or death occurred between 2021 and 2023, reach out to:

Office of Vital Records
1430 Freedom Blvd. Suite A
Watsonville, CA 95076
Map and Directions
(831) 763-8430

Hours: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday-Friday

Email: vitalstats@santacruzcountyca.gov

Send mail to:
Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 962
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

If a birth or death occurred before 2021, contact:

County Recorder/Clerk's Office
701 Ocean St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-454-2800
Map and Directions

Recorder's Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday

Yes, if the birth or death occurred over six weeks ago, you can request a certificate by using your credit card for an additional $13 fee by visiting the VitalChek network, a service that works through the Recorder's Office. Requests submitted through this service may not be any quicker than those ordered by mail.

f the birth or death occurred less than six weeks ago, you will not be able to use the VitalCheck Network and you must instead request a certificate by printing the form and mailing it with a check for payment to the Office of Vital Records.

Check and form should be mailed to:
County of Santa Cruz
Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 962
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

PLEASE NOTE:

• The County of Santa Cruz can only provide certificates for births or deaths that occurred in Santa Cruz County, regardless of the place of residence. For births or deaths occurring outside Santa Cruz county, please contact the county where the birth or death occurred.
• Our Office of Vital Records has certificates only for the years 2021 - 2023. Contact the County Recorder’s office for a birth or death certificate that happened before 2021.
• If you plan to obtain a Certified Copy in person, you MUST sign the sworn statement in the presence of the Deputy Registrar.
• If you mail your request, your sworn statement must be notarized. You must sign the request in the presence of the notary. If your mailed request indicates that you want an Authorized Certified Copy, but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be returned to you without being processed.