Mississippi Death Records

Are Death Certificates Public in Mississippi?

Under Mississippi Code Ann. 41-57-2, vital records such as birth, death, marriage, and divorce records maintained by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) are closed to the general public. As a result, the state of Mississippi has no public death records. Death certificates are only accessible to eligible persons who have a legitimate and tangible need for them. Eligible persons include and are not limited to the decedent’s spouse, birth parents listed on the certificate, legal representative, and legal guardian.

Eligible persons can order Mississippi death certificates from the MSDH by mail, by phone, or in person during regular business hours. The MSDH uses third-party websites to provide online death record search and ordering services. The MSDH also records and maintains records of health statistics as well as vital statistics in Mississippi through its Bureau of Vital Statistics.

What Shows Up on Death Records in Mississippi?

A Mississippi death record is a government-issued document that provides death information about a dead person. Usually, it provides details on the death date, time, cause, manner, and location. Some information included in death records are:

• The deceased’s full name
• The deceased’s biodata, including race, gender, and date of birth
• The deceased’s address and occupation
• The marital status of the deceased and the name of the surviving spouse
• The deceased’s social security number
• Names of the deceased’s parent
• The date of death
• The cause of death
• The manner of death
• The place of death
• Burial information and name of the funeral home

Mississippi death records are used to establish the facts of deaths legally and are admissible as court evidence to provide proof of death. Death records are also useful in relieving the deceased from legal, social, and official responsibilities. Like other Mississippi vital records, these records are also necessary when settling property inheritance, claiming insurance, pension, and death benefits, notifying social security, arranging funerals, and transferring title of personal or real property.

Beyond personal use, information derived from death records is also used to establish public health goals and policies, improve the quality of health care given, and determine what medical areas require research and funding.

How are Death Records Created in Mississippi?

The Rules Governing the Registration And Certification of Vital Events handbook governs the registration and creation of death certificates in Mississippi. Death records are created the moment the certification of death commences. Who certifies the death is dependent on whether or not it affects the public interest. A death affecting public interest is certified by a medical examiner, whereas a death not affecting public interest is certified by the physician in charge of the deceased’s care.

When the death occurs in an institution such as a nursing home or a hospital and is not a death affecting public interest, the head of such institution initiates the preparation of the death certificate by filling the following:

• The deceased’s name (Item 1)
• The date and hour of death (Item 3)
• The death place (Items 7a, b, c and, if a hospital, item 7d)

The institution involved obtains the certification of cause of death and goes ahead to forward it to the funeral director not more than 72 hours after the death. The same goes for deaths affecting public interest. The medical examiner is responsible for forwarding the certificate to the funeral director within 72 hours of assuming jurisdiction over the death. The portion of the death certificate the medical examiner fills is:

• The deceased’s name (Item 1)
• The date and hour of death (Item 3)
• The death place (Items 7a, b, c and, if a hospital, item 7d)
• The certifier signature (Items 24e-g)
• The cause of death (Items 25a-29g)

In a case where there is no funeral director, the medical examiner or hospital completes and files the entire certificate within five days of death. When the death occurs in any place other than an institution, and it does not affect the public interest, the funeral director or any other person acting in such capacity begins preparing the certificate.

The funeral director is primarily responsible for reviewing and correcting items other than the Cause of Death and Pronouncement sections completed by the medical examiner. The entire process is carried out electronically through the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) in Mississippi and must be filed with the Office of Vital Records Registration of the Department of Health within five days of the death date.

How to Find Death Records Online in Mississippi

The Mississippi Vital Records Office does not make provision for members of the public to look up death records online. However, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History provides a statewide index to death records filed between the period of 1912 - 1943. Therefore, interested persons may search death records on the State Archives website.

Death records are considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Death Record Search by Name in Mississippi

Unfortunately, the MDOH Bureau of Vital Records does not maintain or provide an online death index or registry record seekers can use to perform a death record search in Mississippi. Hence, those interested in performing a death record search in Mississippi by name can complete the state department of health death certificate application form. On the application, the record seeker would provide the full name of the deceased as well as other details about the deceased. The provided information is in turn, used by the Bureau to find the requested record.

Death Record Search by Address

In Mississippi, there is no specific method for conducting a death record search by address. However, if a person obtains death certificates from the MDOH Bureau of Vital Records by mail, they must include the location of the decedent's death on the application form. For the requested record to be sent once found, record seekers would also need to supply their postal address on the form.

How to Find Death Records for Free in Mississippi

Generally speaking, there are no such things as free death records in Mississippi. There are, however, other accessible records that also provide death information about the deceased. This includes Mississippi church records, cemetery records, probate records, newspapers, etc. Interested persons may access these records for free, but when compared to the original death records, they have the limitation of providing fewer details about the death.

According to the Mississippi Code, Title 41, § 41-57-26, the state’s Office of Vital Records may furnish up to five free copies of a death certificate provided the record subject was an honorably discharged veteran of the Armed Forces or such a person died while actively serving duty in the Armed Forces.

How to Obtain Death Records in Mississippi

Requesters may obtain death records in Mississippi by requesting via the Mississippi Vital Records State Department of Health website, or the County Clerk’s office where the death occurred. The Office provides records of deaths occurring from 1912 to the present. Applicants who want to order death records may do so through any of the following means:

• Walk-in request
• Mail request

Walk-in request

Applicants may visit the Mississippi Vital Records State Department of Health to request copies of death records. The MSDH Vital Records Office is located at 222 Marketridge Drive in Ridgeland, off Highland Colony Parkway. Walk-in requests also known as curbside service are available from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Death records ordered in person are not available on the same day. Requesters are required to wait for 7 - 10 business days for the mailing of their orders. Interested persons may contact the Office for more inquiries by contacting this number: (601) 206-8200.

Mail-in Request

Requesters may order for copies of Mississippi death certificates by mail. To do this, a requester must download, and complete the Application for Certified Copy of Death Certificate form from the website of the Mississippi Office of Vital Records. Submission of the form must be accompanied by the required fees and a photo ID. The form should be mailed to the address below:

Mississippi Vital Records
P.O. Box 1700
Jackson, MS 39215-1700

All checks and money orders should be made payable to Mississippi Vital Records. Applicants are to send photocopies of their government-issued IDs and not the original documents while making requests. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• Photo State Issued ID
• Photo Driver’s License
• Employment ID
• US Military ID
• School, College or University ID
• Tribal ID
• Temporary Resident Card
• Alien Registration/Permanent Resident Card
• US Passport

A qualified person without a photo ID may ask an immediate family member to make the death record request using their photo ID instead. On the other hand, they may make the request themselves by attaching any two different forms of identification from the list below:

• Veteran universal access ID card
• Social security card
• A utility bill with the applicant’s address
• A Snap/EBT card showing the address of the applicant
• Work identification
• Medicaid card

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in Mississippi?

Mississippi death records are not considered open to the public. Hence, only eligible applicants may request and obtain death records. Pursuant to §41-57-2 of the Mississippi Code of 1975, Annotated, certified copies of death records may only be obtained by family members or persons having legitimate, direct, and tangible interest in the record.

Documents that may help in proving tangible interest include pertinent court documents, joint property deeds, or an insurance policy mentioning both the deceased and the requester’s name. The state’s Vital Records Office requires requesters to provide valid photo IDs as proof of identity and to ascertain eligibility.

All death records filed are considered restricted and inaccessible until the elapse of 50 years from the death date. Only eligible persons as defined by the Rules Governing the Registration and Certification of Vital Events may make requests within that time frame. These persons include:

• The parents of the person listed on the record
• The siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, or spouse of the person on the record
• The legal guardian of the person listed on the record
• The informant of the person listed on the record
• The legal representative of any of the above persons
• The funeral home listed on the record
• Anyone ordered by court to obtain a copy

How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in Mississippi?

The fee for searching for and ordering a death certificate by mail in Mississippi is $17. This includes one certified copy of the death record. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $6.

A requester applying in person may pay for the death record through money order, cash, check, or credit card. Note, cash payments are not acceptable when making mail requests

The death record search fee must be paid upon request. Irrespective of whether the record is found or not, death record fees, once paid, are nonrefundable. Refunds are only given for extra fees charged on additional copies ordered at the time of the initial order.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in Mississippi?

Standard orders, i.e orders made via USPS take an average of 7 - 10 business days for processing. However, an additional processing time may be required when an amendment action is necessary.

How Long to Keep Records After Death

Generally, the deceased’s relevant documents, paperwork, and financial records should be held for at least three years. On the other hand, the deceased’s vital records should be kept indefinitely, while their medical records should be held for as long as ten years after which they can be put aside.

How to Expunge Death Records in Mississippi

An expungement is a court-ordered process that permits the deletion of a conviction from a person’s record. Death records cannot be expunged in Mississippi.

How to Seal Death Records in Mississippi

Mississippi law does not make provisions for death records to be sealed in the State. Generally, vital records excluding adoption records can not be sealed in Mississippi. The sealing of adoption records is usually carried out on court orders.

How to Unseal Death Records in Mississippi

There are no legal provisions for the unsealing of death records in Mississippi. Adoption records, which are the only vital records that may be sealed in the State of Mississippi, may be unsealed by contacting the specific county court where the adoption was concluded.

How to Use the Mississippi Death Registry

Interested persons can use the Mississippi death index maintained by the state Department of Archives and History (MDAH) by visiting its library. Official death certificates recorded in Mississippi between 1912 and 1943 are available on microfilm at the MDAH’s library, along with the corresponding death index. Alternatively, records seekers can request a microfiche set of the state death index at the MDAH media reference desk.

While the MDAH death registry is limited to Mississippi death records, other federal agencies maintain nationwide death registries. Some examples of these registries include the National Death Index (NDI) and the SSA’s public social security death index.

The NDI is a United States death registry maintained by the CDC’s National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS). The registry covers over 100 million United States death records. However, NDI services are only accessible to investigators for statistical purposes in public health and medical studies. Neither the general public nor organizations can use NDI services for genealogical, legal, or administrative purposes. For further inquiries about the NDI, visit the CDC website.

On the other hand, the SSA’s public social security death index is a United States death registry that is freely accessible to the general public. This registry contains United States death records dating from 1962 to the present. The registry is typically hosted on third-party websites.

It's crucial to distinguish between Mississippi death notices and a death index or registry. The primary distinction is that, whereas a death index is a listing of deaths that occurred in the state, a Mississippi death notice offers information about a specific death that occurred in the state.

How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in Mississippi

Interested persons can find a specific individual's obituary by visiting a local library in the county or city where the subject died to request a Mississippi obituary search. Some local libraries offer public computers with internet access and/or microfilms of old newspapers that inquirers can use or peruse to search for obituaries. For example, the Mississippi Room at the Bolivar County Library and The Sally Ethel Stevens Room at the Noxubee County Public Library. A Mississippi obituary search can also be performed by providing the month and year of the subject's death to a local library staff member.

It is crucial to note that local libraries often only keep copies of local newspapers and genealogical records. As a result, if a subject's obituary was published beyond the region serviced by a local library, their records are typically not included in the library's records. If the record seeker knows the newspaper where the obituary was published, they can contact the publication directly to conduct a Mississippi obituary search. Mississippi and local county genealogical societies also provide helpful online resources record seekers can use to perform a Mississippi obituary search.

How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in Mississippi

In Mississippi, interested persons can conduct a free obituary search by visiting a nearby library and browsing through their archived newspapers or using their free public access computers. Persons interested in conducting a free obituary search through a local library should note that they may be charged a fee if a library staff helps them to conduct the search. Inquirers may also be charged if they request for copies.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History also makes digitized archived newspapers available online as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program. These newspapers are available on the Library of Congress's Chronicling America website. Newspaper archives from 1777 to 1963 are available on the website. Thus, Inquirers can use the website to conduct a free obituary lookup for obituaries published within the aforementioned timeline.

What is Considered a Death Notice in Mississippi?

A Mississippi death notice is a brief publication that informs readers of a person's passing in the state. Basic information about the deceased is provided in their death notice. These comprise the name of the deceased, their age at death, their place of residence, the time and date of their funeral service, the names of their surviving family members, and information about charitable donations.

What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries?

The amount of details about the deceased that each provides, as well as who writes them, is the fundamental distinction between a death notice and an obituary. A death notice generally summarizes the essential information regarding the deceased and their passing. Usually, the decedent's friends and family compose the death notices themselves.

On the other hand, an obituary is a detailed biographical account of the deceased person's life and passing. The deceased's friends and family typically hire a professional journalist from a publishing newspaper to write the obituary, unlike death notices.