Search Indianapolis Obituary Records
Indianapolis obituary and death records are issued by the Marion County Public Health Department, which serves Indiana's state capital and largest city, home to about 887,644 residents. You can request certified Indianapolis death certificates in person at the Hasbrook Building on North Rural Street, online through VitalChek, or by phone at 866-601-0891 around the clock. Marion County death records go back to 1900, and the office offers Saturday walk-in service in addition to standard weekday hours.
Indianapolis Quick Facts
Marion County Public Health Department
The Marion County Public Health Department, Vital Records Division, is at the Hasbrook Building, First Floor, 3838 North Rural Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205. Phone: 317-221-2400. Fax: 317-221-2475. Standard office hours run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Wednesday hours are extended. Saturday walk-in service is also available, though you should call ahead to confirm current Saturday hours before making the trip.
The fee for a certified Indianapolis death certificate is $8 for the first copy. Additional copies ordered at the same time cost $4 each. This is one of the more affordable fee structures for a major Indiana city. For card payments, the charge is $2 on transactions up to $100, and 3% on amounts over $100. The Marion County vital records page at marionhealth.org/programs/population-health/vital-records lists current fees and services.
A valid photo ID is required for all Indianapolis death record requests. Expired IDs and temporary paper IDs are not accepted. If you are picking up a record on behalf of someone else, you must present a notarized authorization form in addition to your own ID. Third-party requests without notarized authorization will not be processed. For detailed fee and service information, visit the Marion County fee page.
How to Get Indianapolis Death Records
Multiple channels are available for Indianapolis obituary and death record requests. Walk-in service at the Hasbrook Building on North Rural Street is the fastest option, and Saturday visits are available when the office is open. Bring a valid photo ID, $8 for a certified copy, and basic information about the deceased.
Online ordering runs through VitalChek. Call 866-601-0891 any time, or visit the VitalChek website. The service is available around the clock and adds a processing fee to the base $8 county rate. This is ideal for requestors who live outside Indianapolis or cannot visit during office hours.
Marion County death records go back to 1900. Records before 1900 for the Indianapolis area may be in older county archives or at the Indiana State Archives. Indiana law under IC 16-37-1-11 limits certified access to those with a direct interest. Immediate family members, legal representatives, and those with court-established need qualify for certified copies. Genealogy researchers should ask about access options for older records that are more than 50 years old.
Note: Marriage and divorce records for Indianapolis are held by the Marion County Clerk, not the health department. Contact the clerk's office separately if you need those records.
Indianapolis Obituary Search Resources
Indianapolis is served by the Indianapolis Star and its predecessors, which published detailed obituary notices for city residents going back more than a century. These archives are available at the Indianapolis Public Library, the Indiana State Library, and through several online newspaper archive services. Newspaper obituaries for Indianapolis residents often contain family history information that goes well beyond what appears on a death certificate.
The Indiana State Library at in.gov/library/genealogy.htm holds a large genealogy collection including Marion County obituary indexes, microfilmed newspaper runs, and historical vital records finding aids. This is a particularly strong resource for Indianapolis deaths from the early 1900s. The library also holds city directories that can help confirm addresses and family connections for Indianapolis obituary research.
The Indiana Legacy database at digital.statelib.lib.in.us/legacy includes digitized Indiana vital records and is free to search. For Indianapolis deaths from the late 1800s and early 20th century, this platform can help confirm dates and point you toward the right office before you request a physical certificate.
Marion County Vital Records and the Law
Indiana Code IC 16-37-3-9 sets out what information must appear on a certified death record and how Indiana registers deaths. Marion County follows these rules for every Indianapolis obituary and death certificate request it processes. Certified copies carry the Marion County and state seal and are legally valid for estate, insurance, Social Security, and court purposes.
The public records statute at IC 5-14-3 provides the broader framework for records access across Indiana. While vital records carry their own restrictions, understanding both laws helps when navigating requests that fall into unclear territory. If a records request is improperly denied, the state provides an appeal process.
The Marion County Public Health Department vital records page covers the full process for requesting Indianapolis death certificates, including Saturday walk-in availability and current fee schedules for certified and additional copies.
Indiana State Resources for Indianapolis Research
The Indiana State Archives at in.gov/icpr/archives holds older Indianapolis records that predate the 1900 start of Marion County's modern database. For deaths before 1900 in the Indianapolis area, archival collections can provide documentation that the county health office cannot. Contact the archives directly for records from that era.
Indiana's statewide vital records system at in.gov/health/vital-records is managed by the Indiana Department of Health at 317-233-2700. They hold the statewide database and can process Indianapolis death records if the Marion County office cannot assist. The state's mail-in form, State Form 49606, is at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now.
The Indiana Department of Health order page provides the state's standard form and instructions for requesting certified death records including those for Indianapolis, usable when the county office is not the right contact for a given request.
Marion County Obituary Records
Indianapolis is the county seat of Marion County, and all city death records run through Marion County systems. For the complete county overview of vital records offices, fees, and related resources, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying cities near Indianapolis in the central Indiana metro area: