Find Washington Birth Records

Washington birth records are official vital documents maintained by the Department of Health and county health agencies across all 39 counties. The state holds records for births that took place in Washington from July 1, 1907 to the present. Local health departments also issue certified copies and often offer same-day service. You can order Washington birth records online through VitalChek, by phone, by mail, or in person at a county health office. This guide covers where records are kept, who can get a certified copy, what types are available, and how to find older records that predate state registration.

Where Washington Birth Records Are Kept

The Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics is the main source for birth records in the state. This office holds records for every birth that took place in Washington from July 1, 1907 to the present. You can reach the Center by email at ContactCHS@doh.wa.gov or by phone at 360-236-4300, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mail requests go to PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. The physical office is at 111 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, but you must make an appointment. Walk-ins are not accepted at the state office.

County health departments throughout the state also issue certified birth certificates for Washington births. You do not have to go to the county where the birth occurred. Most local offices issue certificates for any Washington State birth, not just those in their own county. That makes a nearby county health office a practical option when you need a copy quickly. Local offices often handle walk-in requests the same day, which is much faster than mailing an order to the state. Not every county office has records going back to 1907, so calling ahead before you visit is a good idea.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records portal lists all ordering options, contact details, and the documentation you need when you request a certified copy.

The portal also warns consumers that only VitalChek is the authorized third-party vendor for online and phone orders. Other companies that advertise vital records services online are not official. If you paid one of those companies, you can report it to the Washington Attorney General Consumer Protection Division at 800-551-4636.

How to Order a Washington Birth Certificate

Four ways exist to order a birth certificate in Washington. Each has different fees and timelines. Online and phone orders go through VitalChek and are the fastest option. Mail orders are the least expensive but take the longest. In-person orders at a county health department are often the best choice when speed matters.

The state's birth record ordering page has complete instructions for each method, along with the required information and documentation for your request.

The page also explains the difference between certified copies and noncertified informational copies, and what each type can and cannot be used for.

Online orders through VitalChek cost $25 for the base certificate, plus $8.50 for the VitalChek service fee, plus $7.00 for the DOH processing fee. An optional $3.00 identity authentication quiz may speed up processing for online orders. Phone orders through VitalChek at 1-866-687-1464 cost the same as online and the line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most online and phone orders are processed in 3 to 7 business days. In-person orders at a county health department cost $25 plus $13.50 for processing and $2.50 for the VitalChek fee. Many county offices can issue the certificate the same day you apply. Mail orders to the state cost $25 paid by check or money order, with processing taking 8 to 10 weeks from the date the state receives your payment. All fees are nonrefundable whether or not the record is found.

Every order requires the full name of the person on the record, their date of birth, the city or county of birth, and the first and last names of all parents listed on the record. You also need to show valid identification and proof of your qualifying relationship. Informational copies do not require proof of eligibility. Questions about an order status can go to contactchs@doh.wa.gov or by phone at 360-236-4300 during business hours, with option 8 available for Spanish language assistance.

The ordering methods overview from the Department of Health outlines all four ways to request a birth certificate, with a complete fee breakdown for each option.

Some local health departments charge slightly different fees, so it is worth checking directly with the office before you place an order.

Types of Birth Certificates in Washington

Washington offers three kinds of birth records. The standard Birth Certificate is the certified document printed on security paper with features that prevent changes or fraud. This is the version you need for legal purposes such as proving your identity, applying for a passport, getting a driver's license, enrolling in school, or claiming Social Security benefits. The second option is the Heirloom Birth Certificate, which is an 8.5 by 11 inch document signed by both the Governor and the State Registrar. It costs $50, and that price includes a $25 donation to the Children's Trust Fund. The third type is the Noncertified Informational Copy, issued on plain paper with a watermark reading "Cannot be used for legal purposes. Informational only." Anyone can request an informational copy. No proof of eligibility or qualifying relationship is required.

The certificates and informational copies FAQ from the Department of Health explains what changed when the new vital records law took effect on January 1, 2021.

The FAQ also covers what identification and proof of relationship are required and what happens if no matching record is found when a search is conducted.

Informational copies are useful for genealogical research, family history projects, and personal records. They carry the same information as a certified copy. They simply cannot be used to prove identity or citizenship for legal purposes.

Who Qualifies for Washington Birth Records

Washington is a closed record state. Since January 1, 2021, certified copies of birth certificates are only available to people who meet specific eligibility requirements. The rules come from RCW 70.58A.530, which governs how the state issues certifications and informational copies of vital records. Under that statute, a certification has the same legal weight as the original record and serves as prima facie evidence of the facts it contains. Qualified applicants who can request a certified copy include the person named on the record, their spouse or domestic partner, their child, their parent or stepparent, their stepchild, their sibling, their grandparent or great grandparent, their grandchild or great grandchild, a legal guardian, a legal representative or authorized representative, and government agencies or courts performing official duties. If you do not qualify, you can still get a noncertified informational copy. You can also become an authorized representative if the person named on the record signs a notarized authorization form or power of attorney on your behalf.

Chapter 70.58A of the Revised Code of Washington is the comprehensive vital statistics law that governs birth, death, and other vital records in Washington State.

Key sections of this chapter define who qualifies to receive certified copies, how records must be secured, and when records become open for public research at state archives.

Required documentation for a certified copy includes a completed application form, government-issued photo ID not expired by more than 60 days, and documents proving your qualifying relationship. Acceptable proof of relationship can include copies of vital records linking you to the subject, certified court orders such as guardianship orders, or a government agency letter stating official use. Applicants who lack government ID may submit two alternative documents from the acceptable list. The full requirements are described on form DOH 422-178. No refund is issued if your documentation does not prove eligibility or the record is not located.

The text of RCW 70.58A.530 also sets requirements for the security features every certified copy must contain to prevent counterfeiting or alteration.

Under this section, if no matching record is found, the state registrar must issue a document confirming that a search was made and no record was identified.

RCW 70.58A.540 makes birth records confidential for 100 years from the date of the event. After that period, records transfer to the State Archives and become open for public research.

This statute is the legal basis for Washington's status as a closed record state and explains why eligibility requirements apply to requests for certified copies of recent birth records.

Birth Records Before 1907 in Washington

Statewide registration of births did not begin in Washington until July 1, 1907. Before that date, recording births was the job of county auditors. In 1891, state law required coroners, physicians, and midwives to report births and deaths to the county auditor. Before 1891, almost no government birth records exist for Washington. Completeness varies widely across counties for the 1891 to 1907 period. Many births went unrecorded during these years. The accuracy and completeness of records that do exist depends on the practices of each individual county. Researchers looking for pre-1907 births should check church records, family papers, and newspapers in addition to official registers. The Library of Congress vital records guide for Washington explains this jurisdictional timeline in detail and points researchers toward the right offices for each time period.

The Washington State Archives Digital Archives holds digitized birth records from counties across the state for the period before statewide registration began.

The database is free and searchable by child's name, parents' names, gender, and year range, with both index and image access available for most records in the collection.

The Digital Archives was the first such system in the nation to preserve electronic records of state and local government. The birth records collection includes contributions from multiple counties. King County has the largest set with 19,663 records from 1891 to 1907. Skagit County adds 3,432 records from 1874 to 1908, and Whitman County has 3,492 records from 1889 to 1907. Search options include the mother's last name, the father's last name, the child's name, gender, and year range. Soundex search is available to catch spelling variations. Record types include birth registers, birth returns, birth certificates, delayed birth certificate applications, and affidavits of correction. All records in the collection are open for public research at no cost.

The Washington State Archives genealogical resources page provides an overview of early vital records held by state archives and libraries, including the 1891 to 1907 county auditor registers.

The page also lists additional research tools including the Birth Records Index 1907 to 1929, city directories, county histories, and early newspaper collections available through the archives system.

The Washington State Library holds a birth records index covering July 1907 to 1929, organized by the father's last name rather than the child's name. Researchers can request a specific lookup through the Ask-A-Librarian service by providing the father's name and a date range. The library also holds microfilm copies of county auditor birth registers for all Washington counties, plus separate registers for the cities of Bellingham, Everett, Fairhaven, Olympia, Puyallup, Roslyn, and Seattle. Delayed birth records for individuals born before formal registration are available through the Washington State Department of Health for the period 1871 to 1921, and these are also covered in the research guides available at the State Library vital records guide.

The Library of Congress guide to Washington vital records provides an authoritative overview of where birth records are held at the state, county, and city levels.

The guide confirms that at the county level, birth records cover 1891 to June 30, 1907, and at the state level they cover July 1, 1907 to the present, providing a clear timeline for researchers to follow.

Adoption and Washington Birth Records

Adopted persons who are 18 years of age or older can request their original birth certificate from the Washington State Department of Health. The original is the pre-adoption record that shows the birth parents' names. Washington is classified as a compromised state under adoptee rights analysis, meaning the record is available by request but can be blocked by birth parent contact preference forms or older vetoes. To request the original, an adopted person must complete form DOH 422-102, provide a copy of their identification, and pay a $15 nonrefundable fee for opening the sealed file. Birth parents can request the same record using form DOH 422-103 and paying the same $15 fee. The governing statute is RCW 26.33.345, which sets the conditions under which original birth certificates from sealed adoption files are released. Vetoes filed by birth parents expire upon the birth parent's death. Affidavits of nondisclosure filed before July 28, 2013, may also block release in cases involving adoptions finalized after October 1, 1993.

The Department of Health page on original birth certificates for adopted persons explains the access process, required forms, and restrictions that vary by adoption date.

The page notes that access rules differ depending on whether the adoption was finalized before or after October 1, 1993, and explains how contact preference forms affect the release process.

Birth parents can file a Contact Preference Form (DOH 422-110) and a Medical History Form (DOH 422-111) through the Department of Health. The Contact Preference Form lets a birth parent indicate whether they want contact, contact through an intermediary, or no contact. If the form states no release, the Department of Health will not issue the original birth certificate to the adoptee. These forms expire upon the birth parent's death. The adoption-related services provided by the Center for Health Statistics are detailed at the DOH adoption services page, which also notes that the current processing time for adoption requests is approximately three months.

The DOH adoption services page covers all services the Center for Health Statistics provides for adoptive families, birth parents, and adopted persons born in Washington or born outside the U.S. and adopted through a Washington court.

The page also notes that the date a check or money order is cashed counts as the date the request was received, which affects the calculation of the three-month processing window.

Adopted persons who want to locate birth relatives can also use the Confidential Intermediary Program, which is overseen by state courts. A court-appointed intermediary may review sealed records and search for birth parents or relatives. Most intermediaries charge fees for their services.

The Adoptee Rights Law Center page on Washington provides legal analysis of the state's adoption records access rules, including why Washington is classified as a compromised state and how birth parent vetoes work.

The center also explains how the confidential intermediary program operates and what steps adopted persons can take if a contact preference form or veto blocks access to their original birth certificate.

Browse Washington Birth Records by County

Each of Washington's 39 counties has a local health department that can issue birth certificates for Washington State births. Select a county below to find the local office address, phone number, hours, and available birth records resources for that area.

View All 39 Washington Counties

Washington Birth Records by City

Birth certificates for Washington State births can be ordered from any county health office, regardless of which city you live in. Pick a city below for local office information and resources in your area.

View Major Washington Cities