Adams County Birth Records

Adams County birth records are available through Washington State Department of Health, which handles all modern birth certificates for the county. Adams County does not operate a local health office that issues birth certificates, so residents in Ritzville and the surrounding area must request records either through the state DOH in Olympia, through VitalChek online, or by visiting any county health office that accepts walk-in requests statewide. For births before 1907, historical records held at the Washington State Archives and the free Digital Archives are the right place to start your search.

Where to Get Adams County Birth Records

Adams County has no dedicated local health office that issues birth certificates. This means anyone born in Adams County and seeking a certified birth certificate must go through the Washington State Department of Health. The state DOH is the single point of contact for all modern birth records in Washington, and it serves all 39 counties, including Adams. You can reach the DOH by phone at 360-236-4300, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (press option 8 for Spanish). Their mailing address is PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. Walk-in service requires an appointment at 111 Israel Road SE in Tumwater.

Births in Adams County are registered with the state. The county auditor's office in Ritzville does not issue birth certificates for records after July 1, 1907. If you are in eastern Washington and need a certified copy quickly, you may be able to visit a neighboring county health district that does accept walk-in requests. Benton-Franklin Health District and Chelan-Douglas Health District both serve regional customers. That said, those offices issue certified copies for all Washington State births, not just their own county, so any qualifying applicant can use them. Check ahead by phone to confirm current hours and appointment requirements before making the trip.

The Adams County government website provides general county service information and contact details for county offices in Ritzville.

The county site can direct you to the right state and local agencies if you need help finding where to start your records request.

Note: Adams County does not have a local health department that issues certified birth certificates. All requests for certified copies must go through the Washington State DOH or an authorized county health office.

How to Order Adams County Birth Certificates

There are four main ways to order a certified birth certificate for someone born in Adams County. Each method has its own cost and timeline. Online ordering through VitalChek is the fastest option for most people. You can order at VitalChek.com or by calling 1-866-687-1464 any time, day or night. The online fee is $25 for the certificate, plus an $8.50 VitalChek service charge and a $7.00 DOH processing fee. An optional $3 identity quiz speeds up identity verification. Orders typically arrive in three to seven business days.

Mail requests go directly to the Washington State DOH. Send a completed application with a check or money order for $25 made out to the Washington State Department of Health. No credit cards are accepted for mail orders. Mail your request to: Center for Health Statistics, PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. Processing by mail takes about eight to ten weeks. That is a long wait, so if time matters, choose online or in-person instead.

In-person requests at a county health office that accepts walk-ins can often be completed the same day. The fee in person is $25 plus $13.50 processing and $2.50 for VitalChek processing. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID and, if applicable, documentation of your relationship to the person named on the certificate. Same-day service is common at walk-in county offices, though it is smart to call ahead. For the state DOH physical office in Tumwater, you need an appointment. Call 360-236-4300 to schedule.

The state also provides an ordering guide at its birth record ordering page, which walks through each method, lists all fees, and explains what ID to bring. All fees are nonrefundable regardless of the outcome of your request.

The Washington State DOH birth record ordering page covers every method, fee, and ID requirement in one place.

Use this page to download the application form or to start an online order through VitalChek.

Adams County Birth Records Before 1907

Washington State began keeping centralized birth records on July 1, 1907. Before that date, birth registration was handled by county auditors on a county-by-county basis. Adams County was created on November 28, 1883, and the county auditor kept a register of births from 1891 through 1907. That register is now preserved as GEN MICRO 979.734 BIRTH 1891-1907 and is held at the Washington State Archives. The State Library in Olympia also holds a Birth Index microform covering 1907 through 1929, which can help trace early state-registered records for Adams County residents.

The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov offers free online access to historical birth records. You can search by the child's name, a parent's name, gender, and year. Records are indexed and, in many cases, images are available to view directly. This is the easiest starting point for anyone researching Adams County births from the late 1800s and early 1900s. No account or fee is needed to search or view records on the Digital Archives site.

The Washington State Digital Archives provides free searchable access to historical Adams County birth records from 1891 onward.

The archives hold the Adams County Auditor birth register and allow name and date searches at no charge.

For those doing genealogy research, the Washington State Library offers a vital records guide that lists available collections and their locations. The guide at washstatelib.libguides.com covers microform holdings, digital access points, and which record sets have been indexed. The State Library is a solid resource if you need help tracking down a specific birth that may appear in a less obvious collection.

The Washington State Library vital records guide lists microform and digital collections for Washington birth records, including Adams County historical materials.

The guide is updated regularly and points researchers toward the most current access tools for historical records.

Note: Records from before 1891 are generally not available from government sources for Adams County, since the county was created in 1883 and formal birth registration did not begin until 1891.

Who Can Access Adams County Birth Records

Washington became a closed record state for birth certificates on January 1, 2021. Under RCW 70.58A.530, only qualified applicants may receive a certified copy of a birth certificate. The list of qualified applicants includes: the person named on the certificate, their spouse or domestic partner, their child, parent, stepparent, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, great grandparent, grandchild, great grandchild, legal guardian, legal representative, authorized representative, and government agencies or courts with a legitimate need. If you are not on this list, you may still receive a noncertified informational copy, but it cannot be used for legal purposes.

When you submit a request, you must provide a valid government-issued photo ID. If you are requesting a record for someone other than yourself, you also need to show proof of your relationship. Acceptable documents vary depending on the relationship. For example, a parent requesting a child's birth certificate might provide the child's birth certificate listing them as a parent. A legal guardian would provide court documents. The DOH reviews each request to confirm eligibility before issuing any certified copy.

Under RCW 70.58A.540, birth certificates remain confidential for 100 years from the date of birth. After that 100-year period, a record moves into the public domain and can be accessed by anyone. This means births from 1925 and earlier are now open to the public. Researchers and genealogists working on older records should check the Digital Archives first, as many of those older records are already available there at no cost. The full text of Washington's vital records law is found in RCW Chapter 70.58A.

The Washington State RCW Chapter 70.58A is the governing law for all vital records in the state, including birth certificates.

This chapter covers who can receive certified copies, what fees apply, and how the state manages confidentiality for birth records.

Cities in Adams County

Adams County's largest city is Ritzville, the county seat, followed by smaller communities like Othello and Hatton. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Residents of any city in Adams County should use the Washington State DOH or VitalChek to order birth certificates, as there is no local county health office in Adams County that issues them.

Nearby Counties

These neighboring counties border Adams County and may have related records or services.