Chelan County Birth Records

Chelan County birth records are available through the Chelan-Douglas Health District, which serves both Chelan and Douglas counties from its office in East Wenatchee. The health district issues certified birth certificates for Washington State births from 1921 to the present. Births before 1921 must be ordered from the Washington State DOH in Olympia. Residents of Wenatchee and surrounding communities can visit the health district in person, order through the district's online portal, or use VitalChek for 24-hour online ordering. Historical birth records from the County Auditor era, covering 1900 through 1907, are available online for free through the Washington State Digital Archives.

Chelan-Douglas Health District Birth Records Office

The Chelan-Douglas Health District handles birth certificate requests for both Chelan and Douglas counties. Their office is located at 200 Valley Mall Parkway in East Wenatchee, just across the Columbia River from Wenatchee. The district can issue certified birth certificates for Washington State births from 1921 to the present. For any birth before 1921, you need to contact the Washington State DOH directly. The health district also offers Spanish language service for those who need it.

The district's vital records page at cdhd.wa.gov has complete details on what to bring, current hours, and how to order. Email questions can be sent to vitalstats@cdhd.wa.gov. Same-day expedited service costs an extra $10 and is available Monday through Wednesday if you order before 1 p.m., or on Thursday with pickup the following Monday. There is no same-day service on Fridays. Regular mail delivery costs $3 per address, and priority mail is $9.

The Chelan-Douglas Health District vital records page provides current service details, fees, and instructions for ordering birth and death certificates in Chelan and Douglas counties.

The health district office is in East Wenatchee and serves residents of both Chelan and Douglas counties for in-person certificate requests.

Note: No same-day expedited service is offered on Fridays. Plan accordingly if you need a certificate quickly and are visiting late in the week.

Ordering Chelan County Birth Certificates

The Chelan-Douglas Health District offers an online ordering portal at chelandouglaswa.permitium.com. This district-specific portal is a direct option for ordering without going through the state DOH. You can also order through VitalChek at 1-866-687-1464, which is available 24 hours a day. VitalChek orders carry the standard fees: $25 for the certificate, $8.50 service charge, $7.00 DOH processing fee, and an optional $3 identity quiz. Delivery typically takes three to seven business days for VitalChek orders.

In-person requests at the East Wenatchee office are a good option if you can get there during business hours. Bring your government-issued photo ID. If you are requesting for someone else, bring proof of your relationship to that person. Orders placed in person on Monday through Wednesday before 1 p.m. are ready the next business day. Orders placed Thursday before 1 p.m. are ready the following Monday. This next-day turnaround is notably faster than mail and is worth considering for time-sensitive needs.

For mail orders, send your completed application and a $25 check or money order to the Washington State DOH at PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. Mail orders take approximately eight to ten weeks. For births before 1921, you must mail your request to the state DOH regardless of which method you prefer, since the local district does not hold those older records.

The Chelan-Douglas online ordering portal lets you submit a birth certificate request directly to the health district without going through a third-party vendor.

The portal accepts requests for Washington State births from 1921 to the present and is a convenient option for residents who prefer to avoid a phone or in-person visit.

Chelan County Historical Birth Records

Chelan County was created on March 13, 1899, from parts of Kittitas and Okanogan counties. The county auditor began keeping birth records on February 25, 1900, and continued through September 27, 1907, when the state took over central registration. These County Auditor birth records from 1900 to 1907 are preserved at the Washington State Archives and are searchable online through the Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov.

The Digital Archives site allows free name searches for historical records. You can search by the child's name or a parent's name and filter by year or gender. Many records from this era have both an index entry and a scanned image available online. This means you can often view the original county register page without visiting any archive in person. The State Archives genealogy resources at sos.wa.gov explain how these older collections are organized and how to navigate them.

For records between 1907 and 1921, the state DOH holds the records but the Chelan-Douglas Health District does not. You need to request those older state-registered records directly from DOH at 360-236-4300 or by mail to the Olympia office. The Washington State Library guide at washstatelib.libguides.com covers all available research tools for the full span of Washington birth records, including the early state registration period from 1907 onward.

Note: The Chelan County Auditor has marriage records from 1900 and birth and death records from 1900-1907. These are distinct from the statewide vital records and are of particular interest to genealogists researching early Chelan County families.

Who Can Get Certified Chelan County Birth Certificates

Washington changed its vital records law on January 1, 2021. Under RCW 70.58A.530, only qualified applicants may receive certified birth certificates. The Chelan-Douglas Health District follows these rules for every request it processes. Qualified applicants include the person named on the certificate, their spouse or domestic partner, children, parents, stepparents, stepchildren, siblings, grandparents, great grandparents, grandchildren, great grandchildren, legal guardians, legal representatives, authorized representatives, and government agencies or courts acting in an official capacity.

Anyone who does not qualify for a certified copy can still request a noncertified informational copy. That copy is printed on plain paper with a watermark reading "informational only" and cannot be used for passports, ID cards, or other legal purposes. The fee for an informational copy is the same as for a certified copy. Every request must include a valid government-issued photo ID, and requests for another person's record must include proof of relationship. The Chelan-Douglas Health District staff review your documents before issuing any certificate.

The WA211 listing for Chelan-Douglas Health District includes contact details and notes that Spanish language service is available, which is helpful for residents who prefer to communicate in Spanish.

WA211 is a statewide directory and can confirm current services, hours, and contact information for local health offices.

Under RCW 70.58A.540, birth records are sealed for 100 years. After the 100-year mark, records become public and the qualified applicant requirement no longer applies. The full vital records statute is in RCW Chapter 70.58A.

Cities in Chelan County

Chelan County includes Wenatchee, the county seat, along with East Wenatchee (which is actually in Douglas County despite sharing a metro area), Leavenworth, and Chelan city. Wenatchee meets the population threshold and has a dedicated page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Chelan County in north-central Washington.