Bremerton Obituary and Death Records
Bremerton obituary and death records are held by the Kitsap Public Health District, the Washington State Digital Archives, and several newspaper archives covering Kitsap County. Bremerton is the largest city in Kitsap County, and all certified death certificates for Bremerton residents are issued through the Kitsap Public Health District office in Bremerton. Historical records going back to 1891 are available through the Washington State Archives. This page explains where each type of record lives and how to get what you need.
Bremerton Overview
Kitsap Public Health District
The Kitsap Public Health District is the local authority for Bremerton death certificates. The office is at 345 6th Street, Suite 300, Bremerton, WA 98337. You can call (360) 337-5235. The district issues certified birth and death certificates for events that occurred anywhere in Kitsap County. In-person, mail, and online ordering through VitalChek are all available. Fees are $25 per copy with additional processing fees depending on the ordering method.
Per Washington State law, only qualified applicants may receive certified copies of death certificates. Qualified applicants include the person named on the record, spouses or domestic partners, parents, step-parents, legal guardians, grandparents, great-grandparents, legal representatives, siblings, children, step-children, authorized representatives, and next of kin for death records. All requests must include proof of eligibility, acceptable identity documentation, and payment. You can also order by phone at 1-866-687-1464. Mail requests must include the full name, date of birth or death, and county or city.
| Office | Kitsap Public Health District |
|---|---|
| Address | 345 6th Street, Suite 300 Bremerton, WA 98337 |
| Phone | (360) 337-5235 |
| Order by Phone | 1-866-687-1464 |
| Fee | $25 per certified copy, plus applicable processing fees |
Kitsap County birth records are also maintained by the Kitsap Public Health District. The County Auditor holds birth and death records from 1891 to 1907 and marriage records from 1893. The County Clerk holds divorce, probate, and court records. The County Courthouse is at 614 Division Street, Port Orchard, WA 98366.
The Washington Court Records Kitsap page provides an overview of Kitsap County birth and death records, including who qualifies to request certified copies and how to contact the Kitsap Public Health District.
The Kitsap Public Health District processes both certified and non-certified death record requests for Bremerton residents, with multiple ordering options available.
Washington State Digital Archives for Bremerton
The Washington State Digital Archives holds the Department of Health Death Index covering all Kitsap County and Bremerton deaths from 1907 to 1960 and 1965 to 2017. The index contains 2,324,901 total records statewide and is open for free online research. Each entry shows the decedent's name, date of death, place of death, age at death, gender, and certificate number. Certified copies can be ordered from the Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312.
FamilySearch holds Washington, County Death Registers, 1881-1979 for Kitsap County as index and images. Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960 are available as a searchable index. Bremerton city directories are available at the FamilySearch Library and can help establish family residence history before ordering a death certificate.
The Kitsap County Auditor holds public records from 1987 to the present. These are separate from vital records and cover property transactions, business licenses, and other county-level filings, but they can sometimes help confirm residency and family connections when researching Bremerton obituary records.
The Newspaper Obituaries database for Kitsap County lists major obituary resources for Bremerton and the surrounding area, including the Kitsap Sun, Kitsap Daily News, and several local funeral home obituary archives.
Obituary resources for Bremerton include the Kitsap Sun (1997 to present at Genealogy Bank), the Bremerton Patriot (2001 to 2016 at Genealogy Bank), and multiple local funeral home archives.
Bremerton Obituary Research Resources
Several obituary databases and news archives cover Bremerton and Kitsap County. The Kitsap Sun obituaries at Genealogy Bank run from 1997 to current. The Bremerton Patriot Obituaries cover 2001 to 2016, also at Genealogy Bank. The Northwest Navigator Kitsap-Everett Obituaries for 2004 to 2014 are available at the Naval Base Kitsap. Kitsap County obituaries and death notices are also indexed at the Kitsap County WaGenWeb and Genealogy Trails websites.
Local funeral homes in Bremerton maintain their own obituary archives online. Lewis Funeral Chapel, Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home, and Tuell-McKee Funeral and Cremation Services all publish obituaries on their websites. These are often the first places a family posts a death notice and can include details not found in newspaper archives, such as the specific date of a service and the names of surviving family members.
The Washington Death Certificates Index, 1907-1960 and 1965-2017, at the Washington State Archives includes Bremerton deaths across both date ranges. For a death not found in that index, the Washington State Department of Health holds certified records from July 1, 1907 to the present at its Center for Health Statistics.
Note: Genealogy Bank requires a paid subscription to view full obituary text, but free previews sometimes show enough to confirm you have found the right person before subscribing.
Ordering Bremerton Death Certificates
For Bremerton deaths, start with the Kitsap Public Health District at 345 6th Street, Suite 300, Bremerton, WA 98337. The fee is $25 per certified copy. You can order in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. For statewide records, the Washington State Department of Health at doh.wa.gov can issue certificates for deaths from July 1, 1907 onward.
- Kitsap Public Health in person: 345 6th Street, Suite 300, Bremerton. $25 per copy.
- Order by phone: Call 1-866-687-1464.
- VitalChek online: Visit the Kitsap Public Health listing on VitalChek to place an order 24/7.
- Mail to Kitsap Public Health: Include completed form, proof of identity, proof of eligibility, and payment.
- DOH mail: $25, takes 8 to 10 weeks. Phone: 1-866-687-1464.
- DOH online: Through VitalChek, $40.50, ready in 3 to 7 business days.
The DOH death record page has current order forms and fee schedules. To check on an order placed through DOH, call (360) 236-4300 or email contactchs@doh.wa.gov.
Kitsap County Obituary Records
Bremerton is the county seat of Kitsap County. All death certificates for Bremerton residents are handled through the Kitsap Public Health District. For more about Kitsap County death records, historical archives, and genealogy resources, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Bremerton have obituary record pages with local death record details.