Search Kennewick Obituary Records

Kennewick obituary and death records are accessible through the Benton-Franklin Health District, which serves Benton and Franklin counties, and through the Washington State Department of Health for state-level requests. If you need a certified death certificate for someone who died in Kennewick, the Benton-Franklin Health District at 7102 W. Okanogan Place can help with recent events, while the state office handles older records and all VitalChek orders. This page covers the local office, state resources, historical archives, and library tools for Kennewick obituary research.

Benton-Franklin Health District

Kennewick residents use the Benton-Franklin Health District for local death certificate requests. This district covers both Benton and Franklin counties. They issue certified copies of death certificates for deaths that occurred in Benton or Franklin County. The office is in Kennewick and serves as the local point of contact for many vital records needs.

Available products through the Benton-Franklin Health District include the Long Death Certificate (certified copy), the Short Death Certificate (certified copy), and a Noncertified Informational Death Copy. Death certificates from this office can typically be used to obtain death benefits, claim insurance proceeds, and notify Social Security. The fee is $25 per certificate copy. Same-day service and FedEx delivery may carry additional fees.

Ordering Kennewick Death Certificates

You can order Kennewick death certificates in person at the Benton-Franklin Health District office or through VitalChek online. The state DOH also accepts mail applications for records statewide. For deaths older than approximately 3 months, you may need to contact the state office directly if the local health district no longer has the record on file.

The state DOH at doh.wa.gov/vital-records handles all statewide requests. Mail orders cost $25 per copy and take 8 to 10 weeks. VitalChek online orders cost $40.50 and ship in 3 to 7 business days. The Washington State Department of Health is the only source for deaths occurring before the local health district's records begin.

Mid-Columbia Libraries at mcl.org serve the Kennewick-Richland-Pasco Tri-Cities area and offer genealogy databases and newspaper archives at branch locations. These are valuable for finding Kennewick obituary notices from local papers going back many decades.

Washington Digital Archives and Benton County Deaths

The Washington State Digital Archives holds the statewide death index from 1907 to 2020 at digitalarchives.wa.gov. Benton County is well represented in this collection. You can search by name and year for Kennewick deaths going back over a century. This index is free and does not require registration.

Benton County was created in 1905. The Washington State Archives holds Benton County Auditor death certificate records, and the Digital Archives has Benton County death certificates from July 1, 1907 through 1997 as indexed images. For deaths after 1997 and up to three months ago, requests go to the Benton-Franklin Health District or the state DOH. The death index also covers 1907 to 1960 and 1965 to 2020 as a searchable index without full images.

Historical Kennewick Obituary Research

Historical obituary notices for Kennewick residents appeared in the Tri-City Herald, which has been serving the area since 1947. Earlier notices appear in predecessor papers and other regional publications. Mid-Columbia Libraries provides access to some of these archives through library databases.

FamilySearch has free Washington death certificates from 1907 to 1960, which include Benton County records. The collection is at familysearch.org. Earlier death records for Benton County, including records from when the county was part of Yakima County territory, are also referenced in FamilySearch's Washington collections. Benton County was carved from Yakima County in 1905, so pre-1905 research may require looking at Yakima County sources as well.

Note: Benton County historical death records from 1905 to 1907 may be found at the Benton County Auditor's office rather than the state DOH.

Benton County Obituary Records

Kennewick is the largest city in Benton County. Death certificates and vital records for Kennewick go through the Benton-Franklin Health District and the Washington State system. For more county-level information, see the Benton County obituary records page.

View Benton County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

These Washington cities also have obituary and death record resources accessible through state and county systems.