Moses Lake Obituary Records

Moses Lake obituary and death records are managed through Grant County, which serves as the local registrar for vital records in this central Washington city. Researchers can request death certificates from the Grant County Health District, search the Washington State Digital Archives for historical death records going back to 1907, and access genealogy resources through the North Central Regional Library and the Washington Genealogical Society. This page covers all major sources and how to order certified death records for Moses Lake residents.

Grant County Health District - Moses Lake

The Grant County Health District is located at 1038 West Ivy Ave, Suite 1, Moses Lake, WA 98837, and can be reached at 509-766-7960. For deaths occurring in Grant County from November 2014 to the current date, the Health District is the right place to call. For deaths occurring in other counties in recent years, the Health District might still be able to help, so it is worth calling to check before going to the state office.

For deaths occurring prior to November 2014, you need to go through the Washington State Department of Health website. For deaths prior to July 1, 1907, contact the Grant County Auditor in the county where the death occurred. The Grant County Auditor's phone line for recording is 509-754-2011 x2736.

The Grant County Health District also processes orders through VitalChek on an expedited basis. The Health District can issue certified copies of statewide birth certificates from 1926 to present and Grant County death certificates for events that occurred within the last 45 days. The fee is $25 per certificate copy. Under RCW 70.58A, the 2021 changes require proof of identity and qualifying relationship for all certified copy requests. Acceptable payment forms include cash, money order, or credit card, though there is an additional fee for credit card orders online or by phone.

The Grant County Public Records Office at grantcountywa.gov handles general public records requests under RCW 42.56. For vital records specifically, the page redirects requesters to the DOH rather than the general public records process.

Washington Digital Archives - Moses Lake Deaths

The Washington State Digital Archives hosts the Death Index covering July 1907 through 1960 and 1965 through 2017 for the entire state. All Grant County deaths, including Moses Lake residents, are in the database. There are over 2.3 million entries statewide. Searching is free. Scanned certificates are available up to 1999; index entries only for 2000 through 2017.

The Digital Archives also hold a Department of Health Death Certificates collection covering July 1, 1907 through December 31, 1996, with ongoing additions. These certificates often include the place of death, residence, name, date, gender, race, marital status, date of birth, occupation, birthplace, parents' names, cause of death, and burial information. Not all records within this date range have been scanned and indexed yet, as this is an ongoing volunteer project. You can contribute to indexing through Scribe.

The 1907-1960 entries in the Death Index were transcribed by volunteers through the FamilySearch Indexing Project and contain more complete details than the later 1965-2017 data. If you find an entry in the index, the certificate number allows you to order a certified copy from the DOH. You can contact the Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312 for certified copy orders from 1907 to three months before the present.

Historical Moses Lake Death Records

The Washington State Genealogical Society (WAGS) Library holds Grant County death certificate copies donated by Kathleen Pasta, who did extensive research in Grant County and indexed the copies. This represents a unique non-government repository of Grant County-specific death certificates and indexes compiled by a dedicated local researcher. Items can be ordered online from the WAGS Library at wags-web.org. Purchased items are emailed as attachments from Library@Wags-web.org. Allow a week to ten days for processing.

The Washington State Library holds microform copies of Grant County death registers in its genealogy collection. The library's Vital Records LibGuide walks researchers through what is available for Grant County, including the county death registers from before statewide registration in 1907. Researchers can submit specific name lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service with a date range to help narrow the search.

For pre-1907 deaths in Moses Lake and Grant County, the county auditor's records are the primary source. Those records were microfilmed and are available at the Washington State Library. The FamilySearch Washington County Death Registers collection covers 1881-1979 and includes Grant County records with free index and images. FamilySearch also has Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, which indexes the same certificates in the Digital Archives and may help cross-reference names when a spelling varies across documents.

Note: VitalChek is the only state-authorized vendor for ordering certified Washington death records online. Other third-party services charge high fees and are not approved by the state. If you ordered through a non-VitalChek vendor and had problems, you can file a complaint with the Washington State Attorney General Consumer Protection Division at 800-551-4636.

North Central Regional Library

The North Central Regional Library (NCRL) serves Moses Lake and provides access to local history and genealogy resources including newspaper archives and obituary indexes. The Moses Lake Library branch offers reference services to help researchers locate death notices and obituaries for Moses Lake residents. Library staff can assist with database searches and help identify which newspapers covered the area during different time periods.

For Moses Lake researchers looking for obituary content from older local newspapers, the library may hold microfilm collections covering the Grant County area. Reference librarians can check availability and arrange interlibrary loan for reels not held locally. The North Central Regional Library system serves a large geographic area of central Washington and is familiar with Grant County genealogy research.

The Washington State Library also provides guidance for Moses Lake researchers through its statewide resources. The library maintains digital newspaper collections and the Washington State Death Index for 1907-2004. The Ask-A-Librarian service accepts specific research queries, and researchers who provide detailed information including full name and approximate death date tend to get better results. The library's online genealogy guides include step-by-step instructions for finding Washington death records from any period.

Ordering Moses Lake Death Records

For deaths that occurred after November 2014, contact the Grant County Health District at 509-766-7960. For older deaths, go through the Washington State Department of Health. The DOH holds records from July 1, 1907 to present. Online orders go through VitalChek and cost $40.50 per certificate plus handling fees. Phone orders through VitalChek at 1-866-687-1464 cost the same. Mail orders to the DOH cost $25 per certificate and take 8-10 weeks after payment is received.

You can request three types of records:

• Long form death certificate: includes cause and manner of death and SSN; used for insurance and benefit claims
• Short form death certificate: certified copy without cause of death; used for real estate and title transfers
• Noncertified informational copy: same as short form but watermarked; available to anyone

To place an order you need the full name of the deceased, approximate date of death (month and year), and city or county of death. Certified copies also require valid photo ID and documentation of qualifying relationship. Mail orders go to: Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. For order status, call 360-236-4300.

Grant County Obituary Records

Moses Lake is in Grant County. All death filings and vital records for Moses Lake are processed through Grant County and the state DOH. Visit the Grant County records page for more details on county-level resources and research tools.

View Grant County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Moses Lake or in adjacent Washington counties.