Orchards Obituary Records

Orchards obituary and death records are held through Clark County Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health. If you need to find a death notice, order a death certificate, or search historical obituary records for someone who lived in Orchards, this page covers your main options from local and state sources.

Clark County Vital Records for Orchards

Orchards is an unincorporated community in Clark County. Death certificates for residents are handled through Clark County Public Health Vital Records. The office is located at 1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Bldg. 17, 3rd floor, Suite A327, Vancouver, WA 98661. In-person services run Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 am to 12 pm and 12:30 to 3:45 pm. The office is closed on Tuesdays. Phone service is available Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm at 564-397-8092.

As of January 1, 2021, Washington state vital records law restricts access to birth and death records. Only individuals with qualifying relationships can receive certified copies. That includes spouses or domestic partners, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, and legal representatives. You must provide identity and proof of relationship with your application. Orders that lack required documents within 30 days will be cancelled with no refund under RCW 70.58A.

Clark County issues all Washington state death certificates from 2018 to the present. It also holds Clark County deaths from 2002 to 2017 that occurred and were filed in Clark County. Certificates prior to 2017 are only available as long form records. The first certified or non-certified death certificate costs $38.50, with additional copies at $25 each, plus a $10 order fee. Mail orders must be paid by cashier check or money order made payable to Clark County Vital Records. Online and phone orders through VitalChek cost $25 per certificate plus an $11.50 VitalChek fee, a $10 per order fee, and shipping charges. Orders with all required documents are typically printed and shipped within 3 business days. In-person orders normally take 20 to 30 minutes.

The Clark County Vital Records Online Service Portal also allows funeral homes and authorized users to order death certificates electronically. Funeral directors need to create a profile using the New Portal Profile Registration link. Contact CntyHealthVitalRecor@clark.wa.gov or call 564-397-8092 for help setting up portal access.

Washington Digital Archives Obituary Index

The Washington State Archives Digital Archives holds the Department of Health Death Index covering deaths from July 1, 1907 through 1960 and 1965 through 2017. This index is free to search and covers all Clark County deaths, including those in Orchards. Most entries include the person's name, date of death, gender, location of death, age, and death certificate number.

The Digital Archives also provides online access to the Clark County Death Register for the years 1891 through 1907. That collection includes an index and images of the death records filed with the Clark County Auditor during that period. It contains 537 records. These are open for research with no access restrictions. The Southwest Regional Archives is the transfer source for this collection. Researchers are advised to search by last name, first and last name, or just the first letter of the last name.

The Clark County Death Register typically includes the name of the deceased, date and place of death, age at death, cause of death, birthplace, residence, occupation, father's name and birthplace, mother's maiden name and birthplace, and the name of the attending physician. This level of detail makes it valuable for genealogy work in Orchards.

For more information on related records, contact the Washington State Archives, Southwest Region Branch at (360) 753-1684 or email swbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov.

The Spokane Regional Health District FAQ page at srhd.org offers guidance on obtaining death certificates for Clark County communities including Orchards. While primarily serving Spokane County, the site explains the state-level process that applies throughout Washington.

Historical Orchards Death Records

Before July 1, 1907, Washington counties kept their own death records. Clark County Auditor death registers from 1891 to 1907 are preserved at the Washington State Archives and available through the Digital Archives. These records are valuable for genealogists researching Orchards families from the late 19th and early 20th century.

The Washington State Library's Vital Records in Washington State LibGuide at washstatelib.libguides.com lists the Clark County Death Register, 1891-1907, as available in the state library's genealogy collection on microform. The State Library holds the Washington State Death Index covering July 1, 1907 through 2004 on microfiche and microfilm. Patrons can submit specific lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service. Include a date range because the index spans many reels.

The guide also explains that before statewide registration began in 1907, counties kept death registers where each death was entered into a ledger, and some counties also had death returns, which were single sheets filled out for each deceased person. Not all families registered deaths, so gaps exist in pre-1907 records.

The Spokane County Auditor's Recording Division online portal at recording.spokanecounty.org provides a Recorded Document Search for the region. While this portal primarily covers Spokane County, the search interface demonstrates the type of recorded-document access available at Washington county auditor offices statewide, including Clark County.

Library and Genealogy Resources

Several libraries and genealogical organizations serve Orchards researchers. The Washington State Library and the state's Ask-A-Librarian service can help locate death index entries, obituaries from older newspaper collections, and microfilm records tied to Clark County. The Washington State Genealogical Society at sos.wa.gov/library also maintains research tools and guides.

FamilySearch offers Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, as an indexed collection. This resource covers Clark County deaths during that period and is searchable by name. Ancestry.com holds the Washington Death Index, 1940-2017, which can be useful for finding obituary leads. Many records that were once only available in person are now digitized and free to search.

For older records in Clark County, the Washington State Library holds microform records specifically noted for this region. The Southwest Region Branch of the Washington State Archives in Olympia is the custodian of original Clark County death registers and returns. Researchers can contact the branch at (360) 753-1684 or at swbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov to ask about specific Orchards-area records.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office at spokanecounty.gov explains the death certificate process for Spokane County communities. The information illustrates how county health departments and medical examiner offices work together to process death records in Washington State, a system that applies equally to Clark County and Orchards.

Ordering Orchards Death Certificates

To order a death certificate for an Orchards resident, you have three main options. In person at Clark County Public Health is fastest for recent deaths. Mail orders go to Clark County Vital Records or to the Washington State Department of Health. Online and phone orders can be placed through VitalChek at 1-866-687-1464.

When you apply, you need to provide the deceased's full name, date of death or an approximate date, and city or county of death (Clark County for Orchards residents). You also need to provide your own valid government-issued photo ID and documents showing your qualifying relationship to the deceased. Washington is a closed-record state under RCW 70.58A as of January 1, 2021, so non-family members generally cannot obtain certified copies.

Fees for Clark County death certificates start at $38.50 for the first copy. Additional copies ordered at the same time cost $25 each. Mail orders add a $10 per order fee. VitalChek online orders add an $11.50 service fee plus the $10 per order charge. The Washington State Department of Health at doh.wa.gov is the backup option for deaths more than three months old if the county office no longer has the record on file. State mail orders start at $25 per copy; online orders through VitalChek start at $40.50. Mail orders from the state take 8 to 10 weeks. VitalChek orders ship in 3 to 7 business days.

Noncertified informational copies are available to anyone for genealogical research. They carry a watermark stating they cannot be used for legal purposes. Verify with the receiving agency whether an informational copy will be accepted before purchasing one instead of a certified copy.

Clark County Obituary Records

Orchards is part of Clark County, which handles all death certificate filings for the area. Clark County Public Health is the primary local office for vital records. For more information about county-level resources and the Clark County court and health system, visit the Clark County obituary records page.

View Clark County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Orchards. Each has its own obituary records page with local resource details.