Find Obituaries in Parkland

Parkland obituary and death records are maintained through Pierce County and the Washington State Department of Health. Whether you need to order a certified death certificate for a Parkland resident or search historical death records and obituary indexes, this page explains where to go and how the process works.

Pierce County Vital Records for Parkland

Parkland is an unincorporated community in Pierce County. Death certificates for Parkland residents go through the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Vital Records office. The office is located at 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418. It is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., though on the last Tuesday of each month it opens at 9:30 a.m.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department can issue all deaths in Tacoma from 1907 to the present and all deaths in Pierce County from 1926 to the present. It also has most electronically filed statewide deaths from 2005 onward. Short form death certificates are available for all electronically filed deaths since January 1, 2018. For birth or death records before July 1, 1907, the office directs researchers to the Washington State Archives online.

Pierce County death certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $20 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Processing time is typically 1 to 2 weeks for mail requests and same-day for in-person requests if the record is on file. Eligible requestors include the individual named on the certificate (if 18 or older), parents, spouse, adult children, legal representatives, and others with a documented legal need. All requests are governed by RCW 70.58A, which requires proof of identity and qualifying relationship for certified copies.

The Pierce County Auditor's Office also has staff stationed in the Vital Records office to provide passport, marriage license, and pet license services, creating a one-stop location for Parkland residents. For more on what records are available online, see the Pierce County Records Available Online directory.

Washington Digital Archives Death Index

The free Washington State Archives Digital Archives Death Index covers deaths from July 1, 1907 through 1960 and from 1965 through 2017. It includes all Pierce County deaths during those periods. For Parkland obituary research, this is one of the first places to check. Most entries include the person's name, date of death, gender, location, age at death, and death certificate number.

The 1907 to 1960 entries were transcribed by volunteers, including Sandra Moe from Pasco and Sherry Sinclair from Tacoma, and generally contain more detail than the 1965 to 2017 data. The index holds over 2.3 million statewide records. Images of actual death certificates up to 25 years ago are available in the Department of Health Death Certificates collection. Corrections can be directed to the Washington Department of Health Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312.

The Washington State Archives also holds the Pierce County Auditor, Death Records, 1892-1907 collection. That collection includes index entries and images for death returns or certificates for individuals who died in Pierce County. Records from the early 1890s are on Death Return forms, while later records are on Certificate of Death forms. The collection contains 7,918 records. Contact the Puget Sound Regional Branch at (425) 564-3940 or psbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov for more information on this collection.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records page at doh.wa.gov provides the full guide to ordering death certificates statewide, including those for Parkland residents in Pierce County.

Historical Parkland Obituary Records

Before July 1, 1907, Pierce County maintained death registers through the County Auditor. The Washington State Library holds several Pierce County-specific microfilm collections. The Register of Deaths in Pierce County, State of Washington (GEN MICRO 979.778 DEATH 1891-1907) covers the Pierce County Auditor register of deaths from 1891 to 1907. The Birth and Death Returns for Puyallup (GEN MICRO 979.778 BIRTH 1891-1908) also includes death data for the Parkland area. These microfilms are available at the Washington State Library in Olympia.

The Washington State Library's Vital Records LibGuide at washstatelib.libguides.com explains that death certificates from July 1, 1907 to two months before the present day are held by the Washington Department of Health. For recent death certificates in the current or previous month, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is the contact. Before 1907, the county was responsible for collecting death records.

The Washington State Genealogical Society at wasgs.org lists the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society as a resource for Pierce County researchers, which explicitly covers Parkland. The society maintains an online index to Pierce County records from 1969 to 2013, covering cemeteries, courts, funeral homes, vital records, voter registration, and more. The society also offers lookups, research services, and copies of obituaries for a fee.

The Extracted Pierce County, Washington death records, 1891-1907, were published in the Tacoma Researcher Magazine and are available at the FamilySearch Library. This is a useful secondary source for Parkland genealogists who cannot travel to Olympia in person.

Library and Genealogy Resources

Pierce County Library System serves Parkland and provides access to local history collections, genealogy databases, and newspaper archives. Obituary notices from the News Tribune (Tacoma) and other Pierce County newspapers are often indexed in library genealogy collections. Ask a reference librarian for help searching for Parkland death notices in older papers.

FamilySearch has indexed the Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, which includes Pierce County records. The collection is searchable by name and contains images of original death certificates. Ancestry.com holds the Washington Death Index, 1940-2017. Both are useful starting points when searching for Parkland obituary records.

For records at the courthouse level, the Pierce County Superior Court Clerk holds probate and estate records, which often reference death dates and next of kin. These can be accessed through the Pierce County Superior Court. Contact the court directly for guidance on accessing probate files that may include copies of obituaries or death notices filed as part of an estate.

Ordering Parkland Death Certificates

To order a death certificate for a Parkland resident, start with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department for deaths from 1926 onward. For deaths more than three months ago that the county office no longer carries, apply directly to the Washington State Department of Health at doh.wa.gov. You can also order through VitalChek online or by calling 1-866-687-1464.

What you need to include with your order:

• Full name of the deceased
• Date of death or approximate date
• City or county of death (Pierce County for Parkland)
• Your valid government-issued photo ID
• Proof of qualifying relationship to the deceased

State mail orders start at $25 per copy and are nonrefundable. Online or phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50. Mail orders from the state take 8 to 10 weeks. VitalChek orders typically ship within 3 to 7 business days. The local Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department may offer same-day in-person service for an additional fee.

Noncertified informational copies are available to anyone for genealogical use. These are not issued on certified paper and cannot be used for legal purposes. They carry a watermark noting "Informational only." Always confirm with the receiving agency whether an informational copy will work before ordering one instead of a certified copy.

Pierce County Obituary Records

Parkland is part of Pierce County, and all death certificate filings for the area go through Pierce County systems. For more information on county-level resources, courthouse contacts, and the full Pierce County vital records system, see the Pierce County obituary records page.

View Pierce County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Parkland. Each has an obituary records page with local source details.