Richland Obituary Records Search

Richland obituary and death records are held through the Benton-Franklin Health District and the Washington State Department of Health. Whether you need a certified death certificate for a Richland resident, want to search the state death index for Benton County, or are tracing a family in the Tri-Cities area, this page covers the main sources and how to use them.

Benton County Vital Records for Richland

Richland is in Benton County, part of the Tri-Cities area. Death certificates for Richland residents are issued through the Benton-Franklin Health District. The office is located at 7102 W. Okanogan Place, Kennewick, WA 99336. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. You can order through VitalChek at vitalchek.com or visit in person.

The Benton-Franklin Health District issues Benton County death certificates for events that occurred within the county. Available certificate types include the Long Death Certificate (certified copy with cause of death and social security number), the Short Death Certificate (certified copy without cause of death), the Noncertified Informational Death Copy, and the Fetal Death Certificate. Death certificates can typically be used to obtain death benefits, claim insurance proceeds, and notify Social Security. The fee is $25 per certificate copy, with additional charges for same-day service or FedEx delivery.

Washington became a closed-record state on January 1, 2021, under RCW 70.58A. Certified copies are restricted to qualified applicants who can demonstrate a direct and tangible interest. Eligible requestors include the registrant (if 18 or older), parents, spouse, domestic partner, children, siblings, grandparents, legal guardians, and legal representatives. You must provide proof of identity and qualifying relationship. Applications without required documents within 30 days will be cancelled with no refund.

For deaths more than three months ago that are no longer available at the local office, apply to the Washington State Department of Health. By phone: 1-866-687-1464 (toll-free). Mail orders start at $25. VitalChek online or phone orders start at $40.50. Mail orders ship within 8 to 10 weeks. VitalChek orders ship within 3 to 7 business days.

Washington Digital Archives Death Index

The Washington State Archives Digital Archives Death Index covers Benton County deaths from 1907 to 1960 and from 1965 to 2017. The index is free and contains over 2.3 million statewide records. It is open for research without access restrictions. Most entries include the person's name, date of death, gender, location of death, age, and death certificate number. Images of actual death certificates up to 25 years ago are available in the Department of Health Death Certificates collection on the same platform.

Benton County was created in 1905 from Yakima and Klickitat counties. The County Auditor has birth and death records from 1905 to 1907. The Washington State Archives holds the Benton County Auditor, Death Records, within the Department of Health collection. FamilySearch also has Washington County Death Registers, 1881-1979, with index and images, and Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, as a free indexed collection that covers Benton County and Richland.

To correct a death index entry you believe to be in error, contact the Washington Department of Health Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312. The indexes for 1961 to 1964 are available on microfilm at the State Archives in Olympia. The Digital Archives search interface allows searches by name, date range, and county, making it straightforward to find Richland death records from the covered periods.

The Washington State Department of Health death records page at doh.wa.gov covers the full process for ordering Richland death certificates from the state office or through VitalChek.

Historical Richland Death Records

Benton County's relatively recent creation in 1905 means that most county death records begin around the time of county formation. The Washington State Library's Vital Records LibGuide at washstatelib.libguides.com provides guidance on locating death records for Benton County researchers. Washington death records prior to July 1, 1907 are held by the county auditor. The State Library holds microfilm copies of early county death registers in its genealogy collection. Patrons can submit specific lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service, including a date range.

FamilySearch provides a Benton County, Washington Genealogy wiki with detailed information on death record sources. The FamilySearch wiki notes the Records of Yakima County, Washington, 1869-1907, and Benton County, Washington, 1905-1907, available in five volumes, with volume 2 specifically covering death records. This compilation is valuable for researchers tracing Richland families in the earliest years of Benton County.

The Social Security Death Index is a free resource covering most Richland residents who died after 1935. The Tri-City Genealogical Society also serves the Richland area and maintains local genealogical resources for the Tri-Cities. The Washington State Genealogical Society at sos.wa.gov/library lists research tools for all Washington counties, including Benton County resources useful for Richland research.

Richland Library and Genealogy Resources

Mid-Columbia Libraries serves Richland residents and provides access to local history and genealogy resources, including newspaper archives and obituary indexes. The library system offers reference services to help researchers locate death notices and obituaries for Richland residents. Mid-Columbia Libraries can be found at mcl.org. Staff at the Richland branch can assist with identifying which collections contain Tri-Cities area obituary notices from historical newspapers.

For online genealogy research, FamilySearch offers free access to the Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, and Washington County Death Registers, 1881-1979. Ancestry.com holds the Washington Death Index, 1940-2017. The Social Security Death Index is freely searchable and can confirm death dates before requesting a formal certificate. These tools work well for Richland obituary searches when you have a name and approximate year.

The Washington State Library's obituary resources page at sos.wa.gov/library/ObituaryResources lists newspaper archives, library catalogs, and genealogical society tools that cover Benton County. Obituaries published in the Tri-City Herald and other local papers have been indexed and preserved through various library programs. Ask-A-Librarian at the Washington State Library can help locate specific obituary notices for Richland residents.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records page at doh.wa.gov is the central statewide portal for Richland death certificate ordering, eligibility requirements, and records dating back to 1907.

Ordering Richland Death Certificates

To order a death certificate for a Richland resident, contact the Benton-Franklin Health District for recent deaths. For deaths more than three months ago, apply 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. The CDC Where to Write page at cdc.gov confirms the state records office contact at (360) 236-4300.

What to include with your request:

• Full name of the deceased
• Date or approximate date of death
• City or county of death (Benton County for Richland)
• Your valid government-issued photo ID
• Proof of qualifying relationship under RCW 70.58A

State mail orders start at $25 per copy and take 8 to 10 weeks. VitalChek online or phone orders start at $40.50 and ship in 3 to 7 business days. All fees are nonrefundable. Noncertified informational copies are available for genealogical use without proof of relationship. They cannot be used for legal purposes and carry a watermark to that effect.

Benton County Obituary Records

Richland is in Benton County, and all death certificate filings for the city are processed through Benton County systems and the Benton-Franklin Health District. For more information on county-level resources, the health district, and Benton County courthouse records, see the Benton County obituary records page.

View Benton County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Richland. Each has its own obituary records page with local source details.