University Place Obituary Records
University Place obituary and death records are filed through Pierce County, Washington. All death certificates for events in University Place are maintained by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Vital Records Office and the Washington State Department of Health. University Place is a city in Pierce County situated along the Puget Sound just west of Tacoma. If you need to order a death certificate, search for an older obituary, or find historical death records for someone who lived in University Place, this page covers the main offices and databases to use.
University Place Quick Facts
Pierce County Vital Records for University Place
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Vital Records Office is the primary local source for death certificates in University Place. The office is at 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418, phone 253-798-6410. In-person requests may be fulfilled the same day when the record is on file. The office handles all Pierce County vital records, including those for University Place, Tacoma, Spanaway, South Hill, and surrounding communities.
Death certificates from the Pierce County office cost $25 for the first certified copy and $20 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Mail requests take about one to two weeks. The Pierce County VitalChek portal allows you to submit an expedited online order. If you need a copy for a legal matter or estate purpose and need it quickly, this is usually the fastest option outside of visiting in person.
University Place incorporated as a city in 1995. Deaths that occurred in the area before that date are still recorded within the Pierce County system, since the entire area was part of unincorporated Pierce County prior to incorporation. The county records system captures events for the region regardless of when the city limits were formally established.
More information on what types of Pierce County records are accessible online is available at the Pierce County Records Online page.
The death record ordering page at doh.wa.gov walks University Place residents through how to request a certified death certificate from the Washington State Department of Health by mail or online.
The page provides the fee schedule, required documents, and acceptable forms of identification for University Place death certificate requests submitted to the state.
Washington State Digital Archives
The Washington State Archives Digital Archives provides free searchable access to the statewide death index, which includes all Pierce County and University Place records. The index covers July 1, 1907 through 1960 and 1965 through 2017, with over 2.3 million records statewide. Searches can be filtered by name, year, and county. No account is required.
The Digital Archives also holds the Pierce County Auditor Death Records from 1892 to 1907. This collection predates the state registration system and contains 7,918 records with index entries and images. These early records are useful for tracing families in the Pierce County area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. After 1907, the state system picks up and records are available through the standard statewide index.
Death certificate images are available through the Digital Archives for records older than 25 years. For more recent deaths, a formal request must be made to the county or state to obtain the actual document. The image availability cutoff is typically 25 years from the current date and moves forward each year.
Historical Death Records for University Place
The University Place area was historically part of unincorporated Pierce County before the city formed in 1995. Older death records for the area are held under the Pierce County system and are accessible through the same channels as county-level records. The Pierce County Auditor's historical records, county death registers, and newspaper obituary archives all cover this area going back to the late 1800s.
Tacoma-area newspapers published obituary notices for University Place residents for many decades before and after the city's incorporation. The Pierce County Library System and the Tacoma Public Library both hold archived local newspaper collections that can be searched for death notices. The Washington State Library Vital Records guide explains where older Pierce County records are held and how to access materials that have not been digitized.
Library and Genealogy Resources for University Place
The Pierce County Library System serves University Place and provides access to genealogy databases and local history resources. The library gives cardholders free access to Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online during library hours. These platforms contain indexed death records, newspaper archives, and family history databases for the Pierce County region going back decades.
Library reference staff can assist with obituary searches and can point you to the right newspaper archive depending on the time period and location you are researching. The Pierce County Library also holds physical microfilm collections for older local papers that have not been fully digitized, which can be useful for deaths in the mid-20th century that may not appear in online indexes.
Note: Some Pierce County Library genealogy databases are available remotely for cardholders. Check the library website for details on which platforms offer remote access.
How to Order University Place Death Certificates
University Place death certificates can be ordered through the Pierce County Vital Records Office at 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418, or through the Washington State Department of Health. The state handles all Washington deaths from July 1, 1907, onward. Mail orders go to the Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. Online orders go through VitalChek.
Mail orders to the state cost $25 per copy. Online orders through VitalChek cost $40.50 per copy. Under RCW 70.58A, certified copies are available only to qualifying individuals including immediate family members and authorized legal representatives. A noncertified informational copy is open to any requester without eligibility requirements.
- Pierce County office: $25 first copy, $20 each additional
- State DOH mail: $25 per copy
- VitalChek online: $40.50 per copy
- In-person county: same-day when record is on file
- Valid photo ID required
- Proof of eligibility required for certified copies
The Washington State DOH main vital records page at doh.wa.gov gives University Place residents an overview of the state's full vital records services, including how to order, correct, and access death records.
The page also explains who qualifies for certified copies and how to submit a correction if a University Place death record contains an error.
Pierce County Obituary Records
University Place is part of Pierce County. Death certificates and vital records for the city run through the Pierce County health department and the state system. For a full look at Pierce County death record resources and additional genealogy tools, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities near University Place also have obituary and death record resources through Pierce County and neighboring county offices.