Clallam County Obituary Records

Clallam County obituary and death records can be searched through the local Health and Human Services office in Port Angeles, the Washington State Digital Archives, the Clallam County Genealogical Society library, and several other historical collections going back to 1891. Whether you need a certified copy of a recent death certificate, want to view an original document from the early 20th century, or are researching a pioneer family from the Olympic Peninsula, this guide explains what is available, where to find it, and what each source costs.

Clallam County Health and Human Services

Clallam County Health and Human Services issues certified birth and death certificates from its office on the first floor of the courthouse in Port Angeles. The office can provide certified death certificates for deaths that occurred after 2014, once the Washington State Department of Health has finalized the record. For deaths from July 1, 1907 through December 31, 2013, you must order directly from the state Department of Health. Walk-in same-day service costs an extra $10, bringing the total to $35 per copy. For mailed certificates, an additional $5 per address is charged.

Starting January 1, 2021, a new state vital records law went into effect that limits certificate issuance to people with qualifying relationships to the deceased. These include a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, legal guardian, or legal representative. Identity and proof of relationship documents are required for all requests. The Clallam County Health birth and death records page has the current application form and lists the documents you will need to bring or include with your order.

The Clallam County Health birth and death records page shown here covers the current requirements for ordering Clallam County death certificates in person or by mail.

This county page lists the fees, hours, and ordering steps for Clallam County vital records and directs you to the correct office for each type of record.

Clallam County Public Records Portal

The Clallam County public records portal provides guidance on how to request official county records beyond what the Health department handles directly. The public records office is at 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles and can be reached by phone at 360-417-2000. Vital records requests submitted through this portal are routed to Health and Human Services, while court records, property records, and other county documents go to the appropriate department. The county follows the Washington Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 for all public disclosure requests.

For death certificates that do not fall within the health department's current window, the portal will direct you to the Washington State Department of Health. The portal handles all types of official requests, so it can also be a starting point if you are unsure which county office has the record you need. Most routine records requests receive a response within five business days.

The Clallam County public records request portal shown here is where you submit formal requests for official Clallam County records.

This portal connects residents with the right department for any county record, including death certificates and other vital records for Clallam County.

Clallam County Historical Death Records

The Washington Territorial Legislature organized Clallam County in 1854, formerly part of Jefferson County. The Clallam County Auditor kept death returns from 1891 through 1906, and those early records are now at the Washington State Digital Archives as the Clallam County Auditor Death Records, 1891-1906. The collection includes an index and images of the original death returns. It holds 191 records and is free to search. You can search by last name, first and last name, or just the first letter of the last name. A Soundex option is also available for variant spellings.

If you need more help with those early records or have questions about accessing the physical originals, you can contact the Washington State Archives, Northwest Regional Branch, at (360) 650-3125 or email nwbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov. The preferred research citation format is: [item identification], Clallam County Auditor, Death Returns, 1891-1906, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://digitalarchives.wa.gov, [date accessed].

For a broader state-level index, the Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index covers all Washington deaths from 1907 through 1960 and 1965 through 2017, including those from Clallam County. That free index holds over 2.3 million records and is a fast way to confirm a death date and certificate number before ordering a copy.

Clallam County Genealogical Society Library

The Clallam County Genealogical Society (CCGS) Research Library is one of the most complete local repositories for Clallam County obituary and death record research. The library holds over 4,362 books plus periodicals, microfilms, and microfiche totaling nearly 5,000 searchable items. It maintains an obituary collection drawn from the earliest Clallam County newspapers through the most recent publications. An index is available for patrons to consult, and order forms for copies can be printed on site.

The CCGS library also holds Pioneer Family Files, which were developed by society staff, family descendants, and genealogists working on Clallam County lines. The Probate Index contains abstracts of original probate records from 1857 through 1965 and is a good cross-reference when researching an estate that may have included a death record. Surname Indexes cover a range of local organizations and events, including the Port Angeles Reserve Jumpers, early Elk Club members, county school graduates, the Puget Sound Cooperative Colony, Civilian Conservation Corps members, and Spruce Railroad Division workers. Naturalization and probate records are indexed separately.

Early Vital Records in the CCGS collection include birth and death records from many sources prior to 1907, drawn from newspapers, early county records, and midwives' records. After 1907, vital records went to the state, but the society continues to index obituaries and is working on indexing death certificates from the 1910s through the 1930s. This ongoing project will eventually make more Clallam County death information searchable at the library.

Note: The CCGS obituary collection is one of the most comprehensive local resources for Clallam County death notices not found in official state systems.

Ordering Clallam County Death Certificates

For deaths that occurred after 2014, you can order at the local office or online. For deaths from July 1, 1907, through December 31, 2013, orders must go directly to the Washington State Department of Health. The DOH vital records ordering page explains both methods and what you need to provide.

By mail, send your application and a check or money order payable to the Washington Department of Health to: Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709. State mail orders take 8 to 10 weeks. Online orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate and typically ship within 3 to 7 business days. For out-of-state death records, the CDHD page can point you to the CDC's interstate ordering resource.

Under RCW 70.58A, certified copies are restricted to people with qualifying relationships to the deceased. Noncertified informational copies are available to a wider group and are suitable for genealogy research. They carry a watermark indicating they cannot be used for legal purposes. Check with the agency you are working with before ordering an informational copy to make sure it will be accepted.

Genealogy Resources for Clallam County Deaths

The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide lists the Clallam County Auditor Death Records, 1891-1906, as available on microform in the state library's genealogy collection. The library also holds the Washington State Death Index from July 1, 1907, through 2004, and patrons can submit specific name and date lookups through the Ask-A-Librarian service. The State Archives holds original death registers and returns for Clallam County at the Northwest Regional Branch in Bellingham.

FamilySearch holds Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 as both an index and image collection. Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 are also searchable there. These are free to use with a FamilySearch account. The FamilySearch guide to Washington death records explains which collections exist and how to search each one, which is a good starting point if you are new to the state's records system.

Local newspapers in Port Angeles and Sequim have published obituaries for Clallam County residents for well over a century. The CCGS obituary collection pulls from many of these papers and offers one of the most complete indexes of pre-digital death notices for the county. For researchers tracing peninsula families, combining the CCGS library visit with a search of the state digital archives usually yields the best results.

Cities in Clallam County

Clallam County communities include Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks, and Port Townsend (which is in neighboring Jefferson County). Port Angeles is the county seat and the largest city. No cities in Clallam County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Clallam County borders Jefferson County and is near Island County by water. San Juan County is also accessible by ferry but is not directly adjacent by land.