Find Death Records in Klickitat County

Klickitat County obituary and death records date back to the county's formation in 1859 and are available through a mix of local, state, and genealogy sources. If you are searching for a death certificate for legal purposes, tracing a family line from the Goldendale area, or looking for a historical death notice from this southern Washington county along the Oregon border, this page explains where to find what you need and how to request it.

Klickitat County Death Certificate Access

Certified death certificates for events that occurred in Klickitat County are issued by the Washington State Department of Health. Klickitat County was created in 1859 and the county seat is Goldendale. For deaths before July 1, 1907, researchers should contact the Klickitat County Auditor or search the Washington State Digital Archives for county death registers. For deaths from 1907 forward, the state office is the primary source for certified copies.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records page covers all ordering methods, fee schedules, and what identification and eligibility documentation you will need to provide. For the current or previous month's deaths, contact the local health department where the death occurred, as those records may not yet be available at the state office.

The screenshot shown here is the Washington State Department of Health vital records portal, which handles Klickitat County death certificate orders along with all other Washington counties.

This is the main state portal for ordering certified Klickitat County death certificates by mail, phone, or online through VitalChek.

Washington State Digital Archives for Klickitat County

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index is a free search tool covering deaths statewide from 1907 through 1960 and 1965 through 2017. It holds over 2.3 million records and includes all Klickitat County deaths within those date ranges. Searches are free and open to anyone with no registration required.

The 1907 to 1960 entries were transcribed by volunteers and typically contain richer detail, including cause of death, age, birthplace, and names of relatives. The 1965 to 2017 portion was extracted from the Department of Health's own system and has slightly less detail but still shows the key facts needed to locate a death certificate. For Klickitat County researchers, this index is the fastest free way to confirm a death date and certificate number before ordering a certified copy. Images of actual death certificates are available for deaths up to 25 years ago through the same Digital Archives site.

The Washington State Library also publishes a research handout, "How to find Washington State DEATH RECORDS," which explains the full custody chain of death records. For Klickitat County, death certificates from July 1, 1907 to two months before the current date are held by the Washington Department of Health. Records from the current or previous month go to the local health department first.

The Digital Archives portal shown here covers the Klickitat County death index entries within the statewide collection.

This free state archive tool is the best starting point for researching any Klickitat County death from 1907 through 2017 without paying for a certified copy first.

Klickitat County Historical Death Records

Before Washington began recording deaths at the state level on July 1, 1907, counties were responsible for collecting death records. Klickitat County 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. Those county registers have been microfilmed and are available at the Washington State Library. Many have also been scanned and are accessible through the Washington State Digital Archives and Ancestry.com.

The Washington State Archives holds original Klickitat County death registers and returns at its regional branches. For Klickitat County, the Southwest Region Branch is the appropriate repository. You can reach that branch at (360) 753-1684 or swbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov. The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide lists specific microfilm holdings for Klickitat County and explains how to submit a lookup request through the Ask-A-Librarian service.

FamilySearch holds Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 and Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 as free, searchable collections. Both include Klickitat County deaths. These are useful for confirming a death before ordering a certified copy from the Department of Health. For probate records, which often mention death dates and heirs, the Klickitat County Clerk's Office in Goldendale holds court filings going back to the late 1800s.

Note: The death index for 1961 through 1964 is not online and is held on microfilm only at the State Archives in Olympia.

Ordering Klickitat County Death Certificates

Certified Klickitat County death certificates can be ordered three ways: by mail through the state, online or by phone through VitalChek, or in person at a local health office if the death occurred recently. The Washington State Department of Health death records page explains all ordering options in detail.

Mail orders cost $25 per certificate and are processed within 8 to 10 weeks after the office receives full payment and documentation. VitalChek online or phone orders start at $40.50 per certificate and typically ship within 3 to 7 business days. An optional $3.00 identity authentication fee may apply online. VitalChek is the only state-contracted third-party vendor. Any other company that offers to process your request will charge additional fees on top of the state cost. For mail orders, make checks or money orders payable to the Department of Health and send them to P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709.

Washington vital records law under RCW 70.58A restricts certified copies to qualified applicants. Eligible requestors include the spouse or domestic partner, parents, children, siblings, legal representatives, and others with a documented tangible interest. Noncertified informational copies are available more broadly and carry a watermark stating they cannot be used for legal purposes. They are a good option for genealogy research where legal certification is not needed. The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page confirms the state vital records phone number as (360) 236-4300.

Genealogy Resources for Klickitat County Deaths

Klickitat County sits along the Columbia River and the Oregon border, and families from this region often have records on both sides of the river. For Washington-side deaths, the Washington State Digital Archives is the best free tool for the 1907 to 2017 range. For deaths before 1907, the county auditor death registers are the key source, and those records have been digitized and are searchable online.

The Washington State Library vital records guide lists microfilm holdings and explains how to use the Ask-A-Librarian service for name lookups in the county death registers. The State Library also holds the Washington State Death Index for July 1, 1907 through 2004 on microfilm. FamilySearch offers the Washington County Death Registers collection from 1881 to 1979, which includes Klickitat County, and can be searched for free online.

Local newspapers from the Goldendale area have published obituaries since the late 1800s. Many of those notices have been extracted and placed into county genealogy collections. The Washington State Genealogical Society and regional genealogy groups can sometimes help locate obituary clippings from Klickitat County papers. Probate filings held by the Klickitat County Superior Court Clerk may also name decedents and provide death dates and heir information useful to researchers.

Cities in Klickitat County

Klickitat County communities include Goldendale, White Salmon, and Bingen. No cities in Klickitat County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Klickitat County borders several Washington counties and sits along the Oregon state line. Each Washington county has its own vital records system.