Find Obituary Records in Snohomish County

Snohomish County obituary and death records can be searched through the county health department, the Washington State Digital Archives, and a range of genealogy collections that go back to 1891. The county is home to Everett and many smaller communities, and records are maintained at both the local and state level. Whether you need a certified copy of a death certificate, want to find an old newspaper obituary, or are tracking a family line from the early settlement period, this guide covers each source and how to use it.

Snohomish County Health Department Vital Records

The Snohomish County Health Department Vital Records office provides certified death certificates for deaths that occurred in Everett from 1953 to the present and for deaths in the rest of Snohomish County from 1960 to the present. The office also issues certificates for all Washington State deaths filed electronically starting in 2016. For deaths outside these date ranges, you need to contact the Washington State Department of Health directly.

The Snohomish County Auditor's Office at 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201, phone 425-388-3483, also holds birth and death records from 1891 through 1907, which predate state-level registration. Death certificates from 1907 forward cost $25 for the first copy and $20 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Processing is typically same-day for in-person requests and 7 to 10 business days for mail orders.

Washington State is a closed-record state as of January 1, 2021. Only individuals with a qualifying relationship under RCW 70.58A can receive certified copies. That includes the spouse or domestic partner, parents, step-parents, legal guardians, children, step-children, siblings, grandparents, great-grandparents, legal representatives, and authorized agents. Spanish language service is available at the health department.

The Snohomish County Health Department Vital Records office in Everett is the primary local source for certified death certificates for Snohomish County deaths from 1953 onward for Everett and 1960 onward for the rest of the county.

Washington State Digital Archives Death Index

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index covers statewide deaths from 1907 through 1960 and from 1965 through 2017. The index holds more than 2.3 million records and is free to search for anyone. Snohomish County deaths within these date ranges appear in the index alongside records from every other Washington county. This is often the fastest starting point for researchers looking for mid-20th century obituary and death information.

Entries from 1907 to 1960 were transcribed by FamilySearch volunteers and typically include more detail. Those records often show cause of death, surviving relatives, place of burial, and the name of the attending physician or coroner. The 1965 to 2017 entries came directly from the Department of Health and are somewhat less detailed but still show the key identifying facts. Death certificate images are available for deaths that occurred more than 25 years ago. If you find a record and need a certified copy, contact the Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312.

Note: Records for the gap years 1961 through 1964 are on microfilm at the State Archives in Olympia and are not available in the online index.

Snohomish County Historical Death Records

The Snohomish County Auditor began recording births and deaths in 1891. Those pre-state records, which cover deaths from 1891 through 1907, are now held at the Washington State Digital Archives and can be searched online as both an index and image collection. The City of Everett also maintained a separate register of deaths from 1905 through 1907, and that collection is available at the Washington State Library on microfilm.

FamilySearch holds Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 as a free indexed collection, as well as Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 as a searchable index. For Snohomish County researchers, these two FamilySearch collections overlap usefully, covering the pre-state registration period through the mid-20th century. The Everett Public Library and the Everett Washington FamilySearch Center are local facilities where researchers can access these records in person.

The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide explains that the State Library holds microfilm copies of Snohomish County death registers in its genealogy collection. Researchers can submit specific lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service without having to visit in person. The Northwest Regional Archives in Bellingham also holds physical copies of early county death records for the northwest Washington region, including Snohomish County.

This resource shows Snohomish County vital records information from a public records directory, providing contact details and access guidance for death certificates and related records in the county.

Sno-Isle Genealogical Society Obituary Collection

The Sno-Isle Genealogical Society (SIGS) maintains one of the most useful local obituary collections for Snohomish County research. The collection holds copied and organized death notices and obituaries from newspapers published across Snohomish and Island Counties, with the majority dating from the early 1960s through 2016. Earlier obituaries from other area libraries and archives have also been added to extend the coverage backward in time.

Newspaper sources in the SIGS collection include the Edmonds Review, the Edmonds Tribune, and the Edmonds Tribune-Review covering 1905 through 1930. The collection is indexed by surname and given name, with each entry listing the newspaper abbreviation and publication date. You can submit an obituary request by email to library@snoislegen.org with "OBITUARIES REQUEST" in the subject line to order electronic or hard copies. The SIGS Research Library is located at 19827 Poplar Way, Lynnwood, WA 98037, in the Humble House at Heritage Park.

This is a particularly valuable resource for researchers who know roughly when a person died but cannot find a death certificate, or who want the biographical detail that newspaper obituaries often include beyond what a certificate contains. Survivor names, funeral home information, and burial location frequently appear in these collected notices.

The VitalChek Snohomish County death certificates page lists the products available for online ordering, including long and short form certified copies and noncertified informational copies. This is the fastest way to get a certified copy when in-person service is not possible.

Ordering Snohomish County Death Certificates

You have three ways to get a certified Snohomish County death certificate. You can visit the health department in person at 3020 Rucker Avenue, Suite 104, Everett. You can order by mail to that same address. Or you can order online through VitalChek. The Washington State Department of Health vital records ordering page explains all three methods in detail.

In-person service is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM, and same-day processing is typical when the record is on file. Online orders through VitalChek arrive in approximately 2 to 3 business days. For deaths that fall outside the health department's local date range, mail your request to Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709. Mail orders from the state office take 8 to 10 weeks.

The state death record ordering page lists what documentation is required, including proof of identity and proof of qualifying relationship. For the most recent deaths, those in the current or previous month, contact the local health department where the death occurred rather than the state office.

Genealogy Resources for Snohomish County Deaths

Researchers tracing Snohomish County family history can use several overlapping sources. The Washington State Library maintains the Washington State Death Index from July 1, 1907 through 2004 on microfiche and microfilm. The vital records LibGuide explains how to use the collection and submit lookup requests. Reference librarians can search for specific records on your behalf at no charge through the Ask-A-Librarian service.

FamilySearch holds the Snohomish County Auditor Death Records from 1891 through 1907 as both an index and an image collection. Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 and Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 are also free on FamilySearch. The Everett Washington FamilySearch Center offers in-person assistance with accessing these collections.

Local newspapers, including the Everett Herald and a range of community papers covering Lynnwood, Marysville, Bothell, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Mill Creek, and Mountlake Terrace, have long run death notices and obituaries. Many of those notices, especially from the 20th century, have been indexed by the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society or are accessible through Genealogy Bank and Newspapers.com. These newspaper records often fill in personal and family details not captured in official records.

Cities in Snohomish County

Snohomish County includes Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Bothell (Snohomish portion), Mill Creek East, and Mountlake Terrace, among other communities. City pages for these communities are not currently available on this site.

Nearby Counties

Snohomish County borders several other Washington counties, each with its own vital records office and death record system.