Find Obituary Records in Whatcom County

Whatcom County obituary and death records can be searched through local, county, and state sources covering deaths from the 1890s through today. Whatcom County is in the far northwest corner of Washington, with Bellingham as its county seat, and its records are served by both the Whatcom County Health and Community Services office in Bellingham and the Washington State Department of Health. Whether you need a current certified death certificate or are looking for a genealogy record from the early 20th century, this guide explains where to search and how to get what you need.

Whatcom County Health and Community Services

Whatcom County Health and Community Services issues certified death certificates for Whatcom County deaths at their office in Bellingham. The county office handles Washington death certificates from 1989 to present and does not issue death certificates from other states. For deaths before 1989, you will need to order from the Washington State Department of Health. The county office is located at 509 Girard Street, Bellingham, WA 98225. Orders must include a copy of valid photo identification and any required proof of relationship documents. Payments by check or money order should be made payable to WCHCS. No refunds are issued.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records page covers all three ordering methods for state-issued certificates: by mail, online, or by phone through VitalChek. Mail orders go to: Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709, with a fee of $25 per certificate and a processing time of about 8 to 10 weeks. Online and phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate and typically ship within 3 to 7 business days.

Washington's vital records law, RCW 70.58A, has restricted certified copies to qualified applicants since January 1, 2021. Eligible requestors include the spouse or domestic partner, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, legal representatives, and anyone with a documented legal need. The Whatcom County order packet states this directly: Chapter 70.58A RCW and Chapter 246-491 WAC require all applicants to be qualified, provide identity documentation, and provide proof of eligibility. Noncertified informational copies are available to a broader group and work well for genealogy.

Washington State Digital Archives Death Index

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index is the best free starting point for searching Whatcom County obituary and death records before 1989. The index covers all Washington deaths from July 1, 1907 through 1960 and again from 1965 through 2017. Over 2.3 million records are in the index. Searches are free and open to anyone without creating an account.

The 1907 to 1960 portion of the index is more detailed, as volunteers transcribed those records from original certificates. Entries often include cause of death, surviving relatives, and place of burial. The 1965 to 2017 portion was supplied directly by the Department of Health and has less detail, but it still confirms name, date, and county of death. Death records for the years 1961 through 1964 are not available online; those are on microfilm at the State Archives in Olympia.

The Washington State Archives Northwest Regional Branch, located at 808 25th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9123 (phone 360-650-3125), holds some Whatcom County birth and death records from January 1891 to July 1907. This branch is physically accessible to Whatcom County researchers and can be contacted at nwbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov for information on what specific records are available.

Images of actual death certificates are available through the Digital Archives for deaths more than 25 years ago. If you find a name in the index and need a certified copy, contact the Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312.

The page shown here is the Washington State Digital Archives collection for Whatcom County vital records, one of the key free resources for historical Whatcom County death searches.

This resource allows free searching of the statewide death index and viewing of death certificate images for older Whatcom County deaths.

Whatcom County Historical Death Records

Whatcom County was created in 1854, and the county auditor began keeping birth and death records in January 1891. Those early death records from 1891 through July 1907 are now held at the Washington State Archives Northwest Regional Branch and have been digitized for the Washington State Digital Archives. FamilySearch also lists the Whatcom County Death Records, 1891-1907, as an index and images collection, and several other important collections are available there:

• Bellingham City Clerk, Register of Deaths, 1904-1915 (index and images)
• Department of Health Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1997 (index and images)
• Death Index, 1907-1960 and 1965-2020 (index and images)
• Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries, Fatal Accident Cards, 1915-1928
• Lynden City Clerk (Whatcom County), Burial Transit Permits, 1935-1971 (index and images)

The Whatcom County Courthouse at 311 Grand Street, Bellingham, WA 98225 (360-676-6777) holds marriages from 1870, land records from 1854, probates from 1872, and court records from 1883. These supporting records often help establish the context for a death, especially when tracing an estate or identifying surviving heirs. Divorce records are held by the Clerk of the Superior Court.

The Washington State Library holds microfilm copies of Whatcom County death registers in its genealogy collection. Researchers can submit specific lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service on the Washington State Library vital records LibGuide. The guide also explains the full record structure for Washington death records by time period.

Bellingham Cemetery Records and Local Collections

The City of Bellingham Records for Bayview Cemetery is a free online database covering burial records compiled from December 8, 2025, with dates of death ranging from 1888 through 2022 and a total of 25,748 records. Each entry shows the surname, given name, burial date, plot section, lot number, grave number, burial type (casket or cremation), and service number. The database includes family plot designations and veterans sections, and it represents the official city cemetery burial records in a searchable online format. Bayview Cemetery is the main public cemetery serving Bellingham and is a key starting point for any Whatcom County death research tied to the county seat.

The Whatcom Genealogical Society offers publications specifically for Whatcom County death research. Their "Cemetery Records of Whatcom County, Washington" was compiled using death certificates from the Whatcom County Health Department, death records in the Auditor's Office, all known records from local funeral homes, obituaries from Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, and other regional newspapers, and all known cemetery records. The PDF digital download is available through the Whatcom Genealogical Society publications page for $28. The society also offers "Civil War Veterans Buried in Whatcom County" with biographies and photographs, as well as Whatcom County Census transcripts for 1871, 1885, 1887, 1889, and 1904.

The page shown here is an additional Washington State Digital Archives collection relevant to Whatcom County vital records research, covering the county auditor and health department records.

This collection at the Digital Archives covers Whatcom County vital records documents and is a secondary resource for researching historical deaths in the county.

Vital record information for Whatcom County is also summarized on the wagenweb.org Whatcom County vital records page, which explains which office holds which records by time period and provides address and contact information for the Northwest Regional Archives, the state office, and the county health department.

Ordering Whatcom County Death Certificates

For recent deaths, the Whatcom County Health and Community Services office at 509 Girard Street, Bellingham can issue certified death certificates for deaths in the county from 1989 to present, at a fee of $25 per certificate. Orders can also be placed online at http://www.whatcomcounty.us/3311. For deaths before 1989, you must order through the Washington State Department of Health. The state DOH ordering page covers the full process.

Mail orders sent to the state take about 8 to 10 weeks. Online and phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate and typically ship within 3 to 7 business days. The Consumer Resource Center at 206-464-6684 or 800-551-4636 (Washington only) is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For questions about specific Whatcom County records, the Northwest Regional Archives branch in Bellingham at (360) 650-3125 can also help point you to the right collection.

Certified long form certificates include cause and manner of death and the Social Security number and are limited to qualified applicants under RCW 70.58A.520 and 70.58A.530. Short form certificates omit that data and are used for probate, property, and similar legal needs. Noncertified informational copies are available to a broader audience and are well suited for genealogy use when you don't need a legally certified document.

Genealogy Resources for Whatcom County Deaths

Researchers tracing family history in Whatcom County can draw on a rich set of local and state resources. FamilySearch holds the Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 as both indexed and image collections, and the Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 as a searchable index. The FamilySearch wiki page at Whatcom County, Washington Genealogy lists all available digital collections and explains what is in each one. These are all free to access with a FamilySearch account.

The Social Security Death Index covers most deaths from 1935 onward and is searchable free through FamilySearch and other genealogy platforms. For newspaper obituaries, the Bellingham Herald and its predecessors are the main local source. Back issues have been microfilmed and are accessible at the Washington State Library, the Northwest Regional Archives, and through some library subscription databases. Local libraries in Bellingham also hold newspaper collections; the city of Bellingham's library system offers genealogy reference services.

FindAGrave has listings for Whatcom County cemeteries including Bayview Cemetery, Greenacres Memorial Park, and dozens of smaller rural cemeteries. Many entries include photos of markers and links to submitted obituaries. The Whatcom Genealogical Society is a local resource that accepts research inquiries and holds specialized collections including the county cemetery records publication described above. The Washington State Library's Ask-A-Librarian service can also handle specific death record lookups through the statewide microfiche index covering 1907 through 2004.

The city of Bellingham is the county seat and the largest community in Whatcom County. A dedicated city page for Bellingham is planned but not yet available on this site. Researchers focused on Bellingham deaths should use the county-level and state-level resources described here, as all deaths in the city are registered through the same county and state systems.

Note: The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page for Washington confirms that the Center for Health Statistics holds records from July 1, 1907 to present for Whatcom County and all other Washington counties, and can be reached at (360) 236-4300.

Cities in Whatcom County

Bellingham is the county seat and the largest city in Whatcom County. A dedicated city page for Bellingham is not yet available on this site. Other communities include Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, and Birch Bay.

Nearby Counties

Whatcom County borders several other Washington counties and Canada to the north. Each has its own vital records and court system.