Search Allen County Death Index

Allen County death index records are managed by the Allen County Department of Health in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As the second most populous county in the state, Allen County processes a high volume of death certificate requests each year. The department issues certified copies for all deaths that took place in Fort Wayne and the rest of Allen County. You can request records through walk-in service, by mail, or online through an approved vendor. This guide covers every step of the process.

Allen County Death Records Department

The Allen County Department of Health is the local registrar for death records in this county. Their office is at 4813 New Haven Ave., Fort Wayne, IN 46803. Call them at (260) 449-7561 or fax your request to (260) 449-7895. You can also email questions to health@allencountyhealth.com. The department issues certified birth and death certificates for all births and deaths that happened in Fort Wayne and Allen County. This is straight from their own website. Walk-in, mail-in, and online options are all available.

The department accepts cash, money orders, debit cards, and credit cards. That gives you more payment options than some smaller county health departments in Indiana. Having a fax line and email address also makes Allen County easier to reach if you have questions before placing your request. Many people in the Fort Wayne area prefer to just walk in, get their copy, and leave the same day.

How to Get Allen County Death Certificates

The Allen County vital records page lays out the three ways to order. Walk-in service is the fastest. Head to the office during business hours with valid photo ID, the name and date of death, and $15.00 for the fee. If the record is on file, you can often walk out with a certified copy the same day. This is a big advantage over ordering through the state, which can take weeks.

Mail orders work too. Send a written request with the full name of the deceased, date of death, your relationship, a copy of your ID, and payment of $15.00 to the Allen County Department of Health. Make your check or money order payable to the department. Allow extra time for mail delivery and processing. The office handles a lot of requests, so be patient.

Online orders for Allen County death certificates go through VitalChek. This is a third-party service the county works with for online and phone orders. VitalChek adds its own service fee on top of the base certificate price. You can also call VitalChek at (866) 601-0891. That phone line runs 24 hours a day. It is a good choice when the office is closed or you cannot make the trip to Fort Wayne.

Allen County Death Index Search Process

When you request a death record from Allen County, the staff searches their death index for a match. The search fee is built into the $15.00 cost. Under IC 16-37-1-11, fees for searching vital records in Indiana are not refundable. Even if no record turns up, you pay the full amount. This is state law, not just an Allen County rule. One certified copy is included with the search if the record exists.

Allen County death records go back to 1882. That gives researchers and family members access to more than a century of records from one of the largest counties in Indiana. For deaths between 1882 and 1899, the county health department is the only source. The state did not begin recording deaths until 1900.

Note: Allen County only issues death certificates for deaths that took place within the county.

Death Index Eligibility Rules

Indiana law controls who can get a certified death certificate. The rules in IC 16-37-1-10 apply at the Allen County office just like they do everywhere else in the state. You must have a direct connection to the person named on the record. The department checks your ID and your relationship before they hand over a certified copy.

People who qualify include parents, spouses, siblings age 18 and up, children and grandchildren age 18 and up, grandparents, aunts, uncles, attorneys, and court-appointed legal guardians. State and federal agencies can also make requests. You always need one primary ID like a driver's license or passport. Two secondary documents are required as well, such as a Social Security card or voter registration card. Keep these ready when you visit or include copies with a mail request.

Fort Wayne Death Records

Fort Wayne is the county seat and the largest city in Allen County. All death records for Fort Wayne residents are filed through the Allen County Department of Health. There is no separate city office for vital records. If someone died in Fort Wayne, the Allen County death index is where you search. The same applies to other communities within the county like New Haven, Grabill, and Woodburn.

The Allen County Department of Health serves as the registrar for a population of more than 380,000 people across the county. Fort Wayne alone accounts for roughly 270,000 of those residents. The high volume means the office processes thousands of death certificate requests each year. Despite the workload, same-day walk-in service is still available most of the time.

The screenshot above shows the Allen County health department's web page where you can find contact details and directions to their office. Check their site for any updates on hours or procedures before you make the trip.

Allen County Genealogy Death Records

Genealogists who need old death records from Allen County should know about the 75-year rule. For research purposes, the deceased person must have been dead for at least 75 years, and you need proof they have passed. This rule exists under Indiana state statute and applies at both the county and state level. The Allen County death index stretching back to 1882 is a strong resource for anyone piecing together family lines in northeastern Indiana.

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis keeps a large genealogy collection with more than 40,000 items. Their holdings include family histories, cemetery records, and death record indexes that cover Allen County. The library sits at 315 W. Ohio Street and is open Monday through Friday. You can call their reference desk at 317-232-3689.

Indiana's electronic death registration system, set up under IC 16-37-1-3.1, has made newer records easier to find. Funeral directors file death records through this digital system, which speeds up the time it takes for a record to show up in the death index. For older records, you still rely on the paper files kept at the county office.

State Resources for Allen County

The Indiana Department of Health keeps Allen County death records from 1900 forward in their central database. The state fee is $8.00 per search, which is less than the county charges. But state orders are slower. Mail requests take two weeks to arrive at the office and then 10 to 15 business days for processing. The state order page has forms and full instructions.

For those who are not sure where a death took place, the local health department map can help you locate the right county office. Indiana's public records act under IC 5-14-3 supports the public's right to access government records, though death certificates still have eligibility limits set by state law.

Nearby Counties

If the death did not take place in Allen County, the record is filed in whichever county the death actually happened in. These are the counties that border Allen County.