Death Certificates and Reports

Death Certificates

Funeral directors and physicians work together to prepare death certificates. The funeral director (or the organization that will perform burial or cremation) fills out the first portion of the certificate then a physician completes the certificate. If there is a coroner’s investigation, the coroner or deputy coroner is the physician who completes the certificate.

We know it is important to complete a death certificate as soon as reasonably possible. In some cases, we can do this within a few days. Often, though, the investigation takes longer. If so, we complete an initial certificate listing the cause and manner of death as "pending". As soon as we have sufficient information we complete a supplemental certificate listing the cause and manner.

Certified Copies

Only a certified copy of a death certificate is valid for legal purposes. Certified copies can be obtained from:

Clark County Combined Health District
529 E. Home Road
Springfield, OH 45505
Phone: 937-390-5609

Certified copies are also available from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and through a private vendor. Information is available at the ODH website. Usually, the funeral director will obtain copies of the certificate for the family. Should you have any questions about a certificate we have completed, do not hesitate to let us know

Reports

Copies of autopsy and other reports are available following completion of our investigation. If requested, a copy of any or all reports will be provided to the deceased person’s next-of-kin at no charge.

When only a limited examination has been performed, reports may be available within a few days. However when an autopsy has been performed, reports usually are not available for four to eight weeks. We will let you know when we expect the reports to be completed and, if you wish, will notify you when they are available.

Reports Are Public Records

By Ohio law, reports of our findings are public records. In releasing these and other records, the Clark County Coroner’s Office follows the requirements of the Ohio Public Records Act and of Ohio Revised Code 313.10.

Discussion of Findings

The coroner welcomes the opportunity to discuss our findings and conclusions with the next-of-kin and, when appropriate, with other family members. If you wish to meet with him, please don’t hesitate to let us know.