How to get a death certificate in Tennessee

Fees and where to order in Tennessee

• Fee: $15.00 for each certified copy (Department of Health rule 1200-07-01-.13(3)(a) and the state application). The $15 pays for the record search and includes one copy if the record is found; it is not refunded if the record is not on file.
• Veterans: up to three free copies of a veteran's death certificate may be provided to a relative within two degrees of kinship (rule 1200-07-01-.13(3)(j)).
• County health departments: every county health department can issue any death certificate registered in Tennessee, so you do not need to go to the county where the death happened. Bring ID and the fee.
• Who can order: qualified applicants are a parent, child or spouse. Others must bring documents showing their right to the certificate, such as letters testamentary or an insurance policy naming them as beneficiary.
• Cause of death is shown only for the deceased's parent, child or spouse, or an attorney or agency acting for the estate or a qualifying family member. The application asks whether you want it shown.
• Mail: send the Application for Certified Copy of a Tennessee Certificate of Death (form PH-1663), $15.00 per copy by check or money order payable to Tennessee Vital Records, and a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID unless the application is notarized. Mail to Tennessee Vital Records, Andrew Johnson Tower, 1st Floor, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243. If you hear nothing within 45 days, call (615) 741-1763.
• In person: the main office is at the same Nashville address, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The entrance is on the Rosa Parks Blvd. side of the building.
• The Office of Vital Records holds records for the past 50 years; older records are at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
• Online ordering: the state's vital records help center describes other ways to order, but it showed a browser check and was not read. See the unverified list.
• Filing: the funeral director who first takes custody of the body files the death certificate within five days (T.C.A. 68-3-502). Paper death certificates have not been accepted since July 16, 2018.
• Official ordering page: https://www.tn.gov/health/vr.html

Sources: TDH Office of Vital Records, Application for Certified Copy of a Tennessee Certificate of Death (PH-1663); TDH, Tennessee Office of Vital Records; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-07-01-.13(3)(j); T.C.A. 68-3-502(b), reprinted in TDH County Medical Examiner Handbook (2024)

How the death certificate fits the cremation timeline

Every cremation in Tennessee needs the approval of the medical examiner in the county where the death happened, and a Permit for Cremation from the local health department. The state permit fee is $25. Your funeral home normally handles both, because every Tennessee cremation must be arranged through a licensed funeral establishment.

• Medical examiner: the Department of Health's handbook says the county medical examiner must approve all deaths where cremation is the final disposition, as a last check that deaths needing investigation were reported.
• Anyone who knows of a death where the body is to be cremated must notify the county medical examiner, or the district attorney, police or sheriff, who then notify the medical examiner (T.C.A. 38-7-108(a)).
• Permit for Cremation of Human Remains (form PH-3752): the $25.00 fee goes to the local health department in the county of death when applying. The funeral director or applicant must get the medical examiner's authorization, and the local or deputy registrar grants the permit. After cremation, a copy goes back to the registrar.
• The $25 fee for a permit to cremate is set in Department of Health rule 1200-07-01-.13(3)(l).
• The Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers checks at inspections that each cremation had the required permit from the health department (listed under 62-5-504, prerequisites to cremation).
• All cremations in Tennessee must be arranged through a licensed funeral establishment and directly supervised by a licensed funeral director (Board rule 0660-09-.01(7)). A crematory must itself be licensed by the Board as a funeral establishment (0660-09-.01(1)).
• Each crematory's cremation authorization form must be approved by the Board (0660-09-.01(8)). The Board's pre-approved form lists implants to remove, who may witness the cremation, where the ashes go, and the surviving relatives. The funeral director signs that the permits were obtained and attached.
• Medical examiner fees: no separate county medical examiner fee for cremation approval was found in the sources read. See the unverified list.
• If a body is subject to a medical examiner's examination, it may not be embalmed without the examiner's authorization (38-7-108(b)).

Sources: TDH Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner, County Medical Examiner Handbook (2024); TDH Office of Vital Records, Permit for Cremation of Human Remains (PH-3752); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-07-01-.13(3)(l); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0660-09-.01(7)(a); Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, Human Crematory Inspection Report (IN-1974)

What to use the certified copies for

Social Security pays a one-time $255 death payment to a surviving spouse. If there is no spouse, some children may get it. You must apply within 2 years of the death, by phone or online after signing in.

Banks, insurers, pension plans, the VA and the county recorder each usually want their own certified copy, so ask the funeral home how many to order at the start. Extra copies ordered at the same time often cost less.

• A spouse who lived with the person may qualify. A spouse living apart may qualify if they can get benefits on the deceased's record.
• If there is no spouse, eligible children include those 17 or younger, 18 to 19 in school (K to 12) full time, or any age if disabled before age 22 ("at age 21 or younger").
• Apply within 2 years of the death.
• Phone: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; tell the representative you want to apply for a lump-sum death payment. The page also offers an online application after signing in to an account.

Source: SSA, Lump-sum death payment