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Act 110 – Public Records
(formerly known as Senate Bill 361)
On December 15, 2011, Governor Tom Corbett approved Senate Bill 361.
This bill amends the Act of June 29, 1953 (P.L. 304, No. 66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, to provide for public access to certain birth and death certificates after a fixed amount of time has passed. This legislation provides that such documents become public records 105 years after the date of birth or 50 years after the date of death.
To apply for a non-certified copy you must first search the Pennsylvania birth indices or death indices to obtain a Pennsylvania State File number.
Below are several examples of where to locate the State File Number in the indices:
State File Number
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State File Number
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State File Number
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Several years of indices (1920-1924 deaths and 1930-1951 deaths) are listed according to the Russell Soundex method of indexing.
You must provide the Pennsylvania State File number on Part 2 of the application form. Applications received without a State File number will not be processed and will be returned to the applicant to obtain that information.
You may download the birth application form to apply for a non-certified copy of birth from 1906 through 1907. To apply for a non-certified copy of a death certificate from 1906 through 1962 you may download the death application form .
Mail the completed application to:
Division of Vital Records
ATTN: Public Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
There is a $3.00 fee for each non-certified copy ordered. Check or money order should be made payable to Vital Records. Mail requests are processed in approximately sixteen to eighteen weeks from the date of receipt.
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