|
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
↓
State File Number
↓
State File Number
↓
Several years of indices (1920-1924 deaths and 1930-1951 deaths) are listed according to the Russell Soundex method of indexing.
Effective July 1, 2013, The Division of Vital Records will no longer accept applications for non-certified copies of birth and death records. Applications for non-certified copies will be processed by the Pennsylvania State Archives. You may visit the Pennsylvania State Archives website for further information regarding public records.
The Division of Vital Records will continue to issue certified copies of birth and death records from 1906 to the present.
To apply for a certified copy of a birth or death certificate from The Division of Vital Records, you may download the Application for Certified Copy of Birth Record or Application for Certified Copy of Death Record.
Mail the completed application and payment to:
Division of Vital Records
ATTN: Public Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
There is a $10.00 fee for each certified copy of birth and a $9.00 fee for each certified copy of death ordered. Check or money order should be made payable to Vital Records.
|
