Are Kansas Death Certificates public record?
Mia Phillips
Updated on February 27, 2026
Eligibility: Birth, stillbirth, death, marriage, and divorce records (vital records) in Kansas are not public records.
When did Kansas start keeping death certificates?
July 1, 1911
The State of Kansas started keeping official records of deaths on July 1, 1911. Currently, the Office of Vital Statistics does allow requests for genealogical research. Pre-1940 records may be requested by an individual related as at least a cousin. Proof of relationship is required.
How do I find death records in Kansas?
To find a date of death, check the probate court index for the county of death to see if a case was filed. If KSHS doesn’t have microfilm of the probate index or case files for that county, see the directory of Kansas District Courts for contact information.
How do I find death certificates?
You order a death certificate by visiting the vital records section of the health department in person or by mailing in an application. Many states provide the request forms online and some accept requests by phone.
Are death records public information?
Death records are public record. Just like Marriage and Divorce records its handled on the local county level. In general these records are refereed to as vital records. Check your records and others and make sure they are clean at checkingrecords.com before applying to do anything or just getting dirt on someone.
Are death certificates public records?
In the US, generally speaking, death certificates are a matter of public record. Most such records are kept by the county in which the person died or in which the person held a primary residence, and there is generally a fee involved in requesting a copy of such document.
Are obituaries public information?
Obituaries are public notices of someone’s death. They are usually placed in a local newspaper. Along with informing the public in the present, obituaries are also used as historical research. In this article, we discuss how to find an obituary for someone. However, first, we describe how an obituary should be written.