Order a Colorado Death Certificate

1. Photocopy of the requester’s valid acceptable identification
2. Completed death certificate application (English | Spanish)
3. Payment
   1. Checks
   2. Cash
   3. All major credit cards
   4. Money orders

Click to view applications available in other languages.

• The person named on the death record as informant, with approved forms of identification.
• Spouse (must be listed on the death certificate as spouse)
• Members of the immediate family (parents, siblings, or children), with required proof of relationship
• Legal representative with required evidence of relationship and direct and tangible interest.
• Ex-spouse who can demonstrate a direct and tangible interest.

To prove your relationship, we accept:

• Birth/Death certificates
• Court-approved personal representative paperwork
• Legal representative of those named in the above headings
• Others demonstrating a Direct and Tangible interest for the record.

Contact our office if you have any questions.

• Insurance benefits
• Social Security benefits
• Selling property
• Closing accounts
• Genealogy and/or family history

Please view the approved list of acceptable identification documents.

View our list of applications for the list in other languages.

• You may apply online through a third-party website: VitalChek.
• You may go directly to the State Vital Records office and go through an appeal process.
• You may contact us for additional information at 720.200.1401.

Standard Death Certificate

• Contains the complete record, including the cause and manner of death.
• This is the only certificate type that includes medical information.
• Commonly used for insurance claims and Social Security benefits.
• Accepted by agencies when the full record, including medical information, is appropriate.

Legal Death Certificate

• Contains the decedent’s legal information, such as Social Security number, demographic information, and disposition details.
• Commonly used to close bank accounts or utility accounts and to transfer or sell property.

Verification of Death Certificate

• Contains limited information, such as a partial Social Security number, date, time, and place of death, and the decedent’s address.
• Commonly used to close bank accounts or utility accounts and to transfer or sell property.

The appropriate certificate depends on the purpose for which it is needed.

• Insurance claims or Social Security benefits: Standard Death Certificate.
• Closing accounts or transferring or selling property: Legal Death Certificate or Verification of Death Certificate, depending on the receiving agency’s requirements.

Before placing your order, check with the agency or organization requesting the certificate to confirm which type they will accept.

• In-person requests usually take from 15-20 minutes.
• Emailed/mail requests will take 2-3 business days to process once we receive all the necessary documents, as outlined above.
• Online requests will receive a confirmation email with all the details of how the order is being handled.
• The delivery timeframe after processing is 5-7 business days via mail and two business days via UPS within the continental U.S.

Please note that if missing or incorrect information is provided, a follow-up email will be sent to confirm the information or documentation needed for processing.

Please contact our office to verify your mailing address. You may also choose to pick up your certificate in person at our office.

• First return: Your order will be mailed one additional time via regular mail, or you may pick it up in person.
• Second return: You will be required to pay a $25 UPS shipping fee if you would like the certificate mailed again. This allows both you and our office to track the shipment and verify delivery. You may also choose to pick up your certificate in person.

Next steps depend on how much time has passed since we mailed your order.

• Less than 30 days: Contact our office to verify the mailing date. Please allow 30 days from the mailing date for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your order or return it to our office.
• More than 30 days but less than 6 months: If 30 days have passed since your order was mailed and you have not received it, and it has not been returned to our office, contact us for assistance with processing a replacement order.
• More than 6 months: If more than 6 months have passed since your order was mailed and you have not contacted our office, you will need to place a new order and pay the applicable fees for a new certificate.

If the person passed away in Colorado, you may obtain the death certificate at ANY Vital Records office in the State of Colorado.

Note that if the individual died before 1975, the death certificate can only be obtained from the Colorado State Vital Records Office.

No. You must contact the State Vital Records Office in the state where the death occurred, or you can also apply through a secure third-party website: VitalChek or GoCertificates.

To request a correction or make a change to a death certificate, you must submit the following through the State Vital Records Office:

• Completed Death Certificate Correction Form
• Copy of your identification
• Documentary evidence of the change or correction as outlined on page 2 of the correction form.
• Non-refundable processing fees of $25.

The State Vital Records Office is by appointment only. You must schedule an appointment for any in-person death corrections/changes.

• Shared property title (ex. land, home, car)
• Shared account statement (ex. bank, utilities)
• Birth Certificate of shared minor child
• Letter from insurance company/social security with the following requirements:
  • On their letterhead
  • Addressed to the requestor
  • Contains policy number and decedent’s name
  • States that the person requesting is the beneficiary and that a death certificate is required to issue benefits.

Marriage certificates can be obtained from the county clerk and recorder where you were married or from the Colorado State Vital Records Office.

A divorce decree can be obtained from the county courts in the county where the divorce was filed or from the Colorado State Vital Records Office.