Vitals

Certified copy of a Birth, Death, or Marriage

The Department of Public Health has developed a new application form to meet the requirements of the federal legislation over the past year. The change that we need to specifically note is the requirement that a mailed-in application will require notarization of applicant’s signature and also require a photocopy of current driver’s license or other Government issued I.D. A letter of application can still be used to apply for a certified copy in lieu of this form, provided we are given all the proper information, and the signature on letter is notarized and photocopy of I.D.
Implementation of this new form begins March 13, 2006.

Request at County:

  1. Complete Vital Request Application for certified copies of vital records.
  2. Entitled person include the person named on the record of that person’s spouse,
    children, legal parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, or legal representative
    or guardian. Legal guardians and representatives must also provide additional proof of
    guardianship or representation.
  3. Application for certified copy requires a fee of $15 for the record search and includes
    one certified copy. Each additional copy for the same record is also $15. If the record
    is not located, the applicant receives a notification to that effect. The $15 fee is retained
    for the search. Fees are payable by cash, credit card, check or money order made out to the Louisa
    County Recorder.
  4. The Recorder has births and deaths from 1880 to 1934, then from 1941 to present.
    Marriage records from 1842 to present. Records not at the county level are single-parent
    births prior to July 1, 1995; adoptions; any record ordered sealed by a court of law.
    Birth records from 1921 to 1941 should be obtained from the state.
  5. Show current driver’s license or other Government issued I.D.

Request at the State:

See State Vital Records website Click Here

Genealogy

We have birth, death, marriages, and cemetery records. Genealogical searches can be done by
mail. You may also come into the office and search in person. We do not do searches from phone calls. Plain paper copies of vital records can only be made, for $5.00 per copy.

  • The local libraries have microfilmed newspaper, census records, etc.
  • The Genealogical Society have a IowaGenWeb site, to go there click here
  • The Genealogical Society have a web site, to go there click here
  • The Genealogical Society have a cemetery search web site, to go there click here