Vital Records
- Hours Vital Records are Issued
Monday - Friday
8:30am - 3:30pm
** Lunch 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Vital Records Management
The Vital Records division is charged with the registration, maintenance, and issuance of birth and death records for Putnam County. This office provides certified copies of birth and death records for events occurring in Putnam County and is available from 1882 to the present.
A certified birth certificate is the legal registration of a birth and is only issued by the county or state government. Persons must obtain their birth certificate from the county or state in which they were born.
A certified record of death can only be obtained from the county in which the individual passed away, no matter where he/she was buried. Costs for obtaining birth/death certificates and application procedures may vary from one Health Department to another.
- Obtain Birth and Death Certificates
We look forward to helping you with your record request. For more information please call (765) 653-0203.
Walk-In Service
The vital records office issues certificates Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:30am - 3:30pm (closed from Noon to 1:00 pm for lunch). Only individuals over 18 can apply for vital records. When requesting a certified copy of a birth certificate customers will need to complete an application. Proper identification must be provided to request a birth certificate, only individuals listed on the birth certificate or their immediate family (with proof of relationship) may apply. When requesting a certified copy of a death certificate customers will need to complete an application and provide a valid ID. Certified death certificates will only be issued to immediate family or an individual who has a direct interest in the record. ALL other requests for death records will be stamped "Not a Legal Copy" and will not have the Health Officer signature or Certifying Seal. Genealogy non-certified certificates of birth or death records are still available for ancestry research. If you wish to fill out the application prior to your visit, you can print out an Application for Birth Certificate or Application for Death Certificate.
US Mail
Those requesting a certified birth or death record by mail should print the appropriate application, Application for Birth Certificate, or Application for Death Certificate, and follow the directions closely. Mail your fully completed and notarized application, along with a photocopy of your identification and appropriate fees to the Putnam County Health Department at the address listed above. Certified copies of certificate requests are usually honored the same day as received, but omissions and errors may cause delays.
Online
For your convenience, you can process online requests through an independent company that Putnam County Health Department has partnered with to provide you this service; VitalChek Network, Inc. VitalChek can be reached through their website; VitalChek. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard®, or Visa®. Delivery may be expedited by choosing overnight or priority mail. Certified copies of certificate requests are usually honored the same day as received, but omissions and errors may cause delays.
*For birth and death records occurring in other Indiana counties, please contact that county health department regarding application procedures and fees. A list of Indiana county health departments and their websites can be found at www.in.gov/isdh/20422.htm. If you were born in another state, or wish to obtain a family member's death certificate, you can apply online at www.vitalchek.com, or contact the Health Department in the state in which the event occurred
- Genealogy
We look forward to helping you with your record family history search. For more information please call (765) 653-0203.
The genealogy search of family history is a growing interest to many people not only in our community but all across the country. The Putnam County Health Department, in an effort to make the vital records of our county more accessible, has built a customer-friendly computer database resource. Vital records in Putnam County are from 1882 to the present. Our computer database has all the birth records completed. While we are working as quickly as we can, the database for the death records is only complete from 1908 to the present. We can still generate the death records for all requested individuals who died in the county, but the records from 1882 to 1907 will need to be requested on an individual basis and entered into the database as they are requested until all records are entered. We also have index books that allow the customer to research family history by name and date of birth or death to help establish if the family member's record is indeed in Putnam County.
We look forward to helping you with your family history search.
For more information please call (765) 653-0203..