Gainesville Obituary Search

Obituary and death records in Gainesville are processed by the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County. Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County and home to about 149,000 people, including the large student population at the University of Florida. The Alachua County DOH office is located right in Gainesville, which makes in-person requests easier than in many other Florida cities. This page covers how to get death certificates, what they cost, and where to look for obituary information related to Gainesville residents.

Alachua County DOH Office in Gainesville

The Alachua County DOH office sits on SE 24th Street in Gainesville. Since Gainesville is the county seat, residents don't have to drive to another city to handle vital records in person. This is a real advantage compared to cities in larger counties where the DOH office may be 20 or 30 miles away. You can walk in during business hours to request death certificates for people who died in Alachua County.

Bring a valid photo ID when you visit. You also need the full name of the person who died, their date of death, and their date of birth if possible. For death certificates with cause of death, be ready to show proof that you are an eligible family member. The Gainesville office is smaller than the DOH offices in places like Miami-Dade or Broward, so wait times tend to be shorter. Still, going early in the morning is a smart move.

How to Get Gainesville Death Records

There are three ways to get death certificates for Gainesville residents. In person at the Alachua County office is fastest. Mail and online orders work too but take longer.

For in-person requests, go to the DOH office on SE 24th Street. Fill out the DH727 application, pay your fee, and you can often leave with your copy the same day. The Alachua County office charges $10 for the first certified copy, which includes the search fee. Each additional copy is $4. That first-copy fee is higher than the state base rate of $5, so be aware of that. The office takes cash, check, and money order.

Mail orders go to the state office at 1217 N Pearl St, Jacksonville, FL 32202. Send the completed DH727 form with a check or money order for $5 (the state rate) plus $1 for shipping. Jacksonville is only about 70 miles from Gainesville, but mail processing still takes four to six weeks. You can add $10 for rush handling. If the death happened in Alachua County and is from 2009 or later, the state office will pull it from the county records. For older deaths, they search the state archive.

VitalChek is the online alternative. Order at www.VitalChek.com or by phone at 1-877-550-7330. The cost is $15 for the first copy plus $7 processing. It ships to your address in Gainesville. This is useful if you don't want to drive to the office or mail anything. Delivery usually takes two to three weeks.

Gainesville Death Certificate Fees

The Alachua County DOH office has its own fee schedule for death certificates. It is a bit different from the state base rate. Here is what you can expect to pay depending on the method you use.

• In-person at Alachua County DOH: $10 first copy, $4 each additional
• By mail to state office: $5 first copy, $4 additional, $1 shipping
• Rush processing (mail): $10 extra
• VitalChek online: $15 + $7 processing fee

The gap between the county fee and the state fee is worth noting. If you mail your request to Jacksonville, you pay $5 for the first copy. If you walk into the Gainesville office, it is $10. But you get it the same day in person, which matters if time is tight. Many Gainesville residents choose the in-person route despite the higher cost because the office is right in town. If you need several copies, order them all at once. The $4 rate for extras applies no matter which method you use.

Types of Gainesville Death Records

Florida issues two kinds of death certificates. Gainesville residents should know the difference before placing an order.

A death certificate without cause of death can be requested by anyone 18 or older. This is a public record. It shows the name, date and place of death, and basic details about the deceased. It does not show what caused the death. Under Florida Statutes Chapter 382, cause of death is confidential for 50 years. Only eligible family members can get the full version with cause of death listed. You need to prove your relationship at the Alachua County office when requesting that version.

For Gainesville researchers doing genealogy, the public version is usually enough. It confirms when and where a person died. The Public Records Law in Chapter 119 supports broad access to government records, but vital records have specific rules that override the general law for certain details.

Gainesville Historical Death Records

The Alachua County DOH keeps death records from 2009 forward. For deaths before that year, the state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville has records back to 1877. Gainesville has been a city since the 1850s, so some very old records may exist in the state archive.

The Florida Memory website has free digitized historical records. It is run by the State Library and Archives of Florida. The Alachua County Library District in Gainesville also has genealogy resources and local history collections. The University of Florida libraries hold some historical records too, and the Smathers Libraries special collections can be a good source for researchers looking into Gainesville area death and burial records from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Local newspapers like the Gainesville Sun have published obituary notices for decades. Their archives can help fill in gaps when official records are hard to find. The City of Gainesville website does not handle vital records directly, but it links to community resources that may help point you in the right direction.

Gainesville Obituary Resources

Beyond the county DOH, several other sources may help you find obituary information for Gainesville residents. Funeral homes in the area typically post obituary notices on their websites and on Legacy.com. The Gainesville Sun runs obituaries daily, and its online archive goes back many years. These newspaper and funeral home listings are not official death certificates, but they provide useful information like date of death, surviving family, and service details.

For official records, the Florida DOH death certificates page has forms and instructions that work for all Gainesville requests. The state office in Jacksonville can also help if you are not sure which county a death was registered in. They have a statewide index that covers all 67 Florida counties.

Alachua County Obituary Records

Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County. All death certificates for the city go through the Alachua County DOH office. For the full county page with more details on the office, fees, eligibility, and nearby resources, check the link below.

View Alachua County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

Other Florida cities with obituary and death record guides:

• Jacksonville
• Tallahassee
• Daytona Beach