Port St. Lucie Obituary Search

Port St. Lucie obituary and death records are managed by the St. Lucie County Department of Health. With close to 259,000 people, Port St. Lucie is the largest city in St. Lucie County and one of the fastest-growing cities on Florida's Treasure Coast. The St. Lucie County DOH vital records office on NW Milner Drive holds death certificates from 2009 to the present. Residents can visit the office for walk-in service during regular hours. The location is right in Port St. Lucie, so you do not need to leave the city to get local death records.

St. Lucie County DOH Office

The St. Lucie County Department of Health vital records office is where Port St. Lucie residents go to get death certificates. The office is on NW Milner Drive, which means you can handle everything without leaving the city limits. Death records from 2009 onward are on file here. For deaths that happened before that year, the state bureau in Jacksonville holds the records and you would need to request those separately.

Bring a valid photo ID when you visit the office. Fill out the request form at the front desk and pay the fee. Staff can usually process your request the same day. Call ahead at (772) 462-3800 to check on current wait times and confirm the fee amounts before you make the trip. The Port St. Lucie DOH office tends to be less crowded than offices in larger Florida cities, which is a plus for quick visits.

Getting Death Records in Port St. Lucie

Port St. Lucie residents can get death records in person, by mail, or online. The in-person route at the NW Milner Drive office is the fastest for recent deaths. Bring your ID and payment, and you can leave with a certified copy the same day. This is the best option when you need a death record right away.

For mail requests, use Form DH727 from the Florida DOH website. Send the completed form to the St. Lucie County DOH with a check or money order and a copy of your photo ID. Allow two to three weeks for processing. The state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville also takes mail requests and has records going back to 1877 for Port St. Lucie deaths and deaths across all of Florida.

The City of Port St. Lucie website has links to county and state services, though the city does not issue death certificates directly. It is a useful starting point for finding forms and contact information for the DOH office.

Online orders go through VitalChek, the approved vendor for Florida vital records. The fee is $15 for the first copy plus $7 for processing. Call 1-877-550-7330 to order by phone. Shipping takes five to seven business days. This works well if you cannot get to the Port St. Lucie office during the week.

Port St. Lucie Obituary Resources

Obituaries for Port St. Lucie residents appear in local papers like the Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm. The St. Lucie County Library System keeps archives of local publications. Library branches in Port St. Lucie have microfilm and digital newspaper databases you can search for specific obituary notices. Library staff can help you look up names and dates.

Historical death records from the Port St. Lucie area can sometimes be found through the Florida Memory project. The State Archives has digitized collections that include vital records indexes, military service cards, and pension files. These are searchable online at no cost. For older deaths in the Treasure Coast region, this can be a valuable resource when the county DOH does not have what you need.

Funeral homes in Port St. Lucie also keep records of the services they handle. If you know which funeral home arranged the service, a call to them may turn up helpful details about the deceased. Some of these records go back decades and can fill in gaps when official death certificates are incomplete or hard to locate.

Who Can Access Death Records

Florida law governs who can get death certificates in Port St. Lucie. The rules are the same across the state. A death certificate without cause of death is a public record. Any person age 18 or older can request one. You do not need to be related to the person who died. This version works for most uses, from settling estates to insurance claims and genealogy research.

A death certificate that includes the cause of death is confidential for 50 years under Florida Statutes Chapter 382. Only immediate family members and legal representatives of the estate can get this version. You must prove your relationship at the St. Lucie County DOH counter. A court order can also grant access if you have a legitimate legal need.

The state's public records law under Chapter 119 ensures the DOH must give you non-confidential death records if you pay the fee. No reason is needed for your request in Port St. Lucie.

Death Certificate Fees

Fees for death certificates in Port St. Lucie follow the St. Lucie County schedule. Here is what you can expect to pay depending on where and how you order:

• St. Lucie County DOH certified copy: call for current rate
• State bureau search and one copy (mail): $5
• State bureau extra copies: $4 each
• State rush processing: $10
• VitalChek online: $15 plus $7 processing

The state bureau in Jacksonville is the cheapest option for multiple copies at $5 for the first and $4 for each extra. For a single certified copy with same-day service, the local DOH office in Port St. Lucie is the most convenient. Call (772) 462-3800 to confirm the current county fee before you visit. Fees can change from time to time, so it is smart to check first.

St. Lucie County Obituary Records

Port St. Lucie is the main city in St. Lucie County, which covers the northern Treasure Coast. The county DOH office handles death records for Port St. Lucie and the surrounding communities. Visit the county page for more details on the office, related records, and additional resources.

View St. Lucie County Obituary Records

Nearby Cities

Other cities near Port St. Lucie with obituary and death record information are listed here. Each page has details on the local DOH and record access.