Look Up Calhoun County Death Records

Obituary and death certificate requests in Calhoun County, Florida are handled by the Department of Health office in Blountstown. Calhoun County is one of the smallest and most rural counties in the Florida Panhandle, with just over 13,000 residents. Despite its size, the local DOH follows the same state rules and procedures that every Florida county uses for vital records. Here is how to search for and get death records in Calhoun County.

Calhoun County Health Department Office

The Florida Department of Health in Calhoun County runs out of a single office on State Road 69 in Blountstown. This is a small operation that serves a small county. Wait times are rarely an issue here. You might be the only person in the office when you walk in. That said, the staff handles all the same vital records services as bigger county offices, including death certificates, birth certificates, and other records.

Blountstown is the county seat and really the main town in Calhoun County. The DOH office is on State Road 69, north of downtown. If you are coming from Panama City (Bay County), it is about a 45-minute drive north. From Tallahassee, it is roughly an hour and a half west. The office is not hard to find, but cell service can be spotty in parts of Calhoun County, so get directions before you leave.

The Calhoun County DOH website has information on all health department services.

The Calhoun County health department site covers programs and services for county residents.

Note: Calhoun County does not have a dedicated vital records page on its DOH website, so call (850) 674-5645 for the most current information on ordering death certificates.

Ordering Calhoun County Death Certificates

There are three ways to get a death certificate from Calhoun County. In-person, by mail, and online. The process mirrors what every other Florida county does.

In-person visits are the simplest route for Calhoun County residents. Go to the DOH office at 19611 NE State Road 69 in Blountstown. Bring a valid photo ID and fill out form DH727 (or DH727S in Spanish). You will need to know the deceased person's full legal name, date of death, date of birth, and where in Calhoun County they died. The Social Security number is helpful but not always required. Processing typically takes 3 to 5 business days, though the small volume of requests at the Calhoun County office sometimes means faster turnaround.

For mail orders, send a completed DH727, a photocopy of your ID, a check or money order made payable to the Florida Department of Health, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Blountstown address. Figure on 2 to 3 weeks total from the time you mail the request to when you get the certificate back. Rural mail delivery in Calhoun County can sometimes add a day or two compared to urban areas.

Online orders go through VitalChek. This is the only vendor authorized by the state for online vital records. VitalChek charges $15 for the first certificate and $7 in processing fees. Extra copies are $4. Pay by credit or debit card. Standard delivery is 5 to 7 business days. For Calhoun County residents without easy access to the Blountstown office, VitalChek can be a practical alternative despite the higher cost.

Types of Death Certificates in Calhoun County

Florida issues two types of death certificates. Calhoun County follows the same rules as the rest of the state.

The public version leaves out cause of death. Any person 18 or older can request it. No family connection is needed. It lists the deceased person's name, date and place of death, and other identifying facts. The first five digits of the SSN are blacked out under Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes. This public version is enough for many common purposes, including genealogy and basic proof that a death took place in Calhoun County.

The confidential version lists cause of death. It is locked down for 50 years from the date of death. Only certain people qualify: a surviving spouse, parent, adult child or grandchild, adult sibling, or someone who can prove an estate interest (named in a will or insurance policy). You might need to submit DH Form 1959, the affidavit showing your eligibility. A court order also works. In a county as small as Calhoun, the staff at the DOH office can usually walk you through the eligibility process in person without much wait.

If you are not sure which version you need, think about what you plan to do with it. Insurance companies and attorneys often need the cause of death version. For everything else, the public version usually works.

Calhoun County Death Record Fees

Calhoun County follows the state fee schedule. A $5 search fee includes one certified copy of the death certificate. Each additional copy at the same time costs $4. In-person payments can be cash, check, or money order.

If you do not know the exact year of death, the state charges $2 for each year searched, up to $50 total. Pre-2009 records have to come from the state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, which may charge a $10 rush fee for expedited processing. Shipping from the state bureau adds $1 per order. These extra fees only come into play when the Calhoun County office does not have the record on hand.

VitalChek costs more. The first certificate is $15, processing is $7, and extras run $4. For a single Calhoun County death certificate online, you are looking at about $22 before shipping. The in-person option at the Blountstown office saves a good chunk of money if you can make the trip.

Note: Calhoun County is a small county with low request volume, which can sometimes mean faster processing than the standard 3 to 5 business day estimate.

Historical Records and Calhoun County Genealogy

The Calhoun County DOH keeps death records from 2009 to the present. For older records, you need to go through the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics at 1217 N Pearl St, Jacksonville, FL 32202. Call (904) 359-6900 or email VitalStats@FLHealth.gov. The state has death records going back to 1877. Calhoun County was created in 1838, so state records may cover a significant portion of the county's existence.

Florida's vital statistics framework sits in Chapter 382 of the Florida Statutes. Section 382.008 requires electronic filing of death certificates within five days. Section 382.016 authorizes the Calhoun County DOH and other local registrars to issue certified copies. These statutes apply uniformly across the state, no matter how big or small the county.

For genealogy research in Calhoun County, the Florida Memory Project is a valuable free resource. The State Library and Archives runs it and it holds digitized historical documents, photographs, and records. The Calhoun County Public Library in Blountstown may have local genealogy resources and newspaper archives on microfilm. The Florida Clerks of Court website can help locate probate records and other court documents from before 1927 that might include death information for early Calhoun County families.

The Calhoun County government website provides links to county offices and public services.

The Calhoun County government portal connects residents with local departments and county information.

More Calhoun County Resources

The Florida DOH Bureau of Vital Statistics is the state-level repository for all death records. When the Calhoun County office cannot help, the state bureau is the next step. They handle older records, out-of-county deaths, and any requests the local office is not able to fill.

Funeral homes in Calhoun County are another source for obituary information. The county is small, so there are only a few funeral homes, but they tend to keep thorough records. Local newspapers, including publications that serve the broader Panhandle area, run obituaries for Calhoun County residents. The Calhoun-Liberty Journal is one local option. Some funeral homes in the area also post obituaries on their own websites.

Lying on a vital records application is a third-degree felony in Florida under Chapter 775 of the state statutes. This is the law everywhere in the state, Calhoun County included. Always bring a valid photo ID and provide truthful information on every form you submit. Even in a small county where the staff may know you by name, the legal requirements do not change.

Nearby Counties

Calhoun County sits in the central Panhandle. These neighboring counties each have their own DOH office for death record requests.