Pennsylvania birth, death, marriage and divorce records: where to look
Pennsylvania has issued birth and death certificates since 1906. Marriage and divorce records are not held at the state level; marriage licenses are filed with the county Clerk of Orphans' Court. The State Archives opens older birth and death records to the public.
At a glance
| Record | Years at the state | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Births in Pennsylvania since 1906. Earlier births: county courthouse. [1][3] | $20 per certificate regardless of quantity, plus a $10 service fee if ordering online. Non-refundable. [1] |
| Death | Deaths in Pennsylvania since 1906. [2] | $20 per certificate plus a $10 service fee online. Non-refundable. [2] |
| Marriage | Since September 30, 1885, county Clerks of Orphans' Court issue marriage licenses. [5] | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. |
| Divorce | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. |
Superscript numbers point to the official page each fact came from, listed at the bottom of this page.
Birth records
- Where it is kept
- The Division of Vital Records (mail, in person at a branch office, or online through the state's own portal). [1][4]
- Years covered
- Births in Pennsylvania since 1906. Earlier births: county courthouse. [1][3]
- Who can get a certified copy
- People 16 or older (18 for online) who are the person named, a spouse, parent or step-parent, sibling, child, grandparent or great-grandparent, grandchild or great-grandchild, an agent under power of attorney, or an attorney or legal representative. Other relatives must also send the death certificate if the person is deceased. [1]
- Fee
- $20 per certificate regardless of quantity, plus a $10 service fee if ordering online. Non-refundable. [1]
- Processing time
- About 2 weeks for online orders and for paper applications, counted from receipt of a complete application. Genealogical requests, subpoenas, court orders and powers of attorney can take longer. [7]
The original Report of Live Birth is not public until 105 years after birth, then available through the State Archives (page 1).
State birth certificate page State online ordering portal (linked from the state)
Death records
- Where it is kept
- The Division of Vital Records. [2]
- Years covered
- Deaths in Pennsylvania since 1906. [2]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Applicants 18 or older: parent or step-parent, sibling, child or step-child, grandparent, grandchild, an executor, administrator, attorney, or someone with a documented direct financial interest. Other relatives, including ex-spouses, must document direct interest. [2]
- Fee
- $20 per certificate plus a $10 service fee online. Non-refundable. [2]
- Processing time
- About 3 weeks for online orders and for paper applications, counted from receipt of a complete application. Genealogical requests and similar cases can take longer. [7]
There are two versions: one with cause and manner of death, and one without medical details (only available for deaths after 2019).
Marriage records
- Where it is kept
- The county Clerk of Orphans' Court issues the license and holds the original record. The State Archives has digitized microfilm copies for some counties. [5]
- Years covered
- Since September 30, 1885, county Clerks of Orphans' Court issue marriage licenses. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Fee
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
Divorce records
- Where it is kept
- The state vital records office does not issue divorce records. The Department of Health points researchers to county courthouses for marriage and divorce records. [3]
- Years covered
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Who can get a certified copy
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Fee
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
Older records for family history
The Department of Health refers researchers to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for public birth records from 1906 to 1913 and public death records from 1906 to 1968 (non-certified copies). Birth and death information from before 1906 can come from the county courthouse. The State Archives says some vital records are digitized and available through Ancestry.com and Ancestry Pennsylvania. [3][5]
About ordering online
Pennsylvania says VitalChek is the only authorized vendor that collects orders for it, and that all other online services convert your order to a paper application, so expect delay. The state's own portal (mycertificates.health.pa.gov) is the link above. [1]
Archives and other places to look
- The Pennsylvania State Archives lists vital records research resources (birth, death and marriage) and says some records are on Ancestry.com and Ancestry Pennsylvania. The page does not say whether those collections are free. [5] PA State Archives: vital records
The National Archives describes FamilySearch.org as free with account creation (see our census page), but we could not open FamilySearch's own pages, so we do not describe what it holds for Pennsylvania.
Historical newspapers
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America lists 117 digitized newspaper titles published in Pennsylvania, with issues dated from May 9, 1751 to December 30, 1963. Coverage is uneven inside that span: it is a list of titles, not a promise that every town or year is there. Chronicling America includes select digitized newspapers through 1963.
Browse Pennsylvania titles at the Library of Congress
New to newspaper research? See our guide to finding old newspapers (obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements).
Counts come from the Library of Congress's "All Digitized Titles" list, read October 27, 2026. The Library of Congress says it believes these newspapers are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions.
How we verified this page
Last verified October 27, 2026. Offices change fees and rules without notice. If something here no longer matches the official page, trust the official page.
Confirmed on official pages
- State birth and death certificates cover 1906 forward.
- Fees: $20 per certificate, plus $10 online.
- Marriage licenses have been issued by county Clerks of Orphans' Court since September 30, 1885.
- Public non-certified birth records 1906 to 1913 and death records 1906 to 1968 are with the State Archives (per the Department of Health).
Could not verify
- Marriage and divorce fees, eligibility and years held at each county.
- The PHMC "vital statistics" page returned an HTTP 500 to us, so the exact current terms for the 1906 to 1913 and 1906 to 1968 public records came only from the Department of Health page.
- A free FamilySearch collection for Pennsylvania. We could not open FamilySearch's pages.
Sources
- PA Department of Health: Birth certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA Department of Health: Death certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA Department of Health: Genealogy and public access Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA Department of Health: Public offices Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA State Archives: Vital records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA State Archives home Official state page read 2026-10-27
- PA Department of Health: processing times Official state page read 2026-10-27