Tennessee birth, death, marriage and divorce records: where to look
Tennessee's Office of Vital Records charges $15 per certified copy. The State Library and Archives holds older birth and death records (1908 to 1925 births, 1908 to 1975 deaths) and statewide marriage and divorce indexes for 1945 to 1975. Its guide says the state's delayed births and its 1908 to 1965 death records are online through a partnership with Ancestry.com, with a free route for Tennesseans.
At a glance
| Record | Years at the state | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Office of Vital Records for 1926 to present. The State Library and Archives holds statewide births for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1925, and delayed births for 1869 to 1925. [5] | $15 for the first copy and $15 for each additional copy. If no record is found you still pay the same fee and get a letter saying so. [2][4] |
| Death | Office of Vital Records for 1976 to present. The State Library and Archives holds deaths for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1975. The state did not require death records for 1913, which the guide calls a dead year. [5] | $15 per copy. [2] |
| Marriage | 1976 to present at the Office of Vital Records. July 1, 1945 to December 31, 1975: a statewide microfilm index at the Library and Archives. 1861 to June 30, 1945: county records, with no statewide index. 1780 to 1861: a published list of surviving records. [5] | $15 per certificate at the Office of Vital Records. The Library and Archives says it searches a five-year range of its index for a fee; we did not find the amount. [2][5] |
| Divorce | 1976 to present at the Office of Vital Records. July 1, 1945 to December 31, 1975: a statewide divorce index at the Library and Archives. Before July 1, 1945 it searches a five-year range in one named county. The guide also covers divorce requests to the General Assembly, 1796 to 1850. [5] | $15 per certificate at the Office of Vital Records. [2] |
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 Office of Vital Records in Nashville (in person, mail), any county health department for births registered statewide, or online through VitalChek, which the state calls its only authorized vendor for online card orders. [1][3]
- Years covered
- Office of Vital Records for 1926 to present. The State Library and Archives holds statewide births for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1925, and delayed births for 1869 to 1925. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Entitled: the person, mother, father, son, daughter, husband or wife. Legal guardians, legal representatives and attorneys with documents. A father not listed on the certificate is not entitled. [4]
- Fee
- $15 for the first copy and $15 for each additional copy. If no record is found you still pay the same fee and get a letter saying so. [2][4]
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
By mail the state asks for a signed application, ID (a photocopy of your signed government ID, a notarized application, or for a newborn the mother's copy of the birth certificate), and a check or money order. The Library and Archives guide names city records for Nashville (from 1881), Knoxville (1881), Chattanooga (1879) and Memphis (1874).
Death records
- Where it is kept
- The Office of Vital Records, any county health department for deaths registered statewide, or VitalChek online. [1][3]
- Years covered
- Office of Vital Records for 1976 to present. The State Library and Archives holds deaths for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1975. The state did not require death records for 1913, which the guide calls a dead year. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Same list as births. Funeral directors are entitled if the document goes to the funeral home. Beneficiaries, executors, legal guardians, representatives and attorneys with documents. Cause of death is released for a documented legal need, a benefits organization, or a court order. [4]
- Fee
- $15 per copy. [2]
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
The guide says death records for 1908 to 1965 are online through its Ancestry.com partnership.
Marriage records
- Where it is kept
- The Office of Vital Records for 1976 to present. The State Library and Archives for earlier years. [5]
- Years covered
- 1976 to present at the Office of Vital Records. July 1, 1945 to December 31, 1975: a statewide microfilm index at the Library and Archives. 1861 to June 30, 1945: county records, with no statewide index. 1780 to 1861: a published list of surviving records. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The same entitled list applies to marriage certificates on the state's entitlement page. [4]
- Fee
- $15 per certificate at the Office of Vital Records. The Library and Archives says it searches a five-year range of its index for a fee; we did not find the amount. [2][5]
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
The guide notes that the Library and Archives does not have Davidson County marriage records for May 1941 to June 1945; it points to the Metro Archives of Nashville and Davidson County.
Divorce records
- Where it is kept
- The Office of Vital Records for 1976 to present. The State Library and Archives for earlier years. [5]
- Years covered
- 1976 to present at the Office of Vital Records. July 1, 1945 to December 31, 1975: a statewide divorce index at the Library and Archives. Before July 1, 1945 it searches a five-year range in one named county. The guide also covers divorce requests to the General Assembly, 1796 to 1850. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The same entitled list applies to divorce certificates on the state's entitlement page. [4]
- Fee
- $15 per certificate at the Office of Vital Records. [2]
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
About ordering online
The state says it does not take online orders itself. VitalChek is the only vendor it authorizes for card payments online, and any extra fees are collected by that company. [3]
Archives and other places to look
- The Library and Archives guide says delayed birth records (1869 to 1909) and death records (1908 to 1965) are online through a partnership with Ancestry.com, and links a page on how Tennesseans can access them for free. We did not read that linked page. [5] Library and Archives vital records guide
- Email searches for marriage records from 1780 to 1861 are at no charge, per the guide. [5] Library and Archives vital records guide
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 Tennessee.
Historical newspapers
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America lists 135 digitized newspaper titles published in Tennessee, with issues dated from October 12, 1849 to December 29, 1922. 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 Tennessee 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
- Certified copies of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates are $15 each, with the same fee for a no-record letter.
- Statewide birth records begin 1908. The Library and Archives holds births for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1925.
- The Library and Archives holds deaths for 1908 to 1912 and 1914 to 1975 and statewide marriage and divorce indexes for July 1945 to December 1975.
- Entitled people are the person, mother, father, son, daughter, husband and wife, plus guardians, representatives and attorneys with documents.
- In-person office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, no appointment needed.
Could not verify
- Processing times. The state's timing page was not among the pages we read.
- The Library and Archives search fee for marriage, divorce and death copies.
- The details of the free access route for Tennesseans, which sits on a linked page we did not read.
- Whether the Ancestry.com partnership collections match the year ranges the guide gives.
The tn.gov and vitalrecords.tn.gov pages refused our direct download (HTTP 403 or no connection), so they were read through a web-fetch tool and saved as text under raw/tn_*_webfetch.txt. The State Library and Archives guide was downloaded directly (raw/tn_tsla2).
Sources
- Tennessee Office of Vital Records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Vital Records help center: Fees Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Vital Records help center: How do I get my certificate? Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Vital Records help center: Entitlement Guidelines Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Tennessee State Library and Archives: Vital Records at the Library and Archives Official state page read 2026-10-27