Search Fairfield County Obituary Records
Fairfield County obituary and death records are held by the Health Department and Probate Court in Lancaster, Ohio. The Health Department has death certificates going back to 1908, while the Probate Court keeps older records from 1867 to 1908. Whether you need a certified copy for legal use or are doing family research, Fairfield County has multiple places to look. The Genealogical Society has also published death record indexes that cover thousands of names from the county's early years. This page walks you through each source and how to use it to find the obituary or death record you need.
Fairfield County Overview
Fairfield County Death Certificates
The Fairfield County Health Department at 1550 Sheridan Dr., Suite 100, Lancaster is the primary office for death certificates. They hold records from 1908 to the present. One thing that makes this office useful is that they can also issue birth certificates for any county in Ohio, not just Fairfield. Death certificates, though, are only for deaths that took place in Fairfield County.
The fee is $32 per certified vital record. You can order online through their Point and Pay system, by mail, or in person. Certified copies cannot be sent by email. You pick them up or get them by mail. Call 740-652-2800 and press Option 2 for the vital statistics line. Under Ohio Revised Code 3705.24, these fees help fund the local vital records system.
| Office | Fairfield County Health Department - Vital Statistics |
|---|---|
| Address | 1550 Sheridan Dr., Ste. 100, Lancaster, OH 43130 |
| Phone | 740-652-2800, Option 2 |
| Fee | $32 per certified copy |
| Ordering | Online (Point and Pay), mail, or in-person |
Fairfield County Probate Court Obituary Records
The Fairfield County Probate Court sits on the 3rd Floor at 224 E. Main Street in Lancaster. This court holds death records from 1867 to 1908, the period before Ohio started statewide registration. These are handwritten ledger entries, not formal certificates. They typically show the person's name, date of death, age, cause of death, and sometimes the place of burial.
The court also keeps marriage licenses going back to 1800, wills, and estate records. For obituary research, estate files can be very helpful. They often name a surviving spouse, children, and other relatives. If you are building a family tree or trying to confirm a death, the Probate Court is a key stop. Certified copies cost $1 per page and regular copies are just $0.10 per page. Digital copies on CD cost $1. You can pay by cash, certified check, money order, or credit card (3% service charge applies). Call 740-652-7485 to check hours.
Under Ohio Revised Code 3705.23, local registrars must provide copies of vital records when asked. The Probate Court fills this role for pre-1908 records in Fairfield County.
Fairfield County Obituary Research Tools
The Fairfield County Genealogical Society has published detailed death record indexes for the county. Volume I covers 1867 to 1890 and runs 304 pages with over 6,000 names. Volume II covers 1890 to 1908. These are available for purchase and give you a fast way to find names without flipping through old ledger books at the courthouse.
The Fairfield County District Library at 219 N. Broad St. in Lancaster also has genealogy and local history collections. Their resources include local newspaper files that may have obituaries not found in online databases. Libraries like this one are often overlooked, but they can fill in gaps when digital tools come up short.
For statewide searches, the Ohio Death Record Index covers death certificates from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. You can search by name and filter by Fairfield County. The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library runs the Ohio Obituary Index with over 3.7 million entries from newspapers across the state. Both are free to search online.
Note: Pre-1908 death records were kept as line entries in probate court ledgers, not as formal death certificates like those issued after statewide registration began.
Ohio Death Records for Fairfield County
The Ohio Department of Health holds death certificates from 1971 to the present at the state level. Their office is at 4200 Surface Road in Columbus. The fee is $21.50 per certified copy. You can order online, by mail, or in person. For deaths between 1908 and 1970, the Ohio History Connection has copies that you can search and order through their website. Their fee is about $15 for non-certified copies.
FamilySearch has digitized Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953. You can view the images for free with a free account. This is a strong tool for Fairfield County research since it covers the early years of statewide registration. The images show the actual certificates, which have more detail than index entries alone.
Fairfield County Obituary Sources
The Fairfield County Probate Court website lets you look up case information and learn about the records they hold. Below is a view of their site.
The Probate Court handles pre-1908 death records, marriage licenses, wills, and estate files that are useful for obituary research in Fairfield County.
The Fairfield County Health Department vital statistics page is shown below. This is where you order death certificates for deaths from 1908 to the present.
You can order online through their Point and Pay system or visit the office in Lancaster.
Cities in Fairfield County
Fairfield County includes Lancaster and several smaller communities. All death records are filed through the county Health Department or Probate Court.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Fairfield County. If the person you are looking for lived near a county line, check the neighboring county as well.