Search Lorain County Obituaries
Lorain County obituary and death records are available through the county health department, the Probate Court, and several library and archive collections in the Elyria area. If you are trying to find an obituary or death record for someone from Lorain County, there are good options both online and in person. The county has about 310,000 people and sits along Lake Erie west of Cleveland. Elyria is the county seat. The cities of Lorain and Elyria are the two largest communities. The health department handles death certificates from 1908 forward. The Probate Court keeps older records. Public libraries in the area have genealogy collections with obituary indexes, microfilm, and old newspaper files.
Lorain County Overview
Lorain County Death Records Office
Lorain County Public Health handles death certificates for deaths that occurred in Lorain County from 1908 to the present. Birth certificates are also available from the same time period. The office is at 9880 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria. Call (440) 323-2444 for questions. A certified copy costs $25.00. They take cash, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and money orders.
You can get records in person Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Mail requests are accepted with an application form. Online ordering is available through VitalChek. One thing to keep in mind is that Social Security numbers on death certificates are redacted for the first five years after death unless you are an authorized requestor, as required by Ohio law. This applies to all Ohio counties, not just Lorain.
| Office | Lorain County Public Health |
|---|---|
| Address | 9880 Murray Ridge Rd., Elyria, OH 44035 |
| Phone | (440) 323-2444 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
Lorain County Probate Court Obituary Records
The Lorain County Probate Court holds older vital records that predate the health department. Birth and death records from 1867 to 1908 are on file here. Marriage records go back to 1824 and run to the present. Probate records covering estates and guardianships are also available. The court is at the Justice Center on 225 Court Street, 6th Floor, in Elyria. Call (440) 329-5175 or (440) 244-6261 for help. The fax number is (440) 328-2157.
The Probate Court has an online search tool where you can look up cases by name. This is useful for finding estate files that might list family members and heirs. Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705, probate courts registered all births and deaths in Ohio from 1867 until statewide registration began in December 1908. The Lorain County Records Center at 226 Middle Avenue in Elyria also holds historical county records including probate birth and death files from 1867 to 1908 and marriage records. Call (440) 329-5111 to ask about their holdings.
Note: Lorain County marriage records at the Probate Court go back to 1824, which is almost as far back as the county's formation.
Searching Lorain County Obituaries Online
The Lorain Public Library System has a strong genealogy collection that includes duplicate copies of Lorain County birth records from 1867 to 1908 and death records from 1867 to 1889. They also have marriage records from 1824 to 1901 and a marriage records index on microfilm covering 1824 to 1884. The Ohio Death Certificate Index on microfilm covers 1913 to 1937.
The Lorain Public Library genealogy page shown above lists the full range of vital records and research tools they have for Lorain County. It is a valuable first stop for obituary research.
This screenshot shows the Lorain County Public Health site where you can learn about getting death certificates. They list fees, hours, and the application process.
The Ohio Death Record Index covers statewide death certificates from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index also includes Lorain County entries and covers the 1830s through 2011 for some areas.
The Lorain County Probate Court online search tool shown here lets you look up cases by name or number. It covers estate files, guardianships, and other probate matters.
Ohio Obituary Resources for Lorain County
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont runs the Ohio Obituary Index, which has over 3.7 million entries. This free database covers newspapers from all over Ohio and can help you find Lorain County obituaries and death notices. The Ohio Department of Health keeps death records from 1971 forward at $21.50 per copy.
FamilySearch provides free access to Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953. The Ohio History Connection holds certificates from 1908 to 1970 and can provide research copies. For Lorain County specifically, the Lorain Records website at lorainrecords.us has local vital records information compiled by genealogists.
How to Get Lorain County Death Records
Start at Lorain County Public Health for deaths from 1908 forward. Visit the Probate Court for older records. Obituaries from newspapers can be found through the library system or the Hayes Library index. Here is a quick summary of where to look based on the date:
- Deaths 1908 to present: Lorain County Public Health ($25 per copy)
- Deaths 1867 to 1908: Lorain County Probate Court
- Deaths 1971 to present: Ohio Department of Health ($21.50)
- Deaths 1908 to 1970: Ohio History Connection (research copies)
- Obituaries: Hayes Library index or Lorain Public Library
Certified copies can only come from the health department or the Ohio Department of Health. The Ohio History Connection and FamilySearch provide research copies that work for genealogy but not legal matters. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24, the fee for a certified copy from the state is $21.50 as of January 2025.
Cities in Lorain County
Lorain County includes several cities and towns. Death records for all of them go through the county health department or Probate Court in Elyria.
Other communities in Lorain County include North Ridgeville, Avon, Avon Lake, Oberlin, Amherst, and Grafton.
Nearby Counties
These counties are next to Lorain County. Check the right county if the person lived near a border.