Arlington County Death Index

The Arlington County death index covers deaths recorded in this northern Virginia county from the 1853 state registration period through current certificates maintained by the Virginia Department of Health. Researchers can search online through state and genealogical databases, contact the Circuit Court Clerk in Arlington, or order certified copies from VDH. Arlington's proximity to Washington, D.C. and its history as a federal enclave gives its records a unique character, with federal and military records often intersecting with local Virginia death documentation.

Arlington County Circuit Court

The Arlington County Circuit Court is located in the Arlington County courthouse complex. The Clerk maintains land records, probate filings, marriage licenses, and court case records. Probate cases filed after a death in Arlington County appear in the Circuit Court system and can supplement the official Arlington County death index, especially for older cases. The OCIS statewide case search gives free online access to Arlington circuit court records by name or case number.

Arlington County is unique in Virginia. It has no county seat in the traditional sense, as the county itself functions as a consolidated government. The county's history as part of the District of Columbia before retrocession to Virginia in 1847 means that some early records may exist in D.C. archives rather than Virginia state collections. Researchers working with deaths in Arlington before 1847 should check both D.C. and Virginia sources. After retrocession, Arlington County records follow the standard Virginia pattern for vital records registration.

Arlington County Death Certificates from VDH

The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records holds certified death certificates for Arlington County from June 1912 to the present. The state office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can also mail a request to P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000, or apply online through the VDH website. Each certified copy costs $12. Checks and money orders go to State Health Department.

Arlington County is in the northern Virginia region, and a local VDH health district office may provide vital records services more conveniently than the Richmond office. Contact the VDH Northern Virginia Health District to confirm what services are available locally. Under Virginia Code § 32.1-271, death records are restricted for 25 years. After that, they become public. Only immediate family members with valid photo ID can request copies within that period. For online ordering, VitalChek is the authorized provider, adding a processing fee beyond the base $12 state fee.

Arlington County residents can also obtain certified death certificates at Virginia DMV full-service locations for $14 total (the $12 fee plus a $2 DMV processing charge). This can be convenient for northern Virginia residents who prefer not to travel to Richmond.

Arlington County Death Index: Historical Records

Death registers for Arlington County from 1853 to 1896 are held on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. These registers were created under the Virginia law requiring annual death registration. They contain cause of death, age, race, sex, occupation, place of birth, marital status, and parents' names. Arlington County was retroceded from D.C. to Virginia in 1847, so the earliest death registers available cover the county's existence as a Virginia jurisdiction.

The 1897 to 1912 gap in Arlington County death records is the same as in other Virginia counties. No official registration occurred during those years. For deaths in that period, probate files at the Circuit Court, church records, and cemetery surveys are the best alternatives. Arlington's proximity to D.C. also means some Arlington families may appear in federal records or D.C. resources rather than Virginia-only databases. The Virginia Genealogical Society sponsors a death index for the 1853-1896 period available through the Library of Virginia. The Library also holds a death index through 1954 covering Arlington County.

The Ancestry for Virginians program gives free access to Virginia death records for state residents. FamilySearch provides free Virginia death databases and the Virginia death records research guide explains how to use them. The federal mortality census schedules for 1850-1880, held at the Library of Virginia, can also provide death information for Arlington County families from the mid-19th century. Because Arlington County was originally part of Washington D.C. before retrocession in 1847, researchers tracing Arlington families from before that date should also check D.C. records at the National Archives, where death-related materials from the federal district period may supplement Virginia state records.

Cities Near Arlington County

Alexandria is an independent city that borders Arlington County to the south. Falls Church is a small independent city also near Arlington.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Arlington and share the northern Virginia region for VDH health district services and records access.