Chesterfield County Death Index

The Chesterfield County death index covers deaths recorded in the county from the mid-1800s through the present day. You can search for death records through the Virginia Department of Health, the Circuit Court Clerk in Chesterfield Court House, or through online genealogical databases that cover the county. Records from before 1912 are held at the Library of Virginia and on microfilm, while modern death certificates require a request to the state Office of Vital Records in Richmond.

Chesterfield County Circuit Court

The Chesterfield County Circuit Court is part of the 12th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. The Clerk's Office is located at 9500 Courthouse Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832. The Clerk maintains land records, probate filings, court case information, and wills. If you are researching a death in Chesterfield County and need to look at estate filings or probate records, this is the right office to contact. Death certificates themselves are not filed here. Those come from the Virginia Department of Health.

Probate cases often surface alongside death record searches. When someone dies with property solely in their name, the estate goes through the Circuit Court. The Chesterfield Clerk holds wills, estate inventories, and fiduciary records that can fill in gaps around a death. You can search court case information online through the Virginia Online Case Information System at no cost. The system covers civil and criminal cases as well as probate matters filed in the county.

The official Chesterfield County government website provides links to county departments, court information, and local services. If you need to confirm courthouse hours or contact the Circuit Court Clerk directly, start there.

The Chesterfield County government site also hosts links to the Chesterfield Health District, which is the local arm of the Virginia Department of Health. The health district can assist with questions about death records and refer you to the right office for certified copies.

Virginia Department of Health: Chesterfield Death Records

The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records holds certified death certificates for deaths in Chesterfield 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, 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 portal.

Each certified copy costs $12. Payment by check, money order, credit card, mobile pay, or cash is accepted. Checks should be payable to State Health Department. Under Virginia Code Title 32.1, Chapter 7, death records become public 25 years after the date of death. Before that point, only immediate family members can get a copy. That includes the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the person who died. A legible copy of a government-issued photo ID must accompany every request.

The local Chesterfield Health District is a convenient first stop for county residents who need guidance on ordering death records. The health district serves the county and can direct you to the right forms and procedures. Phone is 804-662-6200 for the main state office.

Note: If you use VitalChek, the authorized third-party online ordering service, an extra processing fee applies on top of the $12 state fee. VitalChek handles deaths from June 1, 1912 to the present.

Chesterfield Death Index: Historical Records

Chesterfield County death records from the 1853-1896 registration period are held on microfilm at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. The General Assembly required counties to record deaths starting in 1853. Each year, the Commissioner of Revenue gathered information from heads of household, physicians, and coroners. The Clerk of Court kept the registers and prepared an index. That law stayed in effect until 1896, and then was repealed. No official deaths were recorded in most Virginia counties between 1897 and 1911.

From 1853 to 1896, Chesterfield death registers captured the name of the deceased, race and sex, date and place of death, cause of death, age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, names of parents, and who provided the information. These registers are detailed by the standards of that era. The Library of Virginia holds microfilm copies you can view in person at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. The archives reference line is 804-692-3888.

For Chesterfield County deaths from June 1912 through 1939, the Library of Virginia holds microfilm copies of the actual death certificates. A death index covering 1912-1954 is available through the LVA, which gives you the year of death and certificate number before you order a copy. Virginia residents can search Ancestry for Virginians free with a library card, giving access to the death records index from 1912-2014.

FamilySearch also hosts free databases that cover Chesterfield County. The FamilySearch guide for Virginia death records explains what is available by time period and how to access each database. For 1853-1912, the Virginia Deaths and Burials database covers Chesterfield records. For post-1912 deaths, Ancestry and FamilySearch both index records.

The Virginia Genealogical Society sponsored the indexing of Virginia Death Registers from 1853-1896, making name searches much easier for pre-1912 deaths. That index is accessible through the Library of Virginia and covers Chesterfield County records from that period.

Search Chesterfield County Death Records Online

The Virginia Judiciary online portal lets you search Chesterfield Circuit Court cases by name or case number. Probate cases filed after a death often contain useful information about the deceased, including the death date, surviving family members, and asset descriptions. The OCIS system is free and covers civil, criminal, and probate matters statewide.

For genealogical research, the Library of Virginia makes several Chesterfield County record sets available remotely. Virginia residents with a library card can log into Ancestry for Virginians to search death registers and certificates without cost. Non-residents can visit the Library in person at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond. The LVA reading room provides access to the same databases at no charge for in-person visitors.

Note: Death certificates less than 25 years old display as indexed information only on Ancestry and FamilySearch, due to Virginia's privacy law under Code § 32.1-271. You can see the index entry but not the image. To get the full record, request a certified copy from VDH.

Cities Near Chesterfield County

Several independent cities border or sit near Chesterfield County. These cities maintain their own court systems and vital records offices separate from the county.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Chesterfield County. Each has its own Circuit Court and death records resources for deaths that occurred in those jurisdictions.