Bergen County Death Index Records

The Bergen County death index is a public resource for locating death records in one of the oldest counties in New Jersey. This death index has data on deaths spanning from 1901 to 2017, with gaps in some years. You can search the death index by name or date to find when and where a death was recorded in Bergen County. Death records are held at the local, county, and state level. Each source may hold different years or types of vital records related to deaths. This page covers how to search for and obtain death index records from county offices and state archives.

Bergen County Death Index Coverage

The Bergen County death index does not cover every year in a single run. The death index includes death records from 1901 to 1903, 1916 to 1929, and 1949 to 2017. These gaps mean that some death records from the county fall outside the death index and must be found through other vital records channels. The free New Jersey Death Index site lets you search these death records by name at no cost. That death record database was built from vital records obtained under the Open Public Records Act through a successful request by Reclaim The Records. It is the most complete online death index available for New Jersey deaths.

For deaths that took place before 1901 or during gaps in the death index, the New Jersey State Archives holds death and vital records from May 1848 through December 1914. These older death records include death certificates filed with the state from Bergen County towns and boroughs. The Archives reading room in Trenton is open to the public for death record research, and you can also submit mail requests for specific death certificates. Their online search tool covers a growing database of over two million death index entries from across New Jersey.

The Bergen County Clerk at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack holds birth and death records from 1886 to 1912 only. This is a narrow window of death certificates that overlaps with early state death and vital records.

Note: Death index years for Bergen County have gaps, so check both county and state death record sources to find the vital record you need.

Local Death Records in Bergen County

Bergen County has 70 municipalities, and each one has its own local registrar who handles death records. Under New Jersey law at N.J.S.A. Title 26, every death must be registered in the town where the death occurs. The local registrar holds the original death certificate for each death in that jurisdiction. If you know which municipality the death took place in, start your death record search with that town's vital records office. They can issue certified copies of the death certificate on file.

The Bergen County Clerk provides a guide to reaching each local death registrar through their office. You can visit the Bergen County Clerk website to find contact details for vital records and death certificate staff in Hackensack. The Clerk handles marriage licenses, military discharges, and land records but directs most death record requests to the local level.

Some Bergen County towns have historical death records that go back further than the state death index. Harrington Township, for example, has Board of Health birth, marriage, and death records from 1882 to 1916. These local death record collections can fill gaps that the main death index does not cover. Each town may hold death certificates, death registers, and burial permits from different eras. Contact the town hall or health department in the municipality you are researching to ask what years of death records they hold on file.

Bergen County Death Certificate Sources

Two main Bergen County offices handle death records and vital records tied to deceased persons. The County Clerk and the Surrogate's Court each serve a different role in death record access. Both offices are in Hackensack and open to the public on weekdays for death record requests. Knowing which office to visit saves time when you search for death certificates.

The Bergen County Clerk at One Bergen County Plaza keeps a limited set of death certificates and vital records. Their death records span 1886 to 1912. Marriage records go much further back, starting from 1795. Land records date to 1639. For death certificates outside that 1886 to 1912 window, the Clerk will point you to the local death registrar or the New Jersey Department of Health in Trenton for death record copies. The Health Department is the main state office for death certificates.

The Bergen County Surrogate's Court at the Justice Center on 10 Main Street, 3rd Floor, in Hackensack handles probate and estate matters after a death occurs. When a person dies in Bergen County, the Surrogate processes wills and appoints executors. Probate records go back to 1786. These records often confirm death dates and next of kin for the deceased person. The Surrogate's files can serve as a secondary death record source. Visit the Bergen County Surrogate's Court site for hours and filing details.

Note: Surrogate's probate files in Bergen County can confirm a death date when a death certificate for the deceased is not yet found in the death index.

Searching the Death Index Online

The fastest way to search Bergen County death records is through the online death index. Go to newjerseydeathindex.com and type in the name of the deceased person. The death index site covers deaths across all New Jersey counties from 1901 to 2017. You can filter death index results by year or county to narrow your search to Bergen County deaths only. Each death index entry shows the name, death date, and a reference number you can use to order a certified death certificate.

Once you find a death in the index, you have a few options for getting the full death record. For recent deaths in Bergen County, contact the local registrar in the town where the death took place. For older deaths, the New Jersey Department of Health sells certified death certificates. The State Archives in Trenton can also help with death records from 1848 to 1914. You will need the full name of the deceased, approximate date of death, and the town where the death was registered. Having the death index reference number speeds up your request for the death certificate from any vital records office.

Things you should have ready when you search the death index:

• Full name of the deceased, including maiden name if known
• Approximate year or range of years of death
• Municipality in Bergen County where the death may have occurred
• Any known family members to help confirm the right death record
• Cause of death or age at death if available from other sources

Bergen County Death Index for Genealogy

Genealogists use the Bergen County death index as a key step in building family trees. A death record often lists the parents of the deceased, which helps connect generations. Death certificates also show the place of birth, age at death, and cause of death for the deceased person. These vital details are hard to find in other types of records. The death index is a critical tool for family death record research in Bergen County.

The Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page for Bergen County connects death record researchers with local volunteers who can visit offices in Hackensack or other towns. Volunteers may look up death records, take photos of death certificates, or check death indexes that are not yet online. This is useful if you live far from the county and cannot visit a death records office in person.

Bergen County was one of the original four counties in New Jersey, created in 1683. Its long history means death records and vital records stretch back centuries. While the death index starts in 1901, church death registers and town death records go much further. The Bergen County Historical Society holds genealogical resources that can supplement death index findings. For state-level death record research tools, the New Jersey State Archives maintains a searchable catalog of death records, vital records, military rolls, and census data.

Note: Church and cemetery death records in Bergen County can fill vital gaps in the death index for deaths before 1901.

State Death Records for Bergen County

New Jersey began statewide registration of deaths in 1848. The State Archives holds death records from that year through 1914 on microfilm. These older Bergen County death certificates are open to the public and free to view at the Archives in Trenton. Researchers can also request death record copies by mail. For certified copies of more recent death records, the Office of Vital Statistics at the New Jersey Department of Health is the main source. They have death certificates from 1878 to the present day.

Under New Jersey vital statistics law, death records become public after a set number of years. The state uses a tiered access system based on how old the death record is and whether the deceased has living relatives who may object. Recent death certificates are restricted to family members of the deceased and those with a direct legal need. Older death records, generally those beyond 40 years, are more widely available for death index research. Bergen County death records follow these same state rules regardless of which office holds the death certificate.

The Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission also plays a role in death certificates and vital records for several municipalities it serves. Contact the commission for death records from towns under its jurisdiction. They handle death registration and death certificate issuance for communities that share health services. For broader questions about death records and vital statistics law in New Jersey, the full text of Title 26 is available at Justia.

How to Get Bergen County Death Records

There are several ways to get a copy of a death record from Bergen County. Your choice depends on the year of death and whether you need a certified or informational death certificate. Certified death certificates carry a raised seal and are accepted for legal use such as settling the estate of a deceased person. Informational death certificate copies are marked as such and are used for death record research and genealogy only. Both types of death documents contain the same vital information about the deceased.

For a death that occurred in a Bergen County town, start with the local registrar in that municipality. Each of the 70 towns has a registrar who can issue death certificate copies for deaths on file. You will need to visit the town hall or submit a written request for the death record. For deaths between 1886 and 1912, the Bergen County Clerk may also have a death certificate on file. For any death after 1878, you can order a death certificate from the New Jersey Department of Health by mail, online, or in person at their Trenton office.

Steps to order a death certificate or death record from Bergen County:

• Identify the town in Bergen County where the death took place
• Contact the local registrar or the Bergen County Clerk for older death records
• Provide the full name, date of death, and your relationship to the deceased
• Pay the required fee and choose a certified or informational death certificate
• Allow processing time for the death record, which varies by office

Note: If the specific Bergen County municipality is unknown, the state Department of Health can search their statewide death index for a death record match.

Nearby Counties

Bergen County sits in the northeast corner of New Jersey. These neighboring counties may hold related death records if the deceased person lived or died near the Bergen County border. Death certificates are always filed in the county where the death occurred, not where the deceased resided. Check each county's death index if you are unsure where the death took place.