Search Coconino County Obituary Records

Coconino County obituary records can help you find death certificates and memorial notices for loved ones in northern Arizona. The county seat is Flagstaff, home to the main vital records office. You can also search the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper for published obituaries dating back to 2005. The Flagstaff Public Library has genealogy tools and a Citizens Cemetery Database that covers burials through 2009. Whether you need an official death certificate or want to look up an old obituary, Coconino County offers several ways to find these records.

Coconino County Death Certificates

The Coconino County Health and Human Services office handles death certificates for this area. You can get copies through three methods: in person, online, or by mail. Each certified copy costs $20. The office is at 110 East Cherry Ave in Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Visit the Coconino County Vital Records page for forms and details.

There is one key rule you need to know about Coconino County death records. Walk-in service is only for birth certificates. If you need a death certificate, you must call ahead and set up an appointment. The phone number is (928) 679-7281. Staff will help you pick a time to come in. This policy helps the office manage requests and cuts down on wait times. Plan ahead if you need a death certificate for a funeral home, insurance claim, or estate matter.

The appointment rule is unique to this county. Most Arizona counties let you walk in for any vital record. In Coconino County, they handle death records differently. Call first. This saves you a wasted trip.

Note: Bring a valid photo ID to your appointment, plus proof of your relationship to the deceased person.

Who Can Get Coconino County Death Records

Arizona law limits who can get certified death certificates. Not just anyone can request these records. The state is a closed record state for vital records, which means privacy protections apply. You must show that you have a valid reason and relationship to get a certified copy of a recent death certificate from Coconino County.

People who can request death certificates include the spouse, parents, adult children, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings of the person who died. Funeral directors can get copies for families they serve. Attorneys representing eligible people qualify too. So do executors of estates, insurance beneficiaries, and anyone named in a court order. If you do not fit one of these categories, you cannot get a certified copy of a death certificate that is less than 50 years old.

For older records, the rules change. Death records become public after 50 years under Arizona law. You can search historic death certificates at the Arizona Genealogy database. The database has records from 1870 to 1970. These are non-certified copies that work well for family history research. Anyone can access them at no cost.

Arizona Daily Sun Obituaries

The Arizona Daily Sun is the main newspaper for Flagstaff and Coconino County. It publishes obituaries and death notices for local residents. The paper has been serving the community for decades. Families can submit obituaries to honor loved ones who have passed away.

You can search the Arizona Daily Sun obituary archives online. The digital archive has text articles from May 1, 2005 to the present. This makes it easy to find recent Coconino County obituaries without visiting a library. Just type in a name and date range. The archive is useful for finding death notices, memorial information, and details about funeral services that were announced in the paper. Some obituaries include photos and full life stories written by families.

If you need to submit an obituary, contact the paper at (855) 785-1552 or email WickObits@obituaries.com. There are fees for publishing obituaries. Death notices that come from funeral homes may be published at no charge in some cases. Check with the paper for current rates and submission guidelines.

Flagstaff Library Obituary Research

The Flagstaff Public Library is a great resource for researching Coconino County obituaries and death records. The library is at 300 West Aspen Ave., Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. You can call them at (928) 213-2331 for help with your search. Staff can point you to the right resources and help you use their genealogy databases.

The Flagstaff Library research page lists tools for finding obituaries and vital records. One standout resource is the Citizens Cemetery Database. This database lists cemeteries and burial plots in Flagstaff city limits through 2009. If you know someone was buried locally, this can help you find their grave location. The library also has access to the Arizona Daily Sun collection for searching archived newspaper issues.

Library staff provide free obituary look-up service in some cases. You need to know the name of the person, the newspaper title, and the exact date of death. If you have this information, staff can search their archives for you at no charge. This saves you time if you cannot visit in person.

Coconino County Genealogy Resources

Beyond vital records and newspapers, several other sources help with Coconino County obituary research. The Arizona Memory Project at azmemory.azlibrary.gov has digital photos and documents from across the state. Some relate to Coconino County history. The collection includes about 90,000 images dating back to 1863.

The Arizona State Library has a genealogy guide with tips for finding birth and death records. Their vital records guide explains where to look and what records exist. It covers both state and county resources. For newspaper research specifically, the Arizona State Library holds the largest collection of historic Arizona newspapers in the state. They have over two million pages on microfilm going back to 1859.

Arizona residents can access Ancestry records for free through a partnership with the Arizona State Library. You can view state archives materials that have been added to Ancestry without paying for a subscription. This includes county coroner and death records from 1881 to 1971. Visit your local library to use this free access.

Note: The Arizona Digital Newspaper Program has digitized newspapers, but most content is pre-1963 due to copyright rules.

How to Request Coconino Death Certificates by Mail

If you cannot visit the Flagstaff office in person, you can request a death certificate by mail. Download the application form from the Coconino County website. Fill it out with the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death. Include your name and explain your relationship to the deceased person.

Here is what to include in your mail request:

• Completed application form
• Copy of your valid government photo ID
• Payment of $20 per certified copy
• Self-addressed stamped envelope

Do not send personal checks. Use a money order or cashier's check made out to Coconino County. Mail your request to the Coconino County Health and Human Services at 110 East Cherry Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Processing times vary. Plan for at least a week or two. If your request is incomplete, it will take longer.

You can also order online through VitalChek. Extra service fees apply for online orders. The base certificate cost is still $20, but VitalChek adds processing charges. This option works well if you need records fast and are willing to pay more.

Arizona Death Record Laws

Arizona statutes govern how death certificates are created and who can access them. Under A.R.S. 36-325, funeral homes must complete and file death certificates within seven calendar days of taking possession of remains. The local registrar then has 72 hours to register the death certificate once they receive it. This law ensures records are filed quickly and accurately.

A.R.S. 36-324 covers who can get copies of vital records. It says that local registrars and the state registrar can issue certified copies to people who meet the eligibility rules set by state regulations. A certified copy has the same legal status as the original registered certificate. This matters for legal uses like settling estates, claiming life insurance, or proving identity.

The Arizona Administrative Code spells out the specific rules for who qualifies to receive death certificates. Rules R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 list eligible requesters. These rules protect privacy while still allowing family members and legal representatives to get the records they need.

Flagstaff Obituary Resources

Flagstaff is the county seat of Coconino County and the largest city in the area. About 75,000 people live in Flagstaff, which sits at nearly 7,000 feet elevation in the mountains of northern Arizona. If you are looking for obituary records for someone who lived in Flagstaff, start with the Coconino County vital records office and the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper.

The Flagstaff obituary page has more details about local resources. That page covers city-specific information like the Flagstaff Public Library, Northern Arizona University special collections, and local funeral homes. Both the county and city pages point to the same vital records office since cities in Arizona do not maintain their own death records.

Nearby Arizona Counties

Coconino County is the largest county in Arizona by land area. It covers over 18,000 square miles of northern Arizona. The county borders several other counties. If you are not sure where a death occurred, check neighboring county records too.

Navajo County is to the east of Coconino County. It includes communities like Show Low, Holbrook, and Winslow. The Navajo County Public Health office handles vital records there. Yavapai County borders Coconino to the southwest. Prescott is the county seat. Mohave County is to the west. Kingman is the main city there. Each county has its own vital records office with the same $20 fee for death certificates.

Part of Coconino County includes portions of the Navajo Nation and Hopi reservations. Deaths that occur on tribal lands may involve tribal death certificates in addition to or instead of state records. Contact the specific tribe for guidance on accessing those records.