Search Pinal County Obituary Records
Pinal County obituary records help families trace death information for loved ones in this fast growing part of Arizona. The county stretches from the Phoenix suburbs south toward Tucson, covering communities like Casa Grande, Maricopa, San Tan Valley, Florence, and Oracle. Death certificates come from the Pinal County Public Health department, which has four office locations spread across the county. You can also find obituaries through Pinal Central newspaper, local funeral homes, and online memorial websites. Arizona keeps vital records closed to protect privacy, so only certain people can get certified copies of death certificates. Older records open up for genealogy research after 50 years pass from the date of death.
Pinal County Quick Facts
Pinal County Vital Records Office
Pinal County Public Health handles all death certificate requests for this county. They can issue certified copies for any death that took place in Arizona. You do not need to live in Pinal County to request a certificate from this office. Anyone who meets the state eligibility rules can apply. The county phone number for vital records is 866-960-0633.
Visit the Pinal County Vital Records website for forms and details about how to get a death certificate. The site explains what documents you need to bring and how the process works. Each certified copy costs $20. If you need to fix a mistake on a death certificate, the correction fee is $30. The county accepts cash, credit cards, debit cards, and money orders. Personal checks work at some locations but you should call ahead to confirm.
Processing times vary based on how you submit your request. Walk-in visits get handled faster than mail requests. Staff can often complete in-person requests the same day or within a few business days.
Who Can Request Pinal County Death Certificates
Arizona is a closed record state. This means death certificates are not public records. The state restricts who can get certified copies to protect the privacy of families. A.R.S. 36-324 gives the rules for vital records access. Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 list exactly who qualifies.
Eligible requesters include the spouse of the person who died. Parents can request death certificates for their children. Adult children can get copies for their parents. Brothers and sisters qualify too. Grandparents and grandchildren have access as well. Beyond family, certain other people can request death certificates. Funeral directors often get copies on behalf of families they serve. Attorneys who represent eligible family members can apply. Executors of estates need death certificates to settle affairs. Life insurance companies may request copies to process claims. Courts can also order the release of death certificates when needed for legal cases.
If you are not on the eligibility list, you cannot get a certified copy of a recent death certificate in Pinal County. However, older records eventually become public. Death records open up 50 years after the person died. At that point, anyone can request a non-certified copy for genealogy research.
Note: Bring a valid photo ID and proof of your relationship to the deceased when you request a death certificate in person.
Pinal County Vital Records Locations
Pinal County has four public health office locations where you can request death certificates. Each office offers the same services. Pick the one that works best for you based on where you live or work. Having multiple locations helps because Pinal County covers a large area with communities spread out from the Phoenix metro down toward Tucson.
The Casa Grande office is at 1729 N Trekell Road Suite 120, Casa Grande, AZ 85122. This location serves the central part of the county. Casa Grande is the largest city in Pinal County and has grown fast in recent years. Many residents find this office the most convenient choice.
The Maricopa office is at 41680 W Smith-Enke Road Suite 110, Maricopa, AZ 85138. The city of Maricopa sits in the northwest corner of Pinal County, close to the Phoenix area. This location works well for people who live in or near the Maricopa city limits. It is not in Maricopa County, despite the similar name. The city of Maricopa is in Pinal County.
San Tan Valley has an office at 36235 N Gantzel Road, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140. This serves the fast growing communities in the northern part of the county near Queen Creek and Gilbert.
The Oracle location is at 1870 W. American Ave, Oracle, AZ 85623. Oracle is a small town in the northeastern part of Pinal County, near the Catalina Mountains. This office serves the rural communities in that area.
Note: Call 866-960-0633 before visiting to confirm hours and services at each location.
Where to Find Pinal County Obituaries
Pinal Central is the main local newspaper for Pinal County. It covers Casa Grande, Florence, Coolidge, Eloy, and other towns in the area. The paper publishes death notices and obituaries from families and funeral homes throughout the county. You can search Pinal Central obituaries online to look for recent death notices. The contact number is (520) 836-7461.
Obituaries also appear in funeral home listings. Many Pinal County funeral homes post obituaries on their own websites. If you cannot find an obituary in the newspaper, try searching for funeral homes in the city where the person lived or died. Some families choose to publish only through the funeral home and skip the newspaper entirely. This has become more common in recent years as online memorial pages have grown in use.
For residents in the northern part of Pinal County near the Phoenix metro, obituaries sometimes appear in Phoenix area papers instead of Pinal Central. Check the Arizona Republic or East Valley Tribune if you cannot find what you are looking for. These papers cover some of the communities on the Pinal and Maricopa county border.
Pinal County Genealogy and Historic Deaths
Researching older deaths in Pinal County is easier than getting recent records. Arizona opens death records to the public 50 years after the date of death. At that point, anyone can access non-certified copies for genealogy and family history research. You do not need to prove a relationship to the deceased.
The Arizona Department of Health Services runs a free online database for historic vital records. Visit the Arizona Genealogy search page to look up old death certificates. The database includes death records from 1870 to 1970. Birth records from 1855 to 1945 are also in the system. These are digitized images of the original certificates. They are non-certified copies, which means they work for family history research but not for legal purposes like settling an estate.
The Arizona Memory Project is another resource for Pinal County history. This digital collection includes historic photographs, documents, and newspaper pages from across the state. The Arizona State Library has the largest collection of historic Arizona newspapers, going back to 1859. Library staff will even do obituary lookups for free if you know the name, newspaper, and date of death. Check the Arizona State Library newspapers guide for more details.
Pinal County was created in 1875 from parts of Maricopa and Pima counties. Florence became the county seat. Some very old records may have been filed in those neighboring counties before Pinal County existed. Keep that in mind when searching for deaths from the 1800s.
How to Request Pinal County Death Certificates
You can request death certificates in person at any of the four Pinal County Public Health locations. Bring a valid government photo ID. You will need to fill out an application form. Staff will verify that you meet the eligibility requirements under state law. The fee is $20 per certified copy. In-person requests are usually processed the fastest.
Mail requests are also accepted. Download the application form from the Pinal County death certificate page. Fill out all fields completely. Include a clear copy of your valid photo ID. Make payment by money order or cashier's check payable to Pinal County. Send everything to the Casa Grande office address. Mail requests take longer to process than walk-in visits. Allow several weeks for your request to be completed and mailed back.
Here is the info you need when you request a Pinal County death certificate:
- Full legal name of the deceased
- Date of death or approximate date
- Place of death such as city or hospital name
- Your full name and mailing address
- Your relationship to the deceased
- Copy of your valid photo ID
- Payment of $20 per copy
You can also order online through VitalChek. This service processes Arizona vital records orders. Additional fees apply when you use the online system. VitalChek accepts credit cards and offers expedited shipping options.
Arizona Death Record Laws
Arizona statutes govern how death certificates are handled. A.R.S. 36-301 defines key terms like certificate, certified copy, and vital record. Understanding these definitions helps when you read the laws about who can access records.
A.R.S. 36-325 covers death certificate registration. It requires funeral homes to complete death certificate information within seven days of taking possession of human remains. Local registrars must then register the death certificate within 72 hours if the document is accurate and complete. This timeline helps ensure death records are filed promptly.
The Arizona Administrative Code has additional rules. R9-19-210 covers birth certificate access. R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 spell out who can receive death certificates. These rules come from the Arizona Department of Health Services. They fill in the details that the statutes do not cover. Together, the laws and rules create the framework for how Pinal County and other Arizona counties handle vital records requests.
Cities in Pinal County
Pinal County includes several cities and towns. Death certificates for all of them come from the county Public Health department, not from city offices. Arizona cities do not handle vital records. If someone died in any Pinal County city, you request the death certificate from the county.
The two largest cities in Pinal County with populations over 50,000 are:
Other notable communities in Pinal County include San Tan Valley, Florence, Coolidge, Eloy, Apache Junction, and Oracle. San Tan Valley is technically a census designated place rather than an incorporated city, but it has a large population. Apache Junction spans both Pinal and Maricopa counties, with most of the city in Pinal. Check death certificates in both counties if you are not sure where a death occurred.
Nearby Arizona Counties
Pinal County borders several other Arizona counties. If you are searching for obituary records and the death might have occurred in a nearby area, check those counties too. Medical facilities and hospitals sometimes serve multiple counties, so a person may have died in a different county than where they lived.
Maricopa County is to the northwest. It includes Phoenix and the rest of the metro area. Pima County is to the south. Tucson and the surrounding area are in Pima County. Gila County borders Pinal to the northeast. Graham County is to the east. Cochise County touches the southeast corner of Pinal. Each county has its own vital records office.