Laclede County Death Records Search

Laclede County death index records are maintained by the Laclede County Health Department in Lebanon and by the Missouri State Archives for deaths from 1910 through 1975. This page covers how to access each source, what it holds, and what steps to follow whether you need a certified copy for legal use or a historical record for family research.

Laclede County Health Department Death Certificates

The Laclede County Health Department in Lebanon is the local office for Laclede County death certificates covering deaths from 1980 to the present. The fee is $13 per certified copy. Contact details, current hours, and service information are available at lacledecountyhealth.org. Check the website before visiting to confirm office hours and whether walk-in service is available, as small county health departments sometimes require appointments or have limited staffing. Lebanon is the county seat and where the majority of county services are based.

The Laclede County Health Department website provides the request process for local death certificates, including identification requirements and how to submit by mail.

To request a Laclede County death certificate in person, bring a completed Application for Missouri Vital Record and a valid photo ID. Acceptable IDs include a state driver's license, state ID card, U.S. military ID, U.S. passport, school ID, or work ID. If a photo ID is not available, two alternate forms of identification work in its place. Acceptable alternates include government agency letters, W-2 forms, Social Security cards, court-certified adoption papers, insurance policies, Medicare or Medicaid cards, payroll stubs, cancelled checks, or utility bills. The same application form is used for both in-person and mail requests.

Mail requests to Laclede County Health Department must include a notarized application, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment by check or money order made payable to the department. Notarization is not needed for walk-in visits. The $13 local fee is slightly less than the $14 charged by the state Bureau in Jefferson City, so the local office is a good choice when the record you need falls within its 1980-to-present window.

Missouri Bureau of Vital Records and Laclede County Deaths

The Missouri Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City holds Laclede County death records from January 1, 1910, through the present. The Bureau is at 930 Wildwood Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109. The phone is 573-751-6387. Lobby hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Appointments are recommended for in-person visits. The state fee is $14 for the first certified copy and $11 for each additional copy requested at the same time, under RSMo 193.265. For deaths before 1980, when the local Laclede County Health Department's records may not go back far enough, the state Bureau is the right place to request a certificate.

The Missouri Bureau of Vital Records ordering page explains the full process for getting a certified Laclede County death certificate by mail or through the state's online ordering vendor.

This page has the downloadable application, current fee schedule, and step-by-step instructions for requesting any Missouri death certificate by mail.

Under RSMo 193.255, only those with a direct and tangible interest in a record may receive certified copies during the 50-year confidentiality window. Eligible requestors include a spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews of the person on the certificate, as well as legal representatives, funeral directors, and individuals with documented property or estate interests. Under RSMo 193.225, records more than 50 years old transfer to the State Archives and become freely accessible public records.

VitalChek is the authorized online vendor for Missouri death certificates. Orders through VitalChek arrive in 3 to 5 business days and do not require notarization. You can call 1-877-817-7363 or order online at any time.

VitalChek accepts all major credit cards and handles orders for any Missouri county, including Laclede County deaths not available through local offices.

Laclede County Death Index in the Missouri State Archives

The Missouri State Archives maintains a free, searchable database of over 2.5 million digitized death certificates covering deaths from 1910 through 1975. Laclede County records from this period are available through the Archives Death Certificates portal. You can search by first name, last name, county, and year or month of death. For deaths from 1954 through 1975, the database also allows searches by the name of a surviving spouse, father, or mother. This is useful when you know a relative but not the deceased. Each digitized record typically includes the full name of the deceased, date and place of death, date and state of birth, parents' names, spouse's name, occupation, cause of death, attending physician, funeral home, and burial location.

For deaths before 1910, researchers can use the Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910, which indexes microfilmed records from the 1883 to 1893 period. Laclede County was organized in 1849. That gives the county decades of history before the state began requiring death registration. Records from this early period are incomplete, especially in rural areas. Probate court records held at the Laclede County Courthouse, cemetery transcriptions from the Lebanon area, and church registers can help fill in the gaps that the official databases leave open. The Laclede County Genealogical Society has compiled local records that may also be of use.

The FamilySearch Laclede County genealogy page lists available collections for the county, including digitized and microfilm records that supplement the State Archives holdings. FamilySearch is free and maintains ongoing programs to add newly digitized Laclede County records.

Under RSMo 193.145, all modern Missouri death certificates are filed electronically through the MoEVR system. Any Laclede County death registered in recent years is processed through this centralized electronic filing system before the record is accessible to the public or to authorized requestors.

What Laclede County Death Records Contain

A certified Laclede County death certificate includes the decedent's full legal name, date and place of death, date and state of birth, sex, race, occupation, and both parents' full names including the mother's maiden name. The certificate names the surviving spouse, lists the primary cause of death and any contributing conditions, identifies the attending physician, and provides funeral home details and burial location. The informant who gave the information at registration is also named on the form. Long form certificates, which include extended medical certification language, are available only from the Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City. If you need the long form, mark that option on the application at the time of request.

Older records from the 1910 to 1975 Archives window contain the same core fields, though earlier certificates may have fewer details because the forms used in the early decades of registration were simpler. Medical cause-of-death language on old records sometimes requires interpretation. The Archives offers a medical terminology dictionary to help with this. If a Laclede County record is missing or hard to locate, consider that deaths near the county line with Camden, Dallas, Webster, Pulaski, Phelps, Texas, or Wright County may have been filed in a neighboring county.

Certified copies are restricted for deaths within the past 50 years. Only those with a direct and tangible interest under RSMo 193.255 may obtain them. For family research on deaths more than 50 years old, no relationship proof is needed and the records are free online through the State Archives database.

Nearby Counties

Laclede County borders several counties in south-central Missouri. If the death you need records for occurred near the county line, check the adjacent county offices below.