Important changes regarding how the public accesses vital records such as birth and death certificates will become effective Jan. 1, 2021, according to officials at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).

The Vital Records Modernization Act, passed and signed into law in 2019, changes the types of records available to the public and who can access these records. It also increases the fee for vital records and requires updates to data sharing agreements.

Some of the changes include:

• Limiting the release of certified copies (or certificates) of birth, death, and fetal death records to a qualified applicant, who is either the subject of the record or has a qualifying relationship with the person whose record they are requesting.
• Requiring all qualified applicants to provide identification and proof of eligibility documentation.
• Creating a short form death certificate that does not contain the cause or manner of death, thereby protecting sensitive medical information.
• Allowing the release of non-certified, informational copies of birth records and short form death records to the public.
• Increasing the certificate fee to $25. The noncertified informational copy fee is also $25. The fee increase supports our state’s vital records offices and the death investigation system, led by our medical examiners and coroners. The last time the fee for vital records was increased was in 2003.
• Waiving the birth certificate fee for people born in Washington state who are experiencing homelessness.
• Adding a non-binary “X” sex designation option to vital records.
• Requiring data sharing agreements for vital records data, including death data. The Department of Health is considering adopting rules regarding the changes to vital records data release. For more information about the Vital Records – Data Release Rulemaking or to join the Interested Parties list, visit the Vital Records Rule-Making Activities webpage.

“These changes will help protect privacy and prevent identity theft, while ensuring the public’s access to these important documents is maintained,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “The laws, rules, and regulations governing vital records in Washington had gone untouched for decades, and these updates are much needed to modernize this critical area of our work.”

You can learn more about the changes coming to the vital records law by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page on the DOH website.

To fulfill orders before the end of the year and implement the changes according to the new law, orders for certificates must be submitted by the specified dates:

• Mail in requests to the Center for Health Statistics must be post-marked by Dec. 1, 2020.
• Certificates ordered online or by phone must be submitted by noon on Dec. 30, 2020.
• Data file orders must be post-marked by Nov. 30, 2020.

If you do not submit your order before these dates, your next opportunity will be after Jan. 1, 2021.