How to get death records in Santa Clara County

NextOfKinRecords is an independent help service sponsored by ME Lawyers, APLC, a California personal injury and wrongful-death law firm — not a government agency, and not affiliated with the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner or any county office. Every record on this page is issued by a government office. Agencies and third parties may charge copy, notarization, processing, postage, or delivery fees; you may request available records directly from the issuing office.

After a death in Santa Clara County, the records a family may need are kept by different offices — the coroner’s report in one, the death certificate in another, and any crash report with the law-enforcement agency that investigated. Here is how the local process generally works and how we can help identify the appropriate offices.

The coroner’s report

In Santa Clara County, deaths that require investigation are handled by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner — a physician-led office that determines the cause and manner of death. Santa Clara runs a physician-led medical examiner-coroner office based in San Jose.

Availability depends on the county, the investigation’s status, and the material requested. Many completed reports are public records, while active, sealed, or specially protected material may be withheld or redacted. We help request what is available, follow up on its status, and explain what is received.

The death certificate

Certified copies may be available from the county recorder, a local vital-records office, or the State of California, depending on where and when the record was registered. Health and Safety Code section 103526 limits authorized copies to listed statutory categories. The current state base fee is $26 per certified death record; vendor, payment, delivery, and notarization charges may be additional. Verify the issuing office’s current instructions and fees before ordering.

Fatal crash and police reports

If the death involved a traffic collision in Santa Clara County, the report belongs to whichever agency investigated — the CHP for most highways and unincorporated areas, or the local police department in town. Fatal collisions get deeper investigation than ordinary crashes. California law limits access to parties with a proper interest, and an active investigation can affect what is available. We help identify the agency, submit a request, and follow up on its status.

Deadlines to know

Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 sets a general two-year period for certain actions for a death caused by wrongful act or neglect. Government Code section 911.2 generally requires certain death or injury claims against a public entity to be presented within six months after the cause of action accrues. Accrual, exceptions, and other deadlines depend on the facts.

Official sources

• the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner: official site
• California Department of Public Health vital records
• CHP crash-report request instructions

Information last verified August 16, 2026. Confirm current requirements and fees directly with the agency.