Sunrise City Florida obituary records are public files that show when a person in Sunrise died, where the death took place, and which funeral home or family placed a notice in the newspaper. These records are kept by the Broward County Department of Health, the State Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, and local newspapers like the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Anyone 18 or older can request a public death certificate. Obituaries placed by families give more personal details, such as the names of survivors and a short life story. This page explains where to look, who can ask for what, what it costs, and how to get your search done fast.
How Sunrise Death and Obituary Records Work
Sunrise sits inside Broward County, so it follows the same rules as every other city in the county. There is no separate Sunrise city office for death records. A death certificate is the legal proof that someone passed away. An obituary is a paid notice that the family places in a newspaper or online. Both records help families, genealogists, and lawyers confirm what happened to a person.
Who Handles Death Records for Sunrise
The Broward County Department of Health runs the local vital records office for Sunrise. The office prints certified death certificates for deaths that happened anywhere in Broward County from 2009 to today. For deaths before 2009, the Florida State Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville keeps the master file. Funeral homes often file the death record within five days of the death. Once the file is in the system, the public can ask for copies.
Obituaries vs. Death Certificates Explained
A death certificate holds the legal facts: full name, date of birth, date of death, cause of death, and burial location. An obituary is a short story written by the family. It lists family members, work history, hobbies, and funeral times. Some Sunrise families skip the obituary. Some skip the death certificate (which is rare, since Florida law requires one). For full research, you often need both. The death certificate proves the death legally. The obituary fills in the personal side.
Florida Laws That Control Record Access
Florida Statutes Chapter 382 controls who can see a death certificate. A public copy leaves out the cause of death and is open to any adult. A full copy with cause of death is sealed for 50 years after the death date. Only a spouse, parent, child, or legal representative can request the full version. Florida Statutes Chapter 119 backs the public’s right to see most government files. Together, these laws make Sunrise death records open to most people who want them.
Places to Search for Sunrise Obituary Records
Sunrise obituary records are stored in libraries, state archives, newspaper offices, and online databases. The right source depends on how old the death is and what kind of details you want. Newer obituaries are easier to find online. Older ones often need a library trip.
Local Libraries in Sunrise and Broward County
The Sunrise Dan Pearl Library at 10500 W Oakland Park Blvd is the main library branch for Sunrise residents. It carries back issues of the Sun-Sentinel on microfilm and has free computer access to newspaper databases. The Broward County Library main branch in Fort Lauderdale also keeps older newspapers and city directories that list Sunrise residents. Library staff can help you search these files at no cost with a free library card.
Florida State Archives and Florida Memory
The Florida Memory project at floridamemory.com is run by the State Library and Archives. It has scanned newspaper pages, military records, and old death indexes. Some of the files go back to the 1800s. For Sunrise, you can find obituaries from the 1960s forward when the city was first built. The State Library in Tallahassee also keeps physical copies of older Florida newspapers that you can view by appointment.
Major Florida Newspapers That Cover Sunrise
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is the main daily paper for Sunrise. It runs an obituary section every day. The Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, and Florida Times-Union also run obituaries for people with ties to their coverage areas. Each paper keeps its own archive. Legacy.com and Tributes.com collect obituaries from many of these papers in one place, which makes a search faster.
Online Obituary Databases to Search
Several large websites host Florida obituary records that include Sunrise residents. Legacy.com pulls notices from the Sun-Sentinel and other Florida papers. Tributes.com has a separate database of funeral home obituaries. Find a Grave lists grave records with photos and short obituaries. FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com both hold Florida obituary collections that link to census data and family trees. Newspapers.com has scanned Florida paper pages going back to the 1800s.
How to Get a Sunrise Death Certificate
You have four main ways to request a Sunrise death certificate. Each one has a different cost, wait time, and payment option. Pick the method that fits your situation best.
In-Person Request at Broward County DOH
Visit the Broward County Department of Health office at 2421-A SW 6th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Bring a photo ID, the full name of the person, and the date of death. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The staff will look up the record and print a certified copy the same day. Pay by cash or money order.
Mail Request to Broward County DOH
Download Form DH727 from the Florida Department of Health website. Fill it out, include a copy of your photo ID, and mail it with a check or money order to the Broward County DOH at 2421-A SW 6th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Mail requests usually take two to three weeks. Write your full return address on the envelope so the office knows where to send the record.
Online Request Through VitalChek
VitalChek is the official online vendor for Florida vital records. Go to vitalchek.com or call 1-877-550-7330. The first copy is $15 plus a $7 service fee. Orders ship in five to seven business days. This is a good option if you cannot visit the Fort Lauderdale office during work hours.
Request From the State Bureau in Jacksonville
The Florida State Bureau of Vital Statistics at 1217 N Pearl St, Jacksonville, FL 32202 has every Florida death record from 1877 to today. The fee is $5 for a search and one copy. Each extra copy is $4. Rush service adds $10. Mail a request with a check or money order, or visit in person. The state bureau is the cheapest choice when you need many copies of the same record.
Searching Obituaries by Name, Date, and County
Different search tools work better for different questions. Knowing which tool to use saves hours of work. Here is how to break down your search by name, year, and county.
How to Search by Full Name
Start with the full legal name of the person. Add a middle name or initial if you know it. A last name with a city filter often finds the right match. Legacy.com and Ancestry.com let you search by name and state at the same time. For common names, add a year of death or age at death to narrow down the list. Always check spelling variations, since newspaper typesetters often changed names.
How to Search by Date or Year
When you only know the year of death, use the year range filter on Legacy.com or Newspapers.com. The Florida Memory site lets you search by exact date. The Broward County DOH can search records from 2009 to today by date. For older dates, the State Bureau in Jacksonville indexes every Florida death since 1877 and can search by year or exact date.
How to Search Broward County Records
Broward County keeps death certificates filed by the date the office received them, not the date of death. The county clerk’s website links to probate records that often include death dates. The Broward County Library has a Broward News Index that lists obituaries by name and date from local papers. Together, these county-level tools cover most Sunrise residents from the past 50 years.
Fees, Payment, and Processing Times
The total cost for a Sunrise death certificate depends on which office you use and how fast you need it. Here is a clear breakdown of each option.
Fees at Broward County DOH
The Broward County Department of Health charges $15 for the first certified copy of a death certificate. Each extra copy of the same record is $10. The office accepts cash and money orders. Call (954) 467-4455 to ask about other payment options before you visit.
Fees at the State Bureau
The Florida State Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville charges $5 for a death record search plus the first certified copy. Each extra copy is $4. Rush service adds $10 to the total. This office accepts checks, money orders, and some credit cards for online orders through VitalChek.
Fees Through VitalChek
VitalChek adds a $7 service fee to every order on top of the $15 state fee for the first copy. Each extra copy is $15 with no added service fee. Credit card and debit card payments are accepted. The total for one copy is $22. For two copies, the total is $37.
Processing Times Compared
The in-person visit at Broward County DOH is the fastest option, with same-day pickup. VitalChek online orders ship in five to seven business days. Mail requests to the county office take two to three weeks. State bureau mail requests take three to four weeks unless you add rush service. For most families, the in-person visit at the county office is the best mix of speed and price.
| Request Method | First Copy Fee | Extra Copy Fee | Wait Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broward County DOH (in person) | $15 | $10 each | Same day |
| Broward County DOH (mail) | $15 | $10 each | 2 to 3 weeks |
| State Bureau in Jacksonville | $5 | $4 each | 3 to 4 weeks |
| VitalChek (online) | $15 + $7 fee | $15 each | 5 to 7 days |
Florida Funeral Home Obituaries for Sunrise
Florida funeral home obituaries are posted by the funeral home that handled the burial. They often include service times, burial location, and a longer life story. For Sunrise residents, several funeral homes in Broward County handle most of the local notices.
Major Funeral Homes Serving Sunrise
Funeral homes like Baird-Case Jordan-Fannin, Fred Hunter’s, and T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home serve many Sunrise families. Each home posts obituaries on its own website and on Tributes.com. The notices stay online for years, which makes them easy to find with a basic name search. Funeral home obituaries often have more detail than newspaper obituaries.
Funeral Home vs. Newspaper Obituaries
Funeral home obituaries are free to post on the home’s website. They stay online as long as the home keeps its site active. Newspaper obituaries are paid notices that run for one day in print and then move to the paper’s online archive. Both have value. Funeral home notices have more detail. Newspaper notices are official records of a paid public announcement. For a full search, check both.
Genealogy and Family History in Sunrise
Genealogy research in Sunrise often starts with one death record and grows into a full family tree. Broward County and the State Library of Florida both have tools for this work. The city of Sunrise was built in the 1960s, so most Sunrise death records are from 1961 forward.
Using Find a Grave and FamilySearch
Find a Grave has a large collection of Florida grave records with photos, birth dates, death dates, and short obituaries. FamilySearch.org is free to use and holds Florida death indexes, census records, and family trees. Both sites link records to each other, which makes it easier to follow a family line. Start with a name search, then filter by Broward County.
Using Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com has Florida obituary collections that link to census records, immigration files, and military records. Newspapers.com has scanned Florida newspaper pages going back over 100 years. Both sites charge a monthly fee. Ancestry is better for full family trees. Newspapers.com is better for finding the actual obituary text in old papers.
Broward County Historical Records
The Broward County Historical Commission keeps files on early residents, schools, and churches. These records include obituaries from local society columns in the 1950s and 1960s. The Nova Southeastern University Archives in nearby Davie also holds South Florida history files that include Sunrise pioneer families. These records fill in gaps when an obituary is missing.
Contact Information and Office Location
The Broward County Department of Health vital records office serves all Sunrise death certificate requests. Contact them directly for help with fees, forms, and record lookups.
Broward County Department of Health – Vital Records Office
2421-A SW 6th Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
Phone: (954) 467-4455
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Website: broward.floridahealth.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ section covers the most common questions people ask about Sunrise City Florida obituary records. Each answer gives clear, simple facts you can act on right away. Use these answers to plan your next step, whether you need a death certificate for legal work or an obituary for family history.
How much does a death certificate cost in Sunrise?
A certified copy of a Sunrise death certificate costs $15 at the Broward County Department of Health office in Fort Lauderdale. Each extra copy of the same record is $10. The Florida State Bureau in Jacksonville charges $5 for a search and first copy, with $4 for each extra copy. VitalChek online adds a $7 service fee on top of the $15 base fee. The cheapest option for a single copy is the in-person county visit. The cheapest option for multiple copies is the state bureau.
Can anyone get a copy of a Sunrise death record?
Any adult 18 or older can get a public copy of a Sunrise death record. The public copy leaves out the cause of death. To get a full copy with cause of death, you must be the spouse, parent, child, or legal representative of the person who died. You also need to show proof of your relationship, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or court order. The full copy stays sealed for 50 years after the death under Florida law.
Where can I read old Sunrise obituaries for free?
You can read old Sunrise obituaries for free at the Sunrise Dan Pearl Library and the Broward County Library main branch in Fort Lauderdale. Florida Memory at floridamemory.com also has scanned newspaper pages from past decades. FamilySearch.org and Find a Grave both offer free searches of Florida obituary records. Some funeral home websites keep their obituary archives free to view for years after the service.
How far back do Sunrise death records go?
Sunrise was built in the 1960s, so official death records start around that time. The Broward County DOH has death certificates filed from 2009 to today. The Florida State Bureau in Jacksonville has Florida death records going back to 1877, which covers the entire state. For Sunrise-specific records from the 1960s to 2008, the state bureau is the best source.
What is the difference between an obituary and a death notice?
An obituary is a longer notice that includes a life story, family names, hobbies, and service details. A death notice is a short paid announcement with only the name, age, date of death, and funeral time. Most Florida newspapers run both. The Sun-Sentinel charges a set fee for death notices and a higher fee for full obituaries. Online databases usually collect both types in one search.
Which newspapers in Florida print Sunrise obituaries?
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel prints most Sunrise obituaries since it covers western Broward County. The Miami Herald also prints obituaries for South Florida residents. The Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, and Florida Times-Union print obituaries for people with ties to their areas. Legacy.com collects obituaries from all these papers in one search.
Can I search Florida obituaries by hospital or funeral home?
Yes, you can search Florida obituaries by funeral home on Tributes.com and on the funeral home’s own website. Major Broward County funeral homes include Fred Hunter’s, Baird-Case Jordan-Fannin, and T.M. Ralph. Most funeral homes keep a public archive of every obituary they posted. You can also search by hospital on Legacy.com by filtering the location field to the hospital name.