Miami City Florida Obituary Records are public files that list people who died in Miami or Miami-Dade County. These records include death certificates, funeral home notices, and newspaper obituaries.
Anyone can search them for genealogy, legal matters, or personal reasons. The state of Florida keeps death records from 1917 to today. Miami-Dade County keeps records for deaths that happened in the county from 2009 forward. Older records sit in state archives in Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
This page explains how to search Miami obituary records by name, date, newspaper, and funeral home. It covers free options and paid databases. It also lists office addresses, phone numbers, hours, and fees. By the end, you will know exactly where to go, who can ask for records, and what forms you need.
Where Miami Death Records Are Kept
Miami death records live in three main places. Each one handles a different time period. Knowing which office covers your date range saves time and money.
Miami-Dade County Department of Health
The Miami-Dade County Department of Health holds death records for deaths in Miami-Dade County from 2009 to today. The main office sits at 1350 NW 14th Street, Miami, FL 33125. Phone: (305) 324-2400. Hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A second office operates in West Perrine for people in southern parts of the county.
You can walk in without an appointment. Bring a photo ID, fill out a form at the counter, and pay the fee. Staff process same-day requests when the record is on file at that office.
Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville
The state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville keeps all Florida death records from 1917 forward. This includes Miami deaths before 2009. You order by mail or through the VitalChek online portal. Mail requests use Form DH727. The fee is $5 for the search plus the cost of each certified copy.
Allow two to four weeks for mail delivery. VitalChek orders take five to seven business days. The state office also handles records for deaths outside Florida where the person was a Florida resident.
Florida State Archives in Tallahassee
The State Archives in Tallahassee holds historical records before 1917. They also keep county record indexes that go back further. These records help with genealogy research and historical projects. Many indexes are online through the Florida Memory project at floridamemory.com.
You can visit the archives in person or request copies by mail. Some records are available only on microfilm. Library branches across Miami also hold microfilm copies of older newspapers that include obituary notices.
How to Get a Miami Death Certificate
A death certificate is the official government proof that someone died. Miami offers three ways to get one. Each method has different fees and wait times.
In-Person at the Miami-Dade DOH Office
Walking into the Miami-Dade DOH office gives you the fastest result. You fill out the request form on site. Staff pull the record and print it while you wait. Most same-day requests finish within 30 minutes if the death happened in Miami-Dade after 2009.
The first certified copy costs $12 in Miami-Dade County. Each extra copy is $16. Rush processing adds $10. A protective sheath for the certificate costs $3. Cash, checks, and money orders work at the counter. Bring a valid photo ID like a driver’s license or passport.
By Mail to the County Office
Mail requests work for deaths in Miami-Dade from 2009 forward. Download Form DH727 from the Florida DOH website. Fill it out completely. Include a copy of your ID. Mail it with a check or money order to the Miami-Dade County DOH office. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return delivery.
Processing takes two to four weeks. The same fee schedule applies as in-person visits. Make sure to write the decedent’s full legal name, date of death, and county of death on the form to avoid delays.
Online Through VitalChek
VitalChek handles online orders for Miami death records. Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-877-550-7330. The base fee is $15 plus a $7 service charge. Credit cards are accepted. Orders ship within five to seven business days. This option works well for people who cannot visit the office during work hours.
VitalChek can also order records from the state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville. The system lets you pick the time period and county of death.
Who Can Request Death Certificates in Miami
Florida law divides death certificates into two versions. Each version has different access rules.
Death Certificate Without Cause of Death
The version without cause of death is public. Anyone age 18 or older can ask for it in Miami. You do not need to prove a family relationship. This version works for estate matters, insurance claims, and genealogy projects. It includes the person’s name, date of death, and place of death.
You can request this version in person, by mail, or online. No reason is required. The Miami-Dade DOH must provide it if you pay the fee and present valid ID.
Death Certificate With Cause of Death
The version with cause of death stays confidential for 50 years after the death. Only specific people can ask for this version under Florida Statutes Chapter 382. Eligible requesters include the spouse, parent, child, or legal representative of the estate. You must show proof of your relationship at the Miami-Dade DOH counter.
A court order can also grant access if you have a valid legal need for the cause of death details. After 50 years, the full record becomes public and anyone can request it.
Miami Death Certificate Fees Compared
Fees change based on where you order and how many copies you need. The table below shows the full fee schedule for Miami-Dade County in 2026.
| Service Type | Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| First certified copy at Miami-Dade DOH | $12 | Same day |
| Each additional copy at Miami-Dade DOH | $16 | Same day |
| Rush processing at Miami-Dade DOH | $10 extra | Same day |
| Protective sheath | $3 | Same day |
| State Bureau mail order (first copy) | $5 search + $4 copy = $9 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| State Bureau mail order (extra copies) | $4 each | 2 to 4 weeks |
| VitalChek online order | $15 + $7 service = $22 | 5 to 7 business days |
| Online extra copies via VitalChek | $15 each | 5 to 7 business days |
For a single copy needed fast, the Miami-Dade DOH office is the cheapest and fastest. For multiple copies, the state bureau in Jacksonville saves money after the third copy. VitalChek works when you need to order from home and can wait a week.
Newspaper Obituaries in Miami
Newspapers print obituary notices before death certificates are filed. They often include photos, family names, funeral details, and personal stories. Miami has several newspapers with deep obituary archives.
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is the largest newspaper in South Florida. It has published obituaries since 1903. The Herald runs death notices and full obituaries every day. You can search recent obituaries at miamiherald.com. Older issues sit in the Miami-Dade Public Library System on microfilm.
The main library at 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130 holds microfilm reels going back to 1903. Library staff can help you search for specific names and dates. Phone: (305) 375-2665. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Other Miami Newspapers
The Miami News ran from 1896 to 1988. Its archives are at the Miami-Dade Public Library. The Miami Times covers the Black community and has published since 1923. Diario Las Americas serves the Hispanic community with obituaries in Spanish and English. Both papers sit in library archives.
Neighborhood papers like the Miami Beach Sun Reporter, the Coral Gables Gazette, and the Hialeah News also carry obituaries. Library branches in those areas keep local paper archives.
Online Newspaper Databases
Newspapers.com has digitized Miami Herald obituaries back to the early 1900s. A subscription costs around $20 per month. GenealogyBank covers Florida newspapers from 1818 to today. Both let you search by name, date, and keywords.
The free Chronicling America project at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov covers U.S. newspapers up to 1963. Miami papers appear there for select years. These free databases work well for early genealogy research.
Online Obituary Search Sites
Several websites collect obituary notices from newspapers across Florida. They make searching faster than checking individual papers.
Legacy.com
Legacy.com pulls obituaries from the Miami Herald and other Florida papers. Search by name, date range, and city at legacy.com. Basic searches are free. Full obituary text and guest book access require a small fee per record.
Legacy.com also hosts memorial pages where families post photos, stories, and funeral details. These pages often stay online for years after the death.
Find a Grave
Find a Grave at findagrave.com has over 1.7 million Florida memorials. Volunteers add gravestone photos, obituary text, and family links. The site is free to search. You can browse by cemetery, county, or name.
Miami-area cemeteries with large databases include Woodlawn Park Cemetery, Miami Memorial Park, and Southern Memorial Park. Each holds thousands of records.
Ancestry.com and FamilySearch
Ancestry.com hosts Florida death indexes from 1877 to 1969 and obituary collections from Florida newspapers. A subscription costs around $25 per month. Many public libraries offer free Ancestry access at library computers.
FamilySearch at familysearch.org is free. It has Florida death records, cemetery records, and obituary indexes. The site also holds user-uploaded family trees that link related records together.
Funeral Home Records in Miami
Funeral homes keep their own records of every service they handle. These records often include details that death certificates do not show. They can help fill gaps when official records are missing.
Major Miami Funeral Homes
Caballero Rivero Woodlawn has served Miami since 1923. They have records of services dating back decades. Phone: (305) 227-3344. Address: 8200 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155. Their archives cover thousands of obituaries in Miami-Dade.
Range Funeral Home has served the Black community in Miami since 1965. Address: 5727 NW 17th Avenue, Miami, FL 33142. Phone: (305) 691-0300. They hold records for funerals in Liberty City, Overtown, and surrounding neighborhoods.
Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center handles Jewish funerals in Miami. Brooks Memorial Funeral Home serves many Hispanic families. Leo Adamczyk Funeral Home covers the Polish and Russian communities. Each keeps old records that pre-date digital systems.
How to Ask Funeral Homes for Records
Call the funeral home first. Ask if they still have records from the year you need. Provide the full name and date of death if possible. Some homes charge a small fee for copies of their service records.
Many funeral homes now post obituaries on their own websites. Check their obituary pages first. Sites like dignitymemorial.com and sci-corp.com list obituaries from funeral homes across Florida.
Searching Miami Obituaries by Name
Name searches are the most common type of obituary lookup. Several tips make them more effective.
Use Full Legal Names
Death certificates use the full legal name at the time of death. Married women may be listed under their married name, maiden name, or both. Search all known name variations. Cuban and Latin American immigrants often used Spanish versions of their names in Miami.
Try different spelling combinations. Search engines may not match minor spelling errors. Use quotation marks around the full name for exact matches.
Add Date and Location Details
Narrow your search with date ranges. A death in Miami in 1995 narrows results much more than just a name. Add the county or hospital name if you know it. Include the funeral home name when possible.
Library catalogs and newspaper archives let you filter by date. Start with a five-year range and widen it if you do not find a match.
Check Multiple Sources
No single database has every obituary. Check Legacy.com, Ancestry, Find a Grave, and Florida Memory. Each covers different time periods and newspapers. A death in 1955 might appear in the Miami Herald but not on Legacy.com.
Ask family members if they kept funeral programs or newspaper clippings. Old photo albums often have memorial cards tucked inside. These personal records sometimes include details not found anywhere else.
Historical Miami Obituary Records
Miami started as a small town in 1896. The city grew fast in the 1920s land boom. Record keeping changed a lot over the years.
Records Before 1917
Florida did not require statewide death registration until 1917. Before that, death records came from county recorders, churches, and newspapers. Many early Miami records are incomplete or missing.
The State Archives in Tallahassee holds what survives from before 1917. Cemetery records, church logs, and newspaper obituaries are the best sources for this period.
Records from 1917 to 2009
The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics kept all death records from 1917 forward. These records sit in Jacksonville. You order them by mail or through VitalChek. The fee is $5 for the search plus $4 per certified copy.
Indexes for these years are searchable on FamilySearch and Ancestry. Many indexes link directly to digitized death certificates and obituary notices.
Records After 2009
Deaths in Miami-Dade from 2009 forward sit at the county DOH office. The state transferred record keeping to counties around 2009. Each county now keeps its own recent records.
This change means older requests go to Jacksonville while newer requests go to Miami-Dade. Knowing the date of death tells you which office to contact.
Miami-Dade Public Library Genealogy Resources
The Miami-Dade Public Library System offers free access to many genealogy and obituary databases. Library card holders can use these tools from home or at any branch.
Main Library Resources
The Main Library at 101 West Flagler Street has the largest genealogy collection in South Florida. Free databases include Ancestry.com, Fold3, Newspapers.com, and HeritageQuest. Library staff can help you plan a search strategy.
The library also holds the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami. This collection has Spanish-language obituaries and funeral records from Cuban exile communities in Miami.
Branch Library Archives
The Coral Gables Branch keeps local obituaries from Coral Gables and surrounding areas. The North Dade Regional Branch serves Miami Gardens, Opa-locka, and North Miami. Each branch holds local newspaper archives and cemetery records.
The Hispanic Branch at 1398 SW 1st Street specializes in records for the Hispanic community. It holds Spanish-language newspapers and funeral home records from Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, and other countries with large Miami populations.
Free Workshops and Help
The library runs free genealogy workshops every month. Topics include how to search Miami obituaries, how to use Ancestry, and how to read old death certificates. Library genealogists offer one-on-one help by appointment.
Call (305) 375-2665 to book a session with a library genealogist. Sessions last 30 minutes and cover specific research questions.
Miami Obituary Records for Genealogy Research
Genealogy researchers use obituary records to build family trees. Miami obituaries often include names of parents, spouses, children, and siblings. They may also list birthplaces, immigration years, and military service.
Starting a Family Tree
Start with what you know. Write down the full name of the person, their birth year, and their death year. Add the city of death if known. Search Miami obituary databases with these details.
Each obituary find can lead to new names. Add those names to your search list. Cross-check findings against census records, immigration records, and church records to confirm relationships.
Miami’s Unique Communities
Miami has large Cuban, Haitian, Colombian, Nicaraguan, and Jewish communities. Each group has its own funeral traditions and record sources. Cuban families often list exile details and family members still in Cuba. Haitian obituaries often include church and voodoo ceremony details.
Jewish funeral records in Miami go back to the 1940s. Temple Emanu-El, Beth David, and other congregations keep detailed records. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami has indexed many of these records.
Working with Old Records
Older obituaries may use old-fashioned language or spellings. Names may be misspelled. Handwritten records can be hard to read. Library staff and genealogy volunteers can help interpret old records.
Keep notes on every search. Record the date, database, and search terms used. This prevents repeat searches and helps track what you have already checked.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Searching
Several common errors slow down obituary searches. Knowing them ahead of time saves hours of work.
Spelling Errors in Names
Old records often misspell foreign names. Spanish, Haitian, and Eastern European names get changed at immigration. Search spelling variations. Try phonetic matches and use wildcards in database searches.
Wrong Date Ranges
People sometimes search the wrong year. A death may have happened months after a hospital stay. Extend your search range by two to three years on either side of your best guess.
Skipping Local Sources
National databases miss many local obituaries. Always check Miami-specific sources like the Miami-Dade Public Library and local funeral homes. These often have records not posted online.
Ignoring Spanish and Haitian Records
Miami’s obituary records include many Spanish and Creole language notices. Do not skip these just because you do not read the language. Google Translate and library staff can help interpret key details.
Contact Information for Miami Obituary Records
Use these details when you need to contact Miami offices directly.
Miami-Dade County Department of Health (Vital Records)
Address: 1350 NW 14th Street, Miami, FL 33125
Phone: (305) 324-2400
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Website: miamidade.floridahealth.gov/certificates/death-certificates
Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
Address: 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 359-6900
Website: floridahealth.gov/certificates-records
Miami-Dade Public Library Main Branch
Address: 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130
Phone: (305) 375-2665
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
VitalChek Customer Service
Phone: 1-877-550-7330
Website: vitalchek.com
Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions cover the most common concerns people have about Miami City Florida Obituary Records. Each answer gives clear steps and current details.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Miami Death Certificate?
Same-day pickup at the Miami-Dade DOH office on NW 14th Street takes about 30 minutes for records on file. Mail requests through the county office take two to four weeks. State bureau mail orders also take two to four weeks. VitalChek online orders ship in five to seven business days. Rush processing at the county office adds $10 for same-day service.
Can I Get a Death Certificate for My Grandparent in Miami?
Yes, if you only need the version without cause of death. That version is public in Florida. Anyone age 18 or older can request it without proof of family. Bring your photo ID to the Miami-Dade DOH office. The first copy costs $12. If you need the version with cause of death and the death was less than 50 years ago, you must show proof of your relationship or get a court order.
Where Can I Find Free Miami Obituary Records?
Free sources include Find a Grave, FamilySearch, Legacy.com (basic searches), Chronicling America, and the Miami-Dade Public Library databases. Library card holders get free access to Ancestry, Newspapers.com, and Fold3 at any branch. Florida Memory at floridamemory.com also has free historical indexes.
Are Miami Death Records Public to Anyone?
The version without cause of death is public under Florida law. Anyone 18 or older can request it without giving a reason. The version with cause of death stays sealed for 50 years under Florida Statutes Chapter 382. After 50 years, the full record becomes public.
How Do I Find an Obituary From 1950s Miami?
Start with the Miami-Dade Public Library Main Branch at 101 West Flagler Street. They hold microfilm of the Miami Herald and other papers from that era. You can also search Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank for Miami papers from the 1950s. FamilySearch has indexes of Florida death records going back to 1917. The State Archives in Tallahassee holds older records.
What If the Death Happened Outside Miami?
You need records from the county where the death took place. Florida keeps death records by county of death. For deaths outside Florida, contact the vital records office in the state where the death happened. The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics only handles deaths that occurred in Florida.
Can Funeral Homes Help Find Old Obituaries in Miami?
Yes. Miami funeral homes often keep records going back decades. Major homes like Caballero Rivero Woodlawn and Range Funeral Home have historical archives. Call the funeral home with the name and date of death. They may be able to provide copies of their service records even if no obituary appears online.