Charlton County Death Records Search

Charlton County death records are kept at the Probate Court in Folkston, Georgia. This rural county in the far southeast corner of the state borders Florida and is home to the Okefenokee Swamp. The Probate Court is the local vital records registrar and can issue certified copies of death certificates for deaths in Charlton County. You can visit in person, order through the state's ROVER online system, or mail your request to the Department of Public Health in Atlanta. As with every Georgia county, the Charlton County office can also pull death records from anywhere else in the state.

Charlton County Probate Court

The Charlton County Probate Court on Third Street in Folkston handles death certificates for the county. The probate judge runs the office and serves as the local registrar for vital records. Walk in during business hours with a valid photo ID to get a certified copy of a death certificate. Tell the staff the full name of the person who died, the date, and the place of death. They will look it up and print your copy.

The DPH Vital Records page lists Charlton County as a registrar location and provides information on what services are available at county offices across the state.

Charlton County is a small office with a low volume of requests. Most visits are quick. The fee is $25 for the first certified copy and $5 for each extra copy in the same order. These fees are set by Georgia law and match what every other county charges.

How to Order Charlton County Death Certificates

You can get a Charlton County death certificate three ways. In person at the Probate Court in Folkston is the fastest. Online through ROVER is the most convenient if you live far away. Mail through the state office in Atlanta is the third option. All three methods produce the same certified copy.

The ROVER system handles online orders for Georgia vital records. You fill in the details of the person who died, upload a copy of your photo ID, and pay by credit or debit card. The fee is $25 for the certificate plus $8 for processing. Orders ship from Atlanta and take 8 to 10 weeks to arrive. This is a solid option for people who live outside Charlton County or out of state entirely.

For mail orders, send your request to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Include the name of the person, date and place of death, your link to the person, and a copy of your photo ID. Pay with a money order or certified check. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, fees are due before any service and are not returned once the search is done. Mail orders take 8 to 10 weeks after the state gets everything. Missing documents will slow things down.

Who Can Get Charlton County Death Records

Georgia has clear rules about who gets a certified death certificate. Close family of the deceased can get full certified copies. This means the spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. Legal reps and people with a tangible interest, such as insurance companies or named beneficiaries, also qualify. Under OCGA § 31-10-25, the state protects vital records and limits who sees the full details on a death certificate.

The public can request a Charlton County death record as well. They get a plain paper copy. The Social Security number is removed from this version. It is fine for research or as general proof of death. Under OCGA § 31-10-26, any local custodian can issue copies upon a written request. A valid photo ID is required for all Charlton County death record requests.

Death Certificate Filing in Charlton County

Under OCGA § 31-10-15, a death certificate in Georgia must be filed within ten days of the death. The funeral director who first takes custody of the body must file it with the county registrar within 72 hours. A doctor must certify the cause of death. If the cause is not clear within 48 hours, "pending" goes on the record until they figure it out. The Charlton County Probate Court handles this filing and then sends it to the state office in Atlanta.

The state holds death records from 1919 forward. If you need older Charlton County death records, check the Georgia Archives. They hold historical indexes and records from before the modern system. Because Charlton County is near the Florida border, deaths that happened just across the state line would be Florida records, not Georgia ones. Make sure the death took place in Georgia before ordering from the state system.

Charlton County Death Certificate Fees

A certified death certificate costs $25 in Charlton County. Extra copies in the same order cost $5 each. These state-set fees apply at the Probate Court, the state office in Atlanta, and online through ROVER. ROVER adds a $8 processing fee. Third-party vendors like VitalChek add their own service fees on top of the base price.

At the Charlton County Probate Court, you can typically pay by money order, certified check, or cash. Confirm with the office before you visit. For ROVER orders, credit and debit cards work. Personal checks are not accepted for mail requests to the state. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, all fees are non-refundable once the search has been completed.

Cities in Charlton County

Folkston is the county seat and the main city in Charlton County. Homeland is the other small community. All death records for both go through the Charlton County Probate Court in Folkston. Neither place has its own vital records office.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Charlton County. If you are not sure which county you need for a death record, check where the death took place. Any county vital records office in Georgia can issue death certificates from anywhere in the state.