Chattooga County Death Records

Chattooga County death records are on file at the Probate Court in Summerville, Georgia. This northwest Georgia county sits in the Appalachian foothills near the Alabama border. The Probate Court serves as the local vital records registrar and can issue certified copies of death certificates for deaths in Chattooga County. You can request a copy in person at the courthouse, order online through the ROVER system, or send a mail request to the Georgia Department of Public Health in Atlanta. The Summerville office also has access to death records from every other county in Georgia.

Chattooga County Probate Court

The Chattooga County Probate Court on Commerce Street in Summerville is the local registrar for vital records. The probate judge oversees the office and keeps all death certificates and other vital records. You can walk in during business hours with a valid photo ID and get a certified copy of a death certificate. Provide the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and where the death took place. Staff will search the system and print your copy.

The DPH listing for the Chattooga County Probate Court shows the office address and confirms this is the local registrar for vital records in the county.

The fee is $25 for the first certified copy and $5 for each extra one in the same order. Chattooga County is a mid-size office that handles a steady flow of requests. Most in-person visits get resolved the same day. Older records may take a bit more time to locate in the files.

Ordering Chattooga County Death Certificates

Three options exist for getting a Chattooga County death certificate. You can go in person to the Probate Court in Summerville. You can order online through the state's ROVER system. Or you can mail a request to the state office. All three ways get you the same certified copy.

Online ordering uses the ROVER system, which stands for Request Official Vital Events Records. Enter the info for the person who died, upload your photo ID, and pay $25 plus a $8 processing fee by card. Orders ship from the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta. It takes 8 to 10 weeks for delivery. ROVER is run by the Georgia Technology Authority and the Department of Public Health together.

For mail orders, write to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Include the person's full name, date and place of death, your link to the person, a photo ID copy, and a money order or certified check for $25 made out to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Personal checks are not taken. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, fees must be paid before the state will process your request. Allow 8 to 10 weeks. You can check on an order by emailing DPH-VRCC@dph.ga.gov.

Note: Missing documents or info will add to the 8 to 10 week processing time for Chattooga County death records.

Who Can Request Chattooga County Death Records

Georgia controls who gets a certified death certificate. Under OCGA § 31-10-25, the state protects vital records. Close family of the deceased can get full certified copies from the Chattooga County Probate Court. That means the spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. Legal reps and those with a tangible interest, like insurance companies, qualify for certified copies as well.

Anyone can request a Chattooga County death record. The public gets a plain paper copy with the Social Security number blacked out. Under OCGA § 31-10-26, the state registrar or any local custodian can issue copies upon written request. The plain copy works for research or general proof. All requests need a valid photo ID no matter who you are or what type of copy you want.

Death Certificate Filing in Chattooga County

When a death happens in Chattooga County, state law requires a death certificate to be filed. Under OCGA § 31-10-15, the certificate must be filed within ten days of the death. The funeral director who first takes custody of the body submits it to the county registrar within 72 hours. A physician signs the cause of death. If the cause cannot be figured out within 48 hours, "pending" goes on the record until they finish the review. The Chattooga County Probate Court then sends the record to the state office for permanent storage.

The state has Chattooga County death records from 1919 to the present. For records older than that, the Georgia Archives may have historical death indexes and documents from before the state system started. These can be useful for genealogy research on Chattooga County families.

Chattooga County Death Certificate Fees

The fee for a certified copy is $25. Extra copies in the same order are $5 each. These state-set fees apply at the Chattooga County Probate Court, the state office in Atlanta, and through ROVER. Online orders add a $8 processing fee. Third-party vendors like VitalChek and GO Certificates charge their own fees on top of the state price.

At the Chattooga County Probate Court, accepted payment usually includes money order, certified check, and cash. Call ahead to confirm. For online and mail orders, credit and debit cards work through ROVER. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, all fees are non-refundable once the search is complete.

Cities in Chattooga County

Chattooga County includes Summerville, the county seat, along with several smaller towns like Trion, Lyerly, and Menlo. All death records for these communities go through the Chattooga County Probate Court in Summerville. None of these cities are large enough to have their own vital records offices.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Chattooga County in northwest Georgia. If you need a death record and are not sure which county to use, check where the death took place. The Chattooga County office can also pull records from any county in the state.