Crawford County Death Records

Crawford County death records are managed by the Probate Court in Knoxville. This rural middle Georgia county has about 12,000 residents and sits in the Macon Judicial Circuit. The probate court serves as the local vital records registrar and handles all death certificate requests for the county. You can get copies in person at the courthouse, order them online through the state ROVER system, or send a mail request. This page covers how to find and get death records in Crawford County.

Crawford County Probate Court Vital Records

The Crawford County Probate Court handles death records at 100 Georgia Highway 42 South in Knoxville. The probate judge acts as the local vital records registrar. This office handles death certificate requests, marriage licenses, wills, and estate matters for Crawford County. Staff at the courthouse can search the state database and print certified copies of death certificates while you wait.

The DPH page for Crawford County Probate Court lists this office as a vital records registrar location in the state system.

Under OCGA § 31-10-2, all Georgia county vital records offices connect to one central database. This means the Crawford County Probate Court can pull death certificates from any county in the state. If someone died in Fulton County or Chatham County, you can still get the certificate in Knoxville. You do not have to travel to the county where the death took place.

Bring your photo ID and the details of the person who died when you visit. The clerk needs the full name, the date of death, and the place of death. If the record is on file, you can leave with a certified copy the same day.

How to Order Crawford County Death Records

Walking into the Crawford County Probate Court in Knoxville is the fastest way to get a death certificate. The fee is $25 for the first certified copy. Extra copies in the same order cost $5 each. Bring cash, money order, or certified check. The clerk searches the state system and can print your copy on the spot.

For online orders, use the ROVER system at services.georgia.gov/gta/rover. ROVER charges $25 for the certificate plus an $8 processing fee. Orders ship from the state office in Atlanta by USPS. The wait is 8 to 10 weeks. Due to high volume, the state has paused rush services through ROVER. The DPH online ordering page explains the full process step by step.

Mail requests go to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. You need to send the name of the person who died, the date and place of death, the number of copies you want, your link to the person, and a copy of your photo ID. Pay with money order or certified check. Personal checks are not accepted for mail orders. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, fees are due up front and are not refunded even if the search turns up nothing.

Note: Mail orders take 8 to 10 weeks once the state office gets your full packet with payment.

Who Can Get Crawford County Death Certificates

Georgia has rules about who can get certified copies. Under OCGA § 31-10-25, close family members have access to the full certified version. That means the spouse, parents, adult children, adult siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren of the person who died. Legal reps of the family and parties with a tangible interest, like insurance companies and estate lawyers, can also get certified Crawford County death records.

Anyone else can get a plain paper copy. Under OCGA § 31-10-26, the registrar issues copies upon written request to anyone who provides a photo ID. The plain paper version has the Social Security number removed. It works for research and general proof purposes.

Death Certificate Filing in Crawford County

When someone dies in Crawford County, the funeral home files the death certificate. Georgia law under OCGA § 31-10-15 requires the funeral director to file the certificate with the county registrar within 72 hours of taking charge of the body. A doctor signs the medical section and certifies the cause of death. The Crawford County registrar then sends the completed record to the state office in Atlanta.

If the cause of death is not clear, the coroner investigates. Accidents, homicides, suicides, and deaths where no doctor was present all go through the coroner. If the cause cannot be determined within 48 hours, "pending" goes on the record until the investigation concludes. Once the death certificate is filed, it becomes available at both the Crawford County Probate Court and the state office.

Historical Death Records in Crawford County

The state has Crawford County death records from 1919 to now. For deaths before that year, the Georgia Archives in Morrow may have records. Crawford County dates back to 1822, so some early documents may exist in scattered form. The Archives holds historical death indexes and papers from before the modern state system started. Estate records at the Crawford County Probate Court can also contain death dates for people who died before formal certificates were kept.

The Georgia Department of Public Health stores all modern death records at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, in Atlanta. Call (404) 679-4702 for questions about the state collection. The DPH Vital Records page has forms and instructions for requesting death records from any county in Georgia, including Crawford County.

Crawford County Death Certificate Fees

A certified death certificate from Crawford County costs $25 for the first copy. Each extra copy in the same order is $5. These are the standard Georgia fees and apply at the Crawford County Probate Court and through the state office. The DPH fee schedule lists all current costs.

ROVER adds $8 for processing. Third-party vendors charge their own service fees on top. Fetal death certificates cost $10 in Georgia. Amendments cost $10 plus the price of a new certified copy, unless the correction is for the current year. Current year corrections are free of charge. You can pay at the Crawford County courthouse with cash, money order, or certified check.

Cities in Crawford County

Crawford County includes Roberta and Knoxville. Neither city meets the population threshold for its own page. All death records in this area go through the Crawford County Probate Court in Knoxville.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Crawford County in middle Georgia. Each has its own vital records registrar for death certificates.