Screven County Death Records Lookup

Screven County death records are handled by the probate court in Sylvania, Georgia. The probate court acts as the local registrar for vital records in this east Georgia county. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Screven County or in any other Georgia county, the Sylvania office can pull it from the state system. Walking in for a same-day copy is the fastest option. Mail and online orders run through the state and take about 8 to 10 weeks. The probate court staff searches records and issues both certified and plain paper copies of death certificates.

Screven County Probate Court Vital Records

The Screven County Probate Court serves as the local registrar for death records. The office is on Mims Road in Sylvania. You can visit in person to request certified copies of death certificates. A valid photo ID is required for all requests. The staff can search the state vital records database and process your order while you wait during regular business hours.

Under OCGA § 31-10-2, Georgia runs a centralized vital records system. This means the Screven County probate court connects to the same database as every other vital records office in the state. You are not limited to records from this county alone. The Sylvania office can retrieve death certificates from any Georgia county, so there is no need to drive to a distant county if the death happened elsewhere.

The Screven County Probate Court page on the Georgia DPH site lists the office address and services available for death record requests.

The listing above shows the Sylvania probate court details and confirms its role as the local registrar for Screven County vital records.

How to Get Screven County Death Certificates

You can get a Screven County death certificate three ways: in person, by mail, or online. Each method costs $25 for the first copy, but the wait times are quite different.

Walk-in requests at the probate court in Sylvania are the fastest. Go to 216 Mims Road with your photo ID and the details of the deceased, including full name, date of death, and place of death. If the record is on file, you can have your certified copy the same day. Additional copies on the same order are $5 each. The office takes cash, credit cards, and debit cards but not personal checks.

Mail requests go to the state office in Atlanta. Fill out Form 3912 from the Georgia DPH and send it with a money order or certified check for $25 to 1680 Phoenix Blvd, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Expect 8 to 10 weeks for delivery by first class USPS.

Note: If the state finds no matching record, they mail a "not on file" letter. The $25 fee covers the search and is not refunded.

Order Screven County Death Records Online

Georgia's ROVER system lets you order death certificates online for any county. For Screven County records, the process is the same as any other Georgia county. ROVER charges $25 plus an $8 processing fee. Standard delivery takes 8 to 10 weeks, matching the mail timeline.

Third-party vendors like VitalChek also handle Screven County death certificate orders. Phone orders go through 877-572-6343. These vendors apply their own fees and some offer faster shipping, though the actual processing time at the state office does not change. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, the state sets uniform fees for all certified copies of vital records.

Who Can Get Death Certificates in Screven County

Certified death certificates in Georgia go to people with a direct and tangible interest in the record. Under OCGA § 31-10-25, this means the spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren of the deceased. Legal representatives and insurance beneficiaries also have access.

Members of the public can order a plain paper copy with the Social Security number removed. These work for genealogy or basic research. They do not work for settling an estate or other legal matters. To get a certified copy from Screven County, bring documentation showing your relationship. A birth certificate, marriage license, or court order will satisfy the requirement.

Screven County Death Certificate Filing

Deaths in Screven County require filing a death certificate with the local registrar within ten days. Per OCGA § 31-10-15, the funeral director files the certificate within 72 hours of taking custody. The attending physician signs the medical certification covering cause and manner of death. When the cause cannot be set within 48 hours, the certificate is marked "pending."

The filed certificate then moves from the Screven County registrar to the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta. Under OCGA § 31-10-26, certified copies can be issued by either the state registrar or the local office once the record is registered. So a Screven County death certificate is available from both the Sylvania probate court and the state office.

If someone dies outside Screven County but lived here, a copy of the certificate gets forwarded to this county as well. The probate court may have those records on file too.

Older Death Records in Screven County

The state database covers deaths from January 1919 forward. For Screven County deaths before that date, records are harder to come by. The Georgia Archives in Morrow may have some older records. Call (678) 364-3700 for help with pre-1919 searches.

The Screven County Probate Court might hold local records from before the state system started. Contact the office to ask. Church records, cemetery logs, and newspaper notices from the Sylvania area also serve as useful sources for tracing older deaths in Screven County. The state archives has microfilm copies of many early vital records from throughout Georgia.

Nearby Counties

These counties are near Screven County. Since any Georgia vital records office can issue death certificates from any county, visiting a neighboring office may be more convenient depending on where you are.