Find Stewart County Death Records

Stewart County death records are kept by the probate court in Lumpkin, Georgia. This rural county in west-central Georgia uses the probate court as the local registrar for vital records. If you need a death certificate for someone who died in Stewart County or in another part of the state, the Lumpkin probate court can process your request through the state system. Walk-in visits give you same-day copies, while mail and online orders take 8 to 10 weeks. The probate court searches the database and issues both certified and plain paper copies of death certificates for legal, insurance, and personal needs.

Stewart County Probate Court Vital Records

The Stewart County Probate Court is the local registrar for death records. The office is on Broad Street in Lumpkin. Staff can search the state vital records database and produce certified copies of death certificates. A valid photo ID is required for all requests. Walk-in visits offer the fastest turnaround.

Under OCGA § 31-10-2, Georgia operates a unified vital records system. The Stewart County office taps into the same database as every other registrar across the state. You do not need to visit the county where the death took place. The Lumpkin probate court can retrieve death records from any Georgia county. For a small, rural county like Stewart, this is particularly useful since residents may need records from larger population centers some distance away.

The Stewart County Probate Court page on the Georgia DPH site provides the office location and vital records service details.

The DPH listing above confirms the Lumpkin probate court as the local registrar for Stewart County vital records including death certificates.

How to Get Stewart County Death Certificates

Three options exist for getting a death certificate in Stewart County. You can visit the probate court, mail a request to the state, or order online. The base fee stays the same across all three methods.

For walk-in service, go to the probate court at 1764 Broad Street in Lumpkin. Have your photo ID and the deceased person's full name, date of death, and place of death. If the record is in the system, you can get your copy the same day. The first certified copy is $25 and extra copies on the same order are $5 each. Cash, credit, and debit cards are accepted. The office does not take personal checks for vital records.

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

Note: The $25 search fee is not refunded if no record turns up. You will get a "not on file" letter from the state instead.

Order Stewart County Death Records Online

Georgia's ROVER online system accepts death certificate orders for all 159 counties. For Stewart County records, the cost is $25 plus an $8 processing fee online. Standard delivery takes 8 to 10 weeks, the same as mail orders.

Third-party vendors like VitalChek also process Stewart County death certificate orders. Phone orders go through 877-572-6343. Vendors charge their own service fees and some offer faster shipping, though the state processing time does not change. Under OCGA § 31-10-27, the department sets uniform fees for all certified copies regardless of how the order is placed.

Who Can Get Death Certificates in Stewart County

Georgia law limits access to certified death certificates. Under OCGA § 31-10-25, you need a direct and tangible interest in the record. Spouses, adult children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren qualify. Legal representatives and insurance beneficiaries can also get certified copies.

Anyone can order a plain paper copy. The public version has the Social Security number blacked out. Plain copies work for genealogy or research but not for legal proceedings. For a certified copy in Stewart County, show documentation of your relationship to the deceased. A birth certificate, marriage license, or court order will meet the requirement.

Note: A photo ID is required for every request at the Stewart County Probate Court.

Stewart County Death Certificate Filing

When a death happens in Stewart County, the death certificate must be filed 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 physician signs the medical section on cause and manner of death. If the cause is not clear within 48 hours, "pending" is noted on the form.

The filed certificate then goes from Stewart County to the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta. Under OCGA § 31-10-26, both the state registrar and the local custodian can issue certified copies after registration. So a Stewart County death certificate is available from the Lumpkin probate court or the state office in Atlanta. Both are valid for legal use.

If someone dies outside Stewart County but was a resident, a copy of the death certificate gets forwarded here too. The probate court may have those records on file.

Older Death Records in Stewart County

The state system holds death records from January 1919 forward. For Stewart County deaths before that date, records are harder to locate. The Georgia Archives in Morrow may have some older records. Call (678) 364-3700 for assistance.

The Stewart County Probate Court could have local records predating the state system. Contact the Lumpkin office to find out. Church records, cemetery logs, and newspaper death notices from the area can also help trace older deaths. The state archives keeps microfilm copies of many early Georgia vital records that are not available through the online system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Stewart County in west-central Georgia. Any Georgia vital records office can pull death certificates from any county, so a neighboring office could be a closer option for you.