How Do I Get a Death Certificate?  

      The New Hartford Registrar of Vital Records maintains death records for all deaths that have occurred within the Village and Town of New Hartford, New York, including the hamlets of Chadwicks and Washington Mills, from 1885 to present.  

  To obtain a death certificate from the Town of New Hartford, please follow the instructions:   Application for Death Record Rev 10-2023.pdf 

1.    The search fee is $10.00, payable in cash, cashier’s check, or money order  only  . We do not accept credit, debit, or personal checks for Vital Records. Please be aware that if we do not locate the record you request, the $10.00 is not refundable and a No Record Certification is issued.  
         
2.     Print out, read, and fully complete the Application for Record of Death within the Town of New Hartford. Sign where indicated and include your current mailing address and telephone number and/or email address. Please realize that we cannot issue Vital Records to a Post Office Box; include your physical residential address on the Application.   
         
3.     Please provide a clear photocopy of suitable ID, such as a Driver’s License, Non-Driver’s Photo ID, or U. S. Passport. The ID must show a street address and not a PO Box. Please realize that we cannot issue Vital Records to a Post Office Box address. See the application for the ID we require; we do not accept any other form of ID than those specified on the Application.   
         
4.     If your need is urgent and you are unable to come to the office to apply, we suggest using an overnight mail service to send the application, and include a self-addressed, pre-stamped overnight envelope that we can send back to you the day we fulfill your request. We usually process general mail requests within three to five business days.   
         
5.     Older records require a search at our Records Center, an off-site storage facility. Records Center Search requests typically take longer, so please realize there may be a delay in filling your request.   
         
6.     Please realize that you may need to provide further documentation that proves either your direct filiation to the decedent (such as a long-form birth or marriage record) and/or your legal need for the record.   
        
      According to the New York State Department of Health, a certified copy or a certified transcript of a death certificate may be issued:    

•    To a person with a New York State Court Order issued on a showing of necessity;   
•     To the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased;    
•     To the lawful representative of the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased;    
•     To a person requiring the record for a documented medical need;    
•     To a municipal, state or federal agency when needed for official purposes; or    
•     To a person requiring the record for a documented legal right or claim. A legal right or claim is established on the basis of documentation demonstrating that the requestor has a legal need requiring a copy of the death certificate. Some examples are:  a letter from the bank to the surviving joint account owner requesting proof of the death of deceased account owner; Letters Testamentary from a person claiming to be the executor or executrix of the estate; or an insurance policy showing that the requestor is a beneficiary.   
        

1.    Mail the application, photocopy of your ID, payment, and any other documents to:  
      Town of New Hartford Registrar   
      8635 Clinton Street  
      New Hartford, NY 13413    
          
          
       For more information on eligibility requirements or to order vital records online, see the New York State Department of Health Vital Records at  https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/  .