How to Find a Cause of Death in Florida (2026)

Florida records the cause of death in the medical certification on the death certificate and, for deaths it investigates, in the medical examiner's autopsy report. The cause of death is confidential for 50 years and released only to family and other eligible requesters, but obituaries, autopsy reports, and older public records also reveal how someone died.

How Do You Find Someone's Cause of Death in Florida?

To find someone's cause of death in Florida, start with the source that matches your access. If you are close family, request the confidential death certificate; if the death was investigated, request the medical examiner's autopsy report; if you have no eligibility, check the obituary, newspaper coverage, or older public records.

The cause of death is written in the medical certification on the death certificate. A physician or, for investigated deaths, the district medical examiner certifies the immediate cause, the underlying conditions, and the manner of death.

Because Florida treats that medical portion as confidential, the easiest public clue is often an obituary or news story. For a documented, official answer, you generally need to be an eligible requester or wait until the record becomes public.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Florida?

No, the cause of death is not public in Florida for 50 years. Florida Statutes section 382.025 makes the cause-of-death portion of a death certificate confidential and exempt from the state public-records law until 50 years after the date of death.

This is the same access rule used across Florida's death records. The certificate without the cause of death is public, and any person 18 or older can buy a certified copy, but the medical cause is walled off.

So Florida is an open-record state for the fact of death and a restricted state for the cause of death. You can confirm that someone died, and when, with no relationship proof, while the medical cause stays protected. Florida follows the common pattern described in Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

After 50 years, the exemption ends. At that point all portions of the certificate, including the cause of death, become public record.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death lives in two main documents in Florida: the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the autopsy report. They serve different purposes and have different access rules.

On the Death Certificate

Every Florida death certificate has a medical certification section. This is where the certifier lists the immediate cause of death, the sequence of underlying conditions, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

That section is the confidential part under section 382.025. The rest of the certificate, the demographic facts of who died and when, stays public.

In the Autopsy Report

When a death falls under medical examiner jurisdiction, the cause and manner are also documented in an autopsy report. Florida uses a medical examiner system divided into 25 districts, each with an appointed district medical examiner who is a licensed physician.

The medical examiner takes jurisdiction over violent, accidental, sudden, suspicious, or unattended deaths. In Florida the written autopsy report is itself a public record, although autopsy photographs, video, and audio are confidential, and a report tied to an active criminal investigation can be withheld until the case closes.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request records that show the cause of death, choose between the confidential death certificate and the autopsy report. Each has its own requester rules.

For the cause of death on the death certificate, you must be an eligible person under section 382.025. That means the decedent's spouse or parent; the decedent's child, grandchild, or sibling if 18 or older; a person who provides a will, insurance policy, or other document showing an interest in the estate; or anyone acting on behalf of one of those people.

Eligible requesters order through the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics. You can apply online or by phone through the state vendor VitalChek, by mail to the Bureau in Jacksonville, or in person at the state office or a county health department. Valid photo identification is required for the confidential version, and a non-eligible requester can still obtain it with a notarized Affidavit to Release Cause of Death Information (Form DH 1959) signed by an eligible person.

For the autopsy report, the path is broader because the written report is a public record. Any person may request a copy from the district medical examiner's office, and the next of kin receives a copy at no charge.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the cause of death becomes much easier to find. Once 50 years have passed from the date of death, section 382.025 no longer applies and the full certificate, cause of death included, is public record.

For those historical records you can order the unrestricted certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics without proving a relationship. Florida's statewide death registration generally covers deaths from 1917 onward.

Obituaries and archived newspapers are another strong source for older deaths and often describe how a person died. The Social Security Death Index can confirm the fact and date of death for many people, but it never lists the cause of death, so treat it as a starting point rather than the answer.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and forms change. Confirm the current requirements with the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or the relevant medical examiner's office before you rely on them.

Sources

This guide draws on Florida Statutes section 382.025 and the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.

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