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

Cause of death in Minnesota is recorded on the death certificate, but it appears only on a certified copy, which is restricted to family and others with a tangible interest in the record. Minnesota is an open-record state, so anyone may buy a noncertified (informational) copy of a death record, but that copy shows only basic identity information and does not include the cause of death.

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

You find a cause of death in Minnesota by obtaining a certified death certificate, which records the cause in its medical certification section. Minnesota is an open-record state, so anyone may buy a noncertified (informational) copy of a death record from the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records, but the informational copy shows only basic identity details and not the cause of death. The cause of death appears on the certified certificate, which is restricted to people with a tangible interest in the record.

If the death was investigated by a medical examiner or coroner, the cause and manner of death held by that office are public under Minnesota Statutes 13.83, and a more detailed autopsy report may also exist. The detailed investigative file and autopsy findings are restricted to close family and others with a legal interest, not the general public, until they become public 30 years after the death.

For a quick, no-cost route, the obituary or a newspaper account often states the cause directly. For the full official record, request a death record through the Office of Vital Records or a county vital records office.

To compare access rules across states, see Death Records by State.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Minnesota?

The cause of death on the death certificate is not on the copy anyone can buy. Minnesota is an open-record state, so anyone may purchase a noncertified (informational) death record under Minnesota Statutes section 144.225, but that informational copy does not include the cause of death. To get the cause of death from the certificate, you need a certified copy, which is limited to people with a tangible interest in the record. Separately, the cause and manner of death held by a medical examiner or coroner are public under Minnesota Statutes 13.83.

The distinction in Minnesota matters because the cause of death is printed only on the certified copy. Noncertified (informational) copies are open to anyone but show only basic identity details, not the cause of death. Certified copies, which carry legal weight and can include the cause of death, are limited to people with a tangible interest in the record.

The medical examiner and coroner records are a different matter. Under Minnesota Statutes 13.83, the cause of death, causes of the cause of death, manner of death, and whether an autopsy was performed are public at every stage. The broader investigative file is confidential while an investigation is active, then becomes private (accessible to next of kin and estate representatives) once the final summary is complete, and that nonpublic data opens to the public 30 years after the date of death.

For the national overview, see Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death is recorded in two main places in Minnesota: the death certificate and, when one exists, the medical examiner or coroner autopsy report.

The Death Certificate

Every Minnesota death certificate has a medical certification section listing the immediate cause of death, the underlying conditions that led to it, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined). Only licensed medical certifiers may complete this section. In Minnesota, certifiers include physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, coroners, and medical examiners.

This section appears on a certified death certificate ordered with cause of death information. It does not appear on the noncertified (informational) copy, which shows only basic identity details.

The Autopsy Report

When a death is sudden, violent, unexplained, or otherwise not from natural causes, a medical examiner or coroner investigates and may perform an autopsy. The autopsy findings are filed in the medical examiner or coroner office and provide far more detail than the one-line cause on the certificate.

This report is not a public record. It is restricted to the decedent's spouse, parents, children, and siblings, the estate's legal representative, and their attorneys, until it becomes public 30 years after the death.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To get a record that shows the cause of death, you generally need a certified copy ordered with cause of death information, which is limited to people with a tangible interest in the record. Anyone can order a noncertified (informational) copy, but it does not display the cause of death.

You can order from the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records by mail or fax, or in person at a county vital records office, which is usually the fastest option. Informational copies are marked "informational," do not show the cause of death, and cannot be used to settle an estate or prove identity, but they are open to any member of the public.

To order a certified copy, you must show that you have a tangible interest in the record. Eligible requesters include the spouse, children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, estate representatives, court-appointed guardians, and attorneys for an eligible person. Certified-copy requesters must provide identification and sign the request form in front of a notary public or county vital records staff.

To obtain the autopsy report, an eligible family member or estate representative should contact the medical examiner or coroner office for the county where the death occurred.

For full eligibility, fees, and ordering details, see Minnesota Death Records.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, Minnesota death records date back to 1908 at the Office of Vital Records. Anyone can buy an informational copy of a historical death record, but it does not show the cause of death; for genealogy research you would need a certified copy with cause of death (if eligible) or, for investigated deaths, the medical examiner or coroner records that become fully public 30 years after the death.

For a medical examiner or coroner autopsy report, the 30-year rule matters. Once 30 years have passed since the date of death, that previously restricted investigative data becomes public, so older autopsy and inquest records may be available to any requester.

The Social Security Death Index can help you confirm the fact and date of death for a deceased person, which is useful for locating the right record to order. The index does not list the cause of death, so you will still need the death certificate or autopsy report for that detail.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Minnesota records, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and procedures can change. Always confirm the current requirements with the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records or the county medical examiner or coroner office before relying on them.

Sources

This page draws on the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records, the MDH medical-certifier guidance, and Minnesota Statutes chapters 144, 390, and 13 from the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.