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

In Nebraska, the cause of death is recorded on the medical certification of the death certificate, and for unexplained deaths it is determined by the county coroner. Nebraska is a closed-record state, so a certified copy showing the cause is restricted to eligible requesters until the record becomes public roughly 50 years after the death.

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

To find someone's cause of death in Nebraska, start with the death certificate, which carries the cause of death on its medical certification section. If you are an eligible requester, you can order a certified copy from Nebraska Vital Records, part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

For deaths that were investigated, an autopsy report from the county coroner may give more detail than the certificate alone. The coroner's physician prepares this report.

Many families first learn the cause from the obituary or a newspaper notice, which is the fastest public source. These do not require any eligibility check.

For older deaths, the record may already be public, and genealogy indexes can help you locate it. Each of these routes is explained in detail below.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Nebraska?

No, the cause of death is not openly public in Nebraska for recent deaths. Because Nebraska is a closed-record state, the certified death certificate that shows the cause of death is restricted to eligible requesters.

This mirrors the rule on the main Nebraska Death Records page. The death certificate, including its cause-of-death field, is not sold to the general public on demand the way it is in open-record states.

A Nebraska death record generally becomes a public record about 50 years after the death. After that window, the cause of death recorded on the certificate is open to anyone.

For a wider look at how states treat this information, see Are Cause of Death Records Public? and the national Death Records by State hub.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death is recorded in two main places in Nebraska: the death certificate and, when one exists, the autopsy report.

The Death Certificate

Every Nebraska death certificate has a medical certification section. A physician, or the coroner's physician in an investigated death, lists the immediate cause of death and any underlying conditions there.

This is the official, legal record of the cause of death. A certified copy reproduces this field, which is why access is limited to eligible requesters.

The Autopsy Report

When a death is investigated, the coroner's physician may perform an autopsy and prepare a separate report. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. 23-1820, the coroner's physician certifies the cause of death and performs an autopsy when the coroner requests one.

The autopsy report is more detailed than the certificate's single cause-of-death line. It is a separate record, and access is handled by the county attorney's office acting as coroner, not by Vital Records.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request the certified death certificate that shows the cause of death, apply to Nebraska Vital Records and show that you qualify. You must establish a proper purpose under the state's rules at 174 NAC 3.

The DHHS application asks how you are related to the decedent. If you are not the informant or spouse named on the record, you must provide proof of your relationship.

A certified copy costs $16.00. You can order online, by mail, or in person, and a mailed request must include a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID and a $16.00 check or money order payable to Vital Records.

To request an autopsy report, contact the county attorney's office in the county where the death was investigated, since the county attorney serves as the ex officio coroner (Neb. Rev. Stat. 23-1201.01). Availability of an autopsy report depends on whether the coroner ordered one.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older Nebraska deaths, the cause of death is much easier to find because the record may already be public. Once a death record passes the roughly 50-year confidentiality window, the certificate and its cause-of-death field become open to anyone.

Nebraska's statewide death registration began in 1904, so certificates exist for most deaths from that point forward. For deaths now past the public window, you can request the record without proving eligibility.

Newspaper archives and obituaries are valuable for historical research, since they often state a cause of death in plain language. The Social Security Death Index can confirm the fact and date of death for many people, though it does not list the cause of death itself.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Vital-records rules, fees, and access policies change. Verify the current requirements with Nebraska DHHS Vital Records or the relevant county attorney's office before you rely on them.

Sources

This page draws on the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Vital Records office, the Nebraska Revised Statutes governing coroners and vital statistics, and the CDC Public Health Law Program's summary of Nebraska coroner laws.