How to Find a Cause of Death in North Carolina (2026)

In North Carolina you find a cause of death on the death certificate, which anyone can obtain as an uncertified copy under N.C.G.S. 130A-93(b) and 130A-99(a)(3), and in the medical examiner's autopsy report. The cause of death is effectively public: the uncertified copy still shows it. The medical examiner's file is narrower, and for the death of a child under 18 it is confidential under N.C.G.S. 130A-385(d3).

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

You find a cause of death in North Carolina by obtaining the death certificate or the medical examiner's autopsy report. The certificate's medical-certification section states the immediate cause, the underlying conditions, and the manner of death.

The fastest no-barrier route is an uncertified copy of the death certificate. Under N.C.G.S. 130A-93(b), the State Registrar furnishes a copy or abstract of a vital record to any person on request, and N.C.G.S. 130A-99(a)(2)-(3) does the same for the certificates a county register of deeds holds.

For deaths the medical examiner investigated, the autopsy report gives a far more detailed cause-of-death finding. You request that separately from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).

Many people never request a record at all. An obituary, funeral-home notice, or newspaper report often states the cause, and historical deaths are frequently documented in genealogy collections once the records are public.

Is the Cause of Death Public in North Carolina?

The cause of death is effectively public in North Carolina because it appears on the uncertified death certificate that anyone may obtain. North Carolina restricts only certified copies; it is not a flatly closed-record state.

This ties directly to the state's certificate-access rule. Under N.C.G.S. 130A-93(b), the State Registrar furnishes copies or abstracts of vital records "to any person upon request," with no ID and no proof of relationship. The county route is governed by N.C.G.S. 130A-99(a)(2)-(3), which is more specific and stronger: the death certificates a register of deeds files are "open to inspection and examination," and copies or abstracts "shall be provided to any person upon request."

That uncertified copy does not carry the evidentiary weight of a certified copy, which N.C.G.S. 130A-93(h) makes prima facie evidence of the facts it states. It still shows the cause of death.

There are two important narrowings, and both reach the medical examiner's file rather than the death certificate. Effective October 1, 2025, Session Law 2025-70 amended N.C.G.S. 130A-385 so that autopsy and investigative records tied to an active criminal investigation are confidential until that case is closed. Separately, N.C.G.S. 130A-385(d3) makes every OCME record connected with the death of a child who was under 18 confidential regardless of whether any criminal investigation exists. Neither provision restricts the cause-of-death entry on the death certificate itself.

For the broader rule across states, see Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death lives in two distinct documents. The first is the death certificate; the second is the autopsy report.

The Death Certificate

Every North Carolina death certificate carries a medical-certification section completed by the certifying physician or medical examiner. It lists the immediate cause, the sequence of underlying conditions, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

Because the uncertified informational copy reproduces this section, the cause of death is visible on the copy anyone can request. Statewide death registration in North Carolina began in October 1913 (a few delayed county records run back to 1909), and the state NC Vital Records office holds certificates from 1930 to the present.

The Autopsy Report

When the OCME investigates a death, it prepares an autopsy, investigation, and toxicology report. This is the most detailed cause-of-death record and explains the medical examiner's findings well beyond the one-line certificate entry.

The OCME investigates deaths due to injury or violence and natural deaths that are suspicious, unusual, or unattended by a medical professional. Under N.C.G.S. 130A-389(a), a copy of the autopsy report "shall be furnished to any person upon request" unless the report is protected under subsection (d1) or (d3) of N.C.G.S. 130A-385. Those two carve-outs are the active-criminal-investigation rule and a categorical bar covering the death of a child.

For a child who was under 18 at the time of death, N.C.G.S. 130A-385(d3) makes the OCME's records, worksheets, reports, photographs, tests, and analyses confidential. They are released only with the prior written consent of the child's parent or guardian, or to someone the subsection lists: the personal representative of the estate, a beneficiary of a benefit or claim, and, upon request, the surviving spouse, the parents, adult children, a legal guardian or custodian, or a person holding power of attorney. Anyone outside that list, a sibling included, needs the parent's or guardian's written consent or a good-cause order from the superior court in the county where the death occurred under N.C.G.S. 130A-385(d6).

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

You request a death certificate from N.C. Vital Records (part of NCDHHS) or a county register of deeds, and an autopsy report from the OCME. Each has its own process.

For the certificate, choose certified or uncertified. A certified copy is limited to the deceased's spouse, sibling, direct ancestor or descendant, stepparent, stepchild, a legal representative, or someone with a legal property or personal-rights interest. The uncertified informational copy is open to anyone.

The state fee is $24 for a search plus one copy per three-year period searched, with additional copies of the same record $15 each. You will need the decedent's name, date of death, and the city or county of death.

For an autopsy report, use the OCME Document Request form for deaths since 1976, or call the office. The OCME generally provides these reports at no fee once finalized, unless the file is confidential because a criminal investigation is active or because the decedent was a child under 18.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the cause of death is found in archived certificates, registers of deeds, and genealogy collections rather than a quick online order. North Carolina death certificates begin statewide in October 1913, though the state NC Vital Records office only holds them from 1930 onward.

County registers of deeds hold local death records and can produce uncertified copies that show the cause of death. For deaths between 1913 and 1930 (and the few delayed records back to 1909), the State Archives of North Carolina and county records are the main avenues.

Older deaths are also widely documented in published genealogical and historical record sets compiled from official certificates. The Social Security Death Index can confirm the fact and date of death, but it does not list a cause of death.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and confidentiality provisions change. Verify the current process with N.C. Vital Records, the county register of deeds, or the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner before relying on it.

Sources

This page draws on North Carolina Vital Records (NCDHHS), the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the North Carolina General Statutes (N.C.G.S. 130A-93, 130A-99, 130A-385, and 130A-389, as amended by Session Law 2025-70).

Up to North Carolina Death Records and the hub Death Records by State.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find someone's cause of death in North Carolina?

Obtain the death certificate, which states the cause in its medical-certification section, or request the autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. An uncertified informational copy of the certificate is available to anyone and still shows the cause of death.

Is the cause of death public record in North Carolina?

Effectively yes. North Carolina restricts only certified copies. Under N.C.G.S. 130A-93(b) and 130A-99(a)(3) anyone can obtain an uncertified copy or abstract, which shows the cause of death.

How can I find out how a relative died in North Carolina?

Check the obituary or newspaper first, then order a death certificate. As a spouse, child, sibling, or other qualifying relative you can request a certified copy; otherwise an uncertified copy is open to anyone and still lists the cause.

Does the death certificate show the cause of death in North Carolina?

Yes. Every North Carolina death certificate includes a medical-certification section with the immediate cause, underlying conditions, and manner of death. This section appears on both certified and uncertified copies.

How do I get a cause of death for an old death?

North Carolina death certificates begin statewide in October 1913, but the state NC Vital Records office only holds them from 1930 on. Use the county register of deeds or N.C. Vital Records for 1930-forward certificates, and the State Archives of North Carolina for 1913-1930 (and the few delayed records back to 1909). Genealogy record sets compiled from official certificates also help.

Can anyone find out a cause of death in North Carolina?

Generally yes, through the uncertified copy that N.C.G.S. 130A-93(b) and 130A-99(a)(3) make available to any person. Two exceptions reach the medical examiner's file rather than the certificate: an autopsy or investigative file tied to an active criminal case stays confidential until the case closes, and every OCME record connected with the death of a child under 18 is confidential under N.C.G.S. 130A-385(d3) no matter whether an investigation is open.