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

Tennessee records a cause of death on the medical certification of the death certificate and, when a death is investigated, in the medical examiner's autopsy report. The certified certificate is restricted to close family for 50 years, but autopsy reports are public documents, so they are often the most accessible source of the cause of death.

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

To find a cause of death in Tennessee, start with the two records that actually state it: the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the autopsy report. The cause of death is written on the medical certification section of the certificate by the attending physician or medical examiner.

If you are the decedent's spouse, parent, child, next of kin, or legal representative, you can order a certified death certificate that shows the cause of death from the Tennessee Office of Vital Records.

If a county medical examiner investigated the death, the autopsy report is a public document and can be requested from that office. For older deaths, the full certificate becomes public 50 years after the date of death.

For a quick, free starting point, obituaries and the Social Security Death Index confirm that a person died, though neither reliably states how.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Tennessee?

It depends on which record you mean. The cause of death on the certified death certificate is not public for recent deaths. Tennessee is a closed-record state, and certified death certificates are confidential and exempt from the Tennessee Public Records Act for 50 years after the death.

Because the cause of death lives on that certified certificate, access to it is limited to the same close relatives and legal representatives who can order the certificate under Tenn. Code Ann. 68-3-205.

The autopsy report is treated differently. Under Tenn. Code Ann. 38-7-110, county medical examiner reports, toxicology reports, and autopsy reports are public documents. A district attorney can petition a court to seal all or part of a report while it could impair a homicide or felony investigation, but otherwise these records are open to anyone.

So the same cause of death can be restricted on the certificate yet available through a public autopsy report. For more on this distinction, 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 Tennessee. Knowing where it lives tells you which access rule applies.

On the Death Certificate

Every Tennessee death certificate includes a medical certification section. There, the certifier lists the immediate cause of death, any underlying conditions, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

This information is part of the certified copy, so it carries the certificate's 50-year confidentiality. Only eligible requesters can obtain it for a recent death.

In the Autopsy Report

When a death is violent, sudden, suspicious, or otherwise reportable, the county medical examiner investigates and may order an autopsy under Tenn. Code Ann. 38-7-106. The resulting report gives the examiner's opinion on the cause and manner of death.

Autopsy reports are public documents under state law, so this is frequently the most accessible detailed source of how someone died.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

Choose your route based on who you are and which record exists. Each path has its own office and rules.

To order a certified death certificate that shows the cause of death, contact the Tennessee Office of Vital Records. You must be an eligible requester (spouse, parent, child, next of kin, or legal representative), present a valid government-issued photo ID, and specifically request that the cause of death be included.

To request an autopsy report, contact the county medical examiner's office for the county where the death was investigated. Because these reports are public under Tenn. Code Ann. 38-7-110, you generally do not need to prove a family relationship, though a report can take three to six months to be finalized.

If you only need to confirm that someone died, the Social Security Death Index and published obituaries are free and immediate. They establish the fact and date of death but do not state the cause.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the full record opens up over time. Tennessee death certificates become public 50 years after the date of death and transfer to the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Once a certificate is public, anyone can view it, including the cause of death written in the medical certification section. This is the standard route for genealogy and historical research.

Newspaper archives and obituaries can also help reconstruct a cause of death for older cases, especially where the death made local news. For an investigated death, the medical examiner's autopsy report may already be a public record regardless of age, subject to the same sealing exception.

For eligibility details, fees, and how the 50-year rule works, see the parent guide on Tennessee Death Records.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and processing times change. Verify the current requirements with the Tennessee Office of Vital Records or the relevant county medical examiner before requesting a record.

Sources

This page draws on the Tennessee Office of Vital Records, the Tennessee Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner, the Tennessee Secretary of State Library and Archives, the Tennessee Code, the CDC, and the Social Security Administration.