Find Death Records in Goodhue County

Goodhue County death records are kept by the county recorder's office in Red Wing and by the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul. Whether you need a certified death certificate for legal purposes or a copy for family history research, this page covers the offices that hold these records, what it costs to get them, who qualifies for certified copies, and where to find older deaths going back before the state began collecting records in 1908.

Goodhue County Vital Records Office

The Goodhue County Recorder's Office handles death records for the county. The office is at the Goodhue County Government Center, 509 W 5th St in Red Wing. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can find the office on the county website at www.co.goodhue.mn.us. For deaths in Goodhue County, this is the main in-person location.

The county recorder holds death records from 1997 to the present for any death that occurred anywhere in Minnesota, not only deaths inside Goodhue County. For deaths that happened specifically in Goodhue County before 1997, the county may also retain older records going back to 1908 or earlier. The Minnesota Department of Health holds a separate statewide set of records from 1908 forward. You can reach MDH at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/death.html. If you are not sure which office holds the record you need, starting with the county recorder is a reasonable first step for any Goodhue County death.

There is no satellite vital records office in Goodhue County. Red Wing is the only in-person location.

Visit the Goodhue County recorder's page for current office hours, contact details, and any updates to local services.

The county site lists recorder office contact information and can confirm current hours before you make the trip to Red Wing.

How to Get a Death Certificate in Goodhue County

You can get a Goodhue County death certificate three ways: in person at the county recorder's office, by mail through the Minnesota Department of Health, or online through VitalChek.

In-person requests are the fastest. Go to the Goodhue County Recorder's Office at 509 W 5th St in Red Wing. Bring a valid photo ID and payment. The office can usually process same-day requests. You need to know the full name of the person who died, the date of death, and the county or city where the death took place. If you want a certified copy, you also need to show you qualify under Minnesota law. Under Minnesota Statute 144.225, certified copies go to the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative of the person named on the record. Attorneys with a legal matter and government agencies may also request certified copies. If you fall outside those categories, you can still request a noncertified copy without showing a relationship.

Mail requests go to the Minnesota Department of Health. Download the application form at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/docs/dcappia.pdf. You must sign the form before a notary public. Then mail it with a check or money order payable to MDH and a copy of your photo ID to: Minnesota Department of Health, P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164-0882. The phone number is 651-201-5970. MDH handles deaths in Goodhue County from 1908 forward.

Online orders go through VitalChek. VitalChek adds a $7 service fee for standard orders or $17.50 for rush processing on top of the base fee. Online orders are mailed to you, so they take longer than in-person visits. If you need the certificate right away, the county recorder in Red Wing is the faster option.

Certified and Noncertified Death Records

Minnesota offers two types of death record copies. Knowing which one you need will save you time.

A certified death certificate carries the official state seal. Banks, courts, insurance companies, and government agencies all accept it. You need a certified copy to settle an estate, claim life insurance, transfer a vehicle title, or handle most legal and financial matters following a death. The fee is $13 for the first certified copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $6. Because certified copies have legal weight, Minnesota limits who can get them. Minn. Stat. 144.225 lists the people who qualify: the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative of the deceased. Others who have a documented legal need for the record may also request it, but they may need to explain their reason in writing.

A noncertified copy looks like the original death record but does not carry the state seal. It is open to anyone. Noncertified copies also cost $13. They work well for genealogy research or personal recordkeeping but are not accepted by most legal or financial institutions in place of a certified copy.

The MDH eligibility page at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/tangible.html gives more detail on who qualifies and what documents to include with your request. If you are unsure whether you qualify for a certified copy, check that page before you submit.

Historical Death Records for Goodhue County

For deaths before 1908, the Minnesota Department of Health holds no records. The state did not begin collecting vital statistics until that year. Older research requires different sources.

The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) holds historical death records from across the state, including Goodhue County. The Gale Family Library at MNHS is at 345 W Kellogg Blvd in St. Paul, open Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 651-259-3300. Their collection includes county death registers, church records, cemetery records, and other sources that go back well before 1908. The MNHS death records guide at libguides.mnhs.org/vital/death explains what they hold and how to search it. Goodhue County is one of the older settled counties in Minnesota, and the MNHS collection may include material specific to this area going back to the mid-1800s.

County death registers and burial records that predate the state registry may also be held by the Goodhue County Recorder's Office directly. Contacting that office is a good first step for pre-1908 research in this county. Local church archives and the Red Wing Public Library may also hold records for earlier periods.

Online Death Record Access for Goodhue County

Several online tools let you search or order Goodhue County death records without going to an office in person.

MDH offers an online verification tool that confirms whether a death record exists for a specific person. This covers deaths registered in Minnesota from 1997 to the present. It does not give you a full copy of the record, but it confirms basic facts such as date and place of death. This is useful if you need to verify a record before placing a formal order. More information about MDH online services is at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/death.html.

For full certified or noncertified copies, VitalChek is the state-authorized online vendor. You set up an account, enter the details of the record you need, and pay by credit card. VitalChek mails the certificate to you. The extra service fee applies on top of the $13 base cost. Online orders are not instant. Most take several business days to process and arrive. If speed matters, going in person to the Goodhue County Recorder's Office in Red Wing is the right call.

Historical records before 1997 are generally not available online. Those require a direct request to the county or to MDH by mail. Call MDH at 651-201-5970 for help with older records or records that are harder to locate.

Cities in Goodhue County

All death records for cities and towns in Goodhue County are filed through the Goodhue County Recorder's Office in Red Wing.

No cities in Goodhue County meet the 100,000 population threshold for a dedicated city page. The county includes smaller communities such as Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Zumbrota, Kenyon, and Lake City. Death records for all of these communities are handled at the county level through the recorder's office in Red Wing.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Goodhue County. If you need to confirm which county holds a particular death record, use the county where the death occurred.