What to do
Go to the Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records
If you are a funeral home or mortuary representative you can apply to get
- death certificates
- burial permits
- non-contagious disease (NCD) letters
- To transport human remains to another country, you may need a Letter of Non-Contagious Disease (NCD Letter). For more information, please call the Death Registry Office at (415) 554-2713.
- You may also be able to obtain a Non-Contagious Disease Letter from the Office of Medical Examiner for cases under their jurisdiction.
You can pay by business check, Visa, Mastercard, money order or cash.
To save time, you can bring your completed application or fax to (415) 554-2822.
Department of Public Health
Vital RecordsMortuary Services
101 Grove Street
Room 113
San Francisco, CA 94102
Mon to Fri,
9:00 am to 3:30 pm
closed 11:30 am to 1 pm
Special cases
Emergency Death Registration, Fetal Death Registration and Burial Permits
Emergency Death Registration, Fetal Death Registration and Burial Permits
We offer emergency after-hours, weekend, and holiday filings to accommodate for situations that require interment within 24 hours of death. Emergency death registration requests made over the weekend or on a holiday will be reviewed between the hours of 8 am and 1 pm on holidays or weekends.
Email your request to: emergencydeathregistrations@sfdph.org.
For more information, please call the Death Registry Office at (415) 554-2713 during regular business hours: Mon to Friday 9 AM to 11:30 AM and 1 PM to 3:30 PM
Get help
Department of Public Health
Vital RecordsMortuary Services
101 Grove Street
Room 113
San Francisco, CA 94102
Mon to Fri,
9:00 am to 3:30 pm
closed 11:30 am to 1 pm
Urgent after-hours requests
Phone
Mortuary Services
Call during regular business hours, Mon to Fri, 9 am to 11:30 am and 1 pm to 3:30 pm
Last updated February 7, 2024