Onondaga County

Our records include some birth and death certificates for the City of Syracuse beginning in 1873, and for the rest of Onondaga County as early as 1883. Reporting of births was required beginning in 1914, so persons born before that year may not have a record on file.

Death certificates

If a record has been on file for over 50 years, anyone may request it. If it has been on file for less than 50 years, the requester must be able to prove that he or she is in the direct line of descent by providing identification and other supporting documentation (e.g. birth certificates showing descent).

Birth certificates

If a record has been on file for over 75 years, and the person is known to be deceased, anyone may request it. If the record has been on file for less than 75 years, the requester must be able to prove that he or she is in the direct line of descent by providing identification and other supporting documentation (e.g. birth certificates showing descent).

Genealogy requests can only be accepted in by mail at this time.

To submit a genealogy request

1. Print out and complete the genealogy request form. Fill in as much information as you can. If you have located the record in the NY State Birth/Death Indexes, please include the place of birth or place of death on your application to process your request faster and efficiently.

2. The fee is determined by the number of years we need to search, and is nonrefundable. Payment may be made by check or money order and must be submitted with your request. Payment by credit card (MasterCard, VISA, or Discover) is accepted for orders made in person.

1 to 3 years	$22.00
4 to 10 years	$42.00
11 to 20 years	$62.00
21 to 30 years	$82.00
31 to 40 years	$102.00
41 to 50 years	$122.00
51 to 60 years	$142.00
61 to 70 years	$162.00
71 to 80 years	$182.00
81 to 90 years	$202.00

3. Mail your completed request form and payment to: The Office of Vital Statistics, 421 Montgomery Street, Civic Center Suite 20, Syracuse, NY 13202. Current processing for genealogy requests is eight (8) weeks and priority/overnight shipping is not available.

Note: Although they do NOT have the actual vital records, the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Onondaga County Public Library has a name index to available New York State Vital Records. The index includes marriage and death records from 1881-1964 and birth records from 1881-1937.

Because our office’s search fee is non-refundable, you may wish to contact the library to determine if a record exists and where it is located prior to submitting your request to the Office of Vital Records. You can email the library at lhg@onlib.org or call them at 315-435-1900.