Erie County Death Records
Erie County death records are available from July 5, 1875, making them among the earliest in northwestern Pennsylvania. The county began formal recording in 1893, but city of Erie deaths go back to 1875. Birth and death records from 1893 through 1905 are maintained by the Clerk of Records. City of Erie deaths from 1894 through 1905 are also held by the Erie County Historical Society. Probate records date from 1823. In March 2025, Erie County transitioned to the CourtPro case management system for public record access.
Erie County Quick Facts
Erie County CourtPro Records System
Erie County completed a major transition on March 3, 2025, moving to the Paperless Solution CourtPro case management system. This system now handles public access to Register of Wills, Orphans Court, and Marriage Bureau records. Public access is available at courtpro.eriecountypa.gov. The transition reflects Erie County's commitment to making its records more accessible to genealogists, attorneys, and the general public.
All records in the Register of Wills are open to the public except adoption records. Probate records from 1823 to the present are held at the Register of Wills in Room 122 at the Erie County Courthouse, 140 West Sixth Street, Erie, PA 16501. Phone: 814-451-6260. Marriage records from 1885 to the present are at the Clerk of Records in Room 123, phone 814-451-6264. Researchers conducting genealogy searches in person can work through records during business hours. A $20 search fee applies for county death record inquiries payable to the Clerk of Records.
Note: A JCP fee of $41.25 applies to all filings in Erie County effective December 1, 2025. Researchers should confirm current fees before submitting any formal record requests to the courthouse.
Erie County Death Index Records History
Erie County has an unusually long death record history compared to most Pennsylvania counties. Erie city deaths have been recorded since July 5, 1875. The county as a whole began formal death recording in 1893 as part of the statewide mandate. Birth records from 1893 through 1905 are maintained by the Clerk of Records, and the same office holds death records for the same period.
City of Erie deaths from 1894 through 1905 are also held by the Erie County Historical Society at 356 West Sixth Street, Erie, PA 16501. Phone: 814-454-1813. The Historical Society serves as an important supplement to the official county records. Researchers who cannot find a specific record at the courthouse may find it in the Historical Society's collection. The two collections overlap for the 1894 to 1905 period, offering two opportunities to locate early Erie death records.
Pennsylvania deaths from 1906 to the present are available through the Bureau of Vital Statistics at 156 East 14th Street, Erie, PA 16503. This is the Erie walk-in office for state-issued death certificates. Phone: 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516. This location is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM. Erie is one of six walk-in locations across Pennsylvania where you can receive certified death certificate copies in person on the same day.
State Death Certificates and the Erie Walk-In Office
The PA Division of Vital Records issues certified death certificates from 1906 to the present. Each copy costs $20. The Erie walk-in office at 156 East 14th Street accepts in-person requests. Mail orders go to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Online orders are placed at mycertificates.health.pa.gov using VitalChek, the only authorized online vendor. Phone orders can be made at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516.
The PA State Archives Death Indices cover 1906 to 1975 and are free to search online. These indices give name, county, year, and certificate number for each record. Original death certificates from 1906 to 1974 are at the State Archives. Digital copies for 1906 to 1972 are available on Ancestry.com free for Pennsylvania residents. The PA Vital Records public offices page lists all six walk-in locations with addresses and hours for researchers planning an in-person visit.
Statewide death registration began in 1906, with full compliance by about 1915. Some Erie County deaths from 1906 to 1915 may be incomplete or missing. Soundex phonetic indexing was applied to Pennsylvania records for 1920 to 1924 and 1930 to 1951. Death certificates are public 50 years after death. All certificates through 1975 are now publicly available.
Cities in Erie County
Erie is the largest city in Erie County and the third-largest city in Pennsylvania. City death records from 1875 onward make Erie one of the best-documented cities in the region for pre-state-registration death research.
Nearby Counties
Erie County sits in the far northwest corner of Pennsylvania on Lake Erie. It shares borders with Crawford and Warren counties. Searching those counties may help when ancestors lived near the county boundary.