Burlington County Death Records
Burlington County is the largest county in New Jersey by land area. It sits in the South Jersey region with its county seat in Mount Holly. Death records for Burlington County are maintained by local registrars in each municipality. Obtaining a death certificate here means contacting the right town office. Burlington County spans a wide area, from rural farmland to suburban communities along the Delaware River. This guide explains how to search for, request, and receive death records from offices across Burlington County.
Burlington County Quick Facts
Burlington County Death Certificate Offices
Each municipality in Burlington County has a registrar of vital statistics. This person keeps death records for events that occurred in that town. The county seat, Mount Holly, has its own registrar at City Hall, 23 Washington Street, Mount Holly, NJ 08060. You can reach the Mount Holly Township Registrar at (609) 845-1101. The fee for a certified death certificate is $25.00 at this office.
The Burlington City Health and Vital Statistics office handles death records for the City of Burlington. Their fees are $25.00 for the first certified copy and $2.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. This is one of the lowest rates for extra copies in Burlington County. Other towns in the county charge $10.00 for additional copies, following the standard state schedule.
Below is an image of the Burlington County vital statistics resources available online for requesting death records.
Online listings make it easier to find the right Burlington County office before you visit or call.
| Office |
Mount Holly Township Registrar City Hall, 23 Washington Street Mount Holly, NJ 08060 Phone: (609) 845-1101 |
|---|---|
| Fee | $25.00 per certified copy |
| Website | twp.mountholly.nj.us |
Note: Residents born at the former Fort Dix (now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst) should apply for vital records through the New Jersey Bureau of Vital Statistics in Trenton, not the local Burlington County registrar.
How to Find Burlington County Death Records
The first step is to determine where in Burlington County the death occurred. Records are filed by the municipality where the death took place. A person who lived in Moorestown but died at a hospital in Mount Laurel would have their death record filed in Mount Laurel. Burlington County covers a large area, so the place of death is not always obvious. Check hospital locations if you are unsure.
The New Jersey Death Index is a free online search tool. It covers death records from 1901 to 2017. You can search by the deceased person's name and find the date of death and the municipality where it was filed. For Burlington County records, the index tells you which town to contact. This saves you from calling the wrong office. The index does not replace a certified death certificate, but it points you to the right Burlington County registrar.
For older death records, the New Jersey State Archives hold Burlington County records from 1848 to 1940. These are available for research and can be accessed in person at the archives in Trenton. Some indexes are also available through the archives' online database portal. Death records from 1941 to the present are held by the New Jersey Department of Health and can be ordered from the state or the local Burlington County registrar.
Requesting Burlington County Death Certificates
You can request a death certificate in person at any Burlington County registrar office. Bring your photo ID. Tell the clerk the name of the deceased and the date of death. Staff will search their files. If the record is found, you can get a certified copy the same day in most Burlington County offices. The fee is $25.00 for the first copy.
Mail requests work as well. Write a letter with these details:
- Full legal name of the deceased person
- Date of death or the year if exact date is not known
- Municipality in Burlington County where the death occurred
- Your name, mailing address, and phone number
- Check or money order for $25.00 payable to the municipality
Send your request to the registrar in the appropriate Burlington County town. Allow five to ten business days for a response. Some smaller Burlington County offices have limited hours, which can add time. Under New Jersey Title 26, registrars must provide certified copies to authorized requestors. You may need to show your relationship to the deceased if the death occurred within the last 40 years.
Burlington County Health Department Records
The Burlington County Health Department oversees public health across the county. While individual registrars handle death certificates, the county health department can direct you to the correct office. They track health data and mortality statistics for Burlington County. Their website provides links to municipal offices and health services throughout the county.
Burlington County has about 40 municipalities. Some are large townships like Evesham, Mount Laurel, and Willingboro. Others are small boroughs with only a few thousand residents. Each one files death records with its own registrar. The county health department does not issue death certificates itself, but it can help you figure out which Burlington County town you need to contact. Their staff answers questions about the vital records process in Burlington County and can explain what forms or identification you may need.
Note: The Burlington County Clerk's office in Mount Holly handles property records and court filings but does not issue death certificates.
Burlington County Death Records for Research
Burlington County has records going back to the colonial era. Formal death registration began in 1848 under state law. Early records from Burlington County are sometimes sparse. Not every town filed records consistently in the first decades. By the 1880s, compliance improved. The State Archives in Trenton hold death records from 1848 through 1940 for all of Burlington County.
Genealogy researchers working in Burlington County should also check church records, cemetery logs, and newspaper obituaries. The Burlington County Historical Society in Burlington City maintains a collection of local records. Libraries in Mount Holly and Moorestown have local history sections with resources for tracing deaths in Burlington County. The state vital records order page lets you request certified copies of death records from anywhere in New Jersey, including Burlington County, through an online form.
The New Jersey Department of Health website shown below is another way to request Burlington County death records from the state level.
State-level requests can be useful when a Burlington County municipal office is hard to reach or when you are not sure which town to contact.
Details in Burlington County Death Certificates
A Burlington County death certificate contains the deceased person's full name, date and place of death, cause of death, and manner of death. It also lists the age, birthplace, and home address. The names of the deceased person's parents appear on the record. The funeral director and the certifying physician or medical examiner are named as well. For estate and legal matters, certified copies of Burlington County death records carry an official seal accepted by courts and financial institutions.
Older Burlington County death records may have less detail than modern ones. Records from the late 1800s often list only the name, age, date, and cause of death. As forms changed over the decades, more fields were added. By the mid-1900s, Burlington County death certificates included occupation, marital status, and social security number. These details make newer records more useful for both legal and genealogy purposes in Burlington County.
Cities in Burlington County
Burlington County has 40 municipalities. Major towns include Mount Holly, Burlington City, Evesham Township, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Willingboro, Cinnaminson, Bordentown, Medford, and Pemberton. Each one maintains a registrar of vital statistics who handles death records for events in that town. Smaller communities like Chesterfield, Hainesport, and Lumberton also keep their own records through their municipal offices.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Burlington County. Death records are filed where the death occurred, so a neighboring county may have the record you need if the death took place across a border.