Birth/Death/Marriage Certificate Requests

A copy of your birth certificate is on file in the Town Clerk's office of the town in which you were born, and in the town in which your mother lived at the time of your birth. However, if your child was born after 2003 (to the present) the West Hartford Clerk's Office has access to your child's birth certificate no matter what town in Connecticut they were born.  A certified copy of a full size birth certificate is $20.00.  Birth certificates are confidential in Connecticut and are available only to the individual or his or her spouse, parent, child, or grandparent. In order to obtain a copy of a birth certificate, you must give your name at birth, date of birth, photocopy of your driver's license or photo I.D., and your mother's maiden name.

To request a certified copy of a birth certificate through the mail, you will to complete the birth certificate request form below. Print and mail the completed form in with a copy of a government-issued photo ID. You must sign this form before sending in your request.

How Do I Request an Uncertified Copy of an Original Birth Certificate of an Adopted Person?

If a new birth certificate is created at the time a person is adopted, the original birth certificate is sealed in a confidential file. Certain persons are eligible to obtain an uncertified copy of an original birth certificate of an adopted person without a court order. To be eligible you must be the person named on the original birth certificate and at least 18 years old, or such person’s adult child or grandchild. Uncertified copies of original birth certificates are for informational purposes only. It is a superseded certificate that has no legal purpose. It cannot be used for legal proof of identity or as a substitute for an official certified birth certificate.

• If you are eligible to request a copy of an original birth certificate without a court order, complete the Application For Copy of Original Birth Certificate for Adult Adoptees Submit the completed application to the local registrar of the town where the adopted person was born along with a photocopy of a government issued photographic identification, such as a driver’s license, passport, or other government issued photo ID. Do not submit originals. Also, send the applicable fee ($65). If you are the adopted person’s adult child or grandchild, you must also send documentation (such as a birth certificate) verifying the relationship to the registrant.
• Any person other than the adopted person, or the adopted person's adult child or grandchild must obtain a court order allowing the release of the original birth record. After receiving the court order, follow the directions on how to order an original certificate of an adopted person mentioned above. Be sure to include the original court order along with your application.

Requests for Original Birth Certificates of Adopted Persons are processed by the local registrar of the town where the person was born. Original records of adopted persons may be stored off-site and may not be immediately available for walk-in service at the local registrar office. Contact the Town where adopted person was born for information or complete and mail this form with payment to Town of Birth. You should contact the CT Department of Public Health if the town where person was born is unable to locate an original birth certificate. The $65 fee will be returned to the requester if record is not found.

Health History of Biological Family

Health History information related to the adopted person’s birth family may be available at the Department of Children and Families. Also, there may be a form on file at the Department of Children and Families indicating whether a birth parent would like to have contact with the adopted person, or the adopted person’s child or grandchild. To find out whether this information is available and to obtain this information go to the Department of Children and Families website or contact them at:

DCF/Adoption Search
Unit 505 Hudson Street, 10th Floor
Hartford, CT 06106
860- 550-6582

You may request a death certificate either by mail or in person. The Town Clerk's office is located in Room 313 of the Town Hall.

Certified copies of death certificates can be obtained for anyone who was living in West Hartford at the time of the event or who died in the Town of West Hartford, Connecticut from 1854 until present. If you are looking for the records of someone who has died out of town but within the State of Connecticut, please contact the Town Clerk's office in the town where the death occurred or you may call the State Customer Service Office at 860-509-7700. If you are looking for information on how to obtain Vital Records from other states, please refer to the link for the National Center for Health Statistics. 

For anyone who died on or after July 1, 1997, certified copies that show the social security number of the deceased will be issued to the immediate family members only! Certified copies of death certificates without social security numbers will be issued to anyone else.

Death records are open to public inspection. All vital record requests must be done in person or by way of postal mail. Please do not try to request vital records over the telephone or via email. Vital record requests that do not meet the requirements specified by the State of Connecticut will be refused.

Obtaining Death Certificates by Mail

To obtain a certified copy of a death certificate by mail please complete the Application for Copy of Death Certificate form below and include:

• Photocopy of driver's license
• Indicate relationship to deceased (include supporting documentation)
• $20.00 per copy, check or money order - made payable to Town of West Hartford
• Self addressed stamped return envelope

Mail your request to:

Town of West Hartford
Town Clerk's Office - Room 313
50 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06107

In order to obtain a certified copy of a marriage license, you will need to provide the name of the individuals who were married and the date of marriage. Certified copies may be obtained for $20.00 each. If you wish to order by mail, please complete the form below. You may call 860-561-7430 if you require additional information.