Find Obituaries in Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County obituary records and death certificates are available through the county health department in Annapolis and through the Maryland Division of Vital Records for older deaths. This guide covers how to request death certificates from the Anne Arundel County Health Department, what historical death records exist at the Maryland State Archives, and where to find obituary information from local genealogy sources. Anne Arundel County is one of Maryland's most populous counties, and its death records date back to the late 1800s.

Anne Arundel County Health Department

The Anne Arundel County Health Department issues certified death certificates for deaths that occurred from 2015 to the present. The office is located at 3 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis, inside the Health Services Building. Service is by appointment only. Public walk-in hours are limited to 11:00 AM to noon and 12:45 PM to 3:00 PM. The office closes between noon and 12:45 PM each day. Funeral directors have a separate window and are served from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Call 410-222-4462 or fax 410-222-4424 before your visit to confirm availability and schedule time if needed.

The fee for a certified death certificate is $18 for the first copy. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $20. If you pay by credit card, a 2.2% processing fee is added. The office accepts cash, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa credit or debit cards. Checks must be made payable to "Controller, Anne Arundel County." All requests must be made in person at this location. Mail-in requests are not handled by the county health department. For deaths before 2015, you must contact the Maryland Division of Vital Records directly.

The screenshot below shows the Anne Arundel County Health Department vital records page at aahealth.org/vital-records, where you can find current hours, fees, and requirements for requesting death certificates in Anne Arundel County.

The health department site is updated when procedures change, so it is worth checking before your visit. Hours and appointment requirements have shifted in recent years, and the site reflects the most current information for Anne Arundel County death certificate requests.

Who Can Request Anne Arundel Death Records

Maryland law limits access to certified death certificates to specific individuals. You must be a qualifying person to request a death certificate at the Anne Arundel County Health Department or through the state Division of Vital Records. At the county level, you need to bring valid government-issued photo ID to prove your identity. The same eligibility rules that apply statewide apply in Anne Arundel County.

Qualifying requesters include surviving relatives of the deceased, people authorized in writing by a surviving relative, licensed funeral directors involved in the case, and individuals who can show a documented legal need for the record. A court of law can also compel the release of a death certificate. For proof of relationship, bring a birth certificate, marriage certificate, an obituary that lists your name as a surviving relative, or legal documents such as a letter of administration, court order, authorization of release, insurance company letter, deed, or vehicle title. Having more than one document is helpful if your relationship to the deceased is indirect.

Note: Government-issued photo ID is required at the counter. The ID must be current and valid. Expired IDs are not accepted at the Anne Arundel County Health Department.

Maryland Division of Vital Records

Deaths that occurred in Anne Arundel County before 2015 are held by the Maryland Division of Vital Records. This office is at 6764B Reisterstown Road in Baltimore and can be reached at 410-764-3038. The Division handles mail-in requests, in-person visits, and online orders. Visit health.maryland.gov/vsa/ to review current procedures and download any required request forms. The Division maintains a statewide death record index that covers Anne Arundel County deaths from the earliest registration years through the recent past.

Online ordering is available through VitalChek, the state-authorized vendor for Maryland records. VitalChek charges a service fee in addition to the standard state certificate fee. This option works well for requesters who cannot travel to Annapolis or Baltimore. Processing times for online orders vary, but the convenience makes it a popular choice for out-of-state family members searching for Anne Arundel County death records.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Records

The Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Clerk handles a range of court records that can support obituary and genealogy research. The clerk's office is at 8 Church Circle, Room H101, in Annapolis, and can be reached at 410-222-1434. Hours for marriage license and copy services are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The clerk maintains certified copies of marriage records from 1905 to the present. A certified copy costs $5.50. You can request these in person or by mail.

Marriage records from the Circuit Court are often searched alongside death records when someone is trying to trace a family line. Knowing a spouse's name, marriage date, and county can help narrow down where to look for a corresponding death record. The clerk's website at clerkannearundel.net has more information on requesting court documents and marriage records for Anne Arundel County.

The screenshot below shows the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court clerk website, where you can access court records that may relate to estate filings and deaths in Anne Arundel County.

Probate filings in the Circuit Court often appear shortly after a death and may reference the obituary, the deceased's date of death, and the names of surviving heirs. These records are public and searchable.

Historical Anne Arundel County Death Records

Two major collections of historical death records for Anne Arundel County are held at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis. The first is a set of circuit court death records from 1865 to 1880, cataloged as MSA C61. These records date from the earliest years of Maryland's death registration system. Compliance was not universal in 1865, but Anne Arundel County and the city of Annapolis had some of the more consistent early records in the state because of their proximity to government offices and the density of the population.

The second collection is Board of Health death records from 1899 to 1930, cataloged as MSA C62. These cover more than three decades and are generally more complete than the circuit court records that preceded them. This collection is the primary source for early twentieth-century Anne Arundel County obituary research. The Maryland State Archives also holds indexes to the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 federal mortality schedules, which list individuals who died in the year before each census was taken. These mortality schedules are a useful supplement to official death records and can help pinpoint deaths in Anne Arundel County during years when formal registration was incomplete.

The Maryland State Archives is at 350 Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis, just a short distance from the county courthouse. Their phone number is 410-260-6400. The main website is msa.maryland.gov/. The searchable statewide death record index is at vitalrec.msa.maryland.gov/ and allows you to search by name across multiple record series before requesting a physical copy.

The genealogy resources at genealogytrails.com/mary/annearundel/ include locally contributed obituary transcriptions, cemetery records, and death notices for Anne Arundel County. This free site is built from volunteer research and covers many deaths that fall outside formal vital records.

Anne Arundel County Government Resources

The Anne Arundel County government website at aacounty.org links to departments and services across the county. From there you can navigate to health services, the register of wills, and other offices that hold records relevant to obituary research. The register of wills maintains probate records for estates opened after a death in Anne Arundel County. These files often contain death certificates, funeral home paperwork, and references to surviving relatives. They are public records and can be searched at the courthouse.

The screenshot below is from the Anne Arundel County government website, which serves as a central hub for residents and researchers seeking county records and services.

Anne Arundel County is Maryland's state capital county, home to Annapolis. Annapolis and the northern part of the county have the earliest consistent death registration records in the county, going back to the 1860s and 1870s. This makes them a rich area for historical obituary research. Southern portions of the county have records beginning somewhat later, typically in the 1890s and early 1900s.

Note: Annapolis is the county seat and the state capital. Court offices, the health department, and the Archives are all within a relatively short distance of each other, which makes in-person research in Anne Arundel County more efficient than in more rural Maryland counties.

Cities in Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County contains two cities with dedicated pages on this site. Annapolis is the county seat, but it does not currently meet the population threshold for a city page. Glen Burnie and Severn both qualify. All Anne Arundel County death records, regardless of which city a person lived in, go through the county health department in Annapolis for deaths from 2015 forward, or through the state Division of Vital Records for earlier deaths.

Other communities in Anne Arundel County include Annapolis, Pasadena, Odenton, Crofton, Arnold, and Millersville. Deaths in all of these areas are recorded through the same county and state offices as anywhere else in Anne Arundel County.

Nearby Counties

Anne Arundel County borders five other Maryland counties. If you are uncertain which county a death occurred in, confirm the decedent's address at the time of death. Death certificates and probate records are filed in the county where the person lived, not necessarily where they died.