PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Residents seeking a certified copy of a birth or death certificate for someone born or who died in Ohio have two options for obtaining one through the Portsmouth City Health Department, the agency said in a Facebook post.
Walk-in customers can receive same-day service at the department’s office at 605 Washington St., according to the health department. Applicants can fill out an application ahead of time or complete one on arrival, and must pay a $25 fee per certificate. The office accepts cash or a check paired with a picture ID; debit and credit cards are not accepted, the department said.
Residents who cannot visit in person can request records by mail, though that method takes longer, with turnaround estimated at one to two weeks from the day the request is received, according to the health department. Mail requests must include a money order for $25 made payable to the Portsmouth City Health Department for each certified copy; cash and personal checks are not accepted through the mail, the department said. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to its website.
Local health departments across Ohio serve as local registrars in the state’s vital records system, working alongside the Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, which has documented births and deaths statewide since 1909, according to the state health department. Under the Ohio Revised Code, a birth must be filed within 21 days with either the local registrar for the district where it occurred or the state registrar, and the state registrar or a local registrar must issue a certified copy of a vital record to anyone who submits an application and pays the required fee.
The Portsmouth City Health Department is accredited through the national Public Health Accreditation Board and also operates nursing, environmental health and health promotion divisions, according to the department.
More information on obtaining certificates is available by calling the health department at 740-353-5153 or visiting portsmouthcityhealth.org.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Portsmouth City Health Department.
