Official Website of the City of Milwaukee
CALL for Action (414) 286-CITY | Click for Action
Milwaukee Health Department
In Person (Birth or Death)
By Mail (Birth)
By Mail (Death)
Credit Card Service (Birth or Death)
We ask that you take advantage of our mail or credit card services. You can FAX or email your application to us using our credit card service (click on the line above). Our turnaround time is 24-48 hours. We are open from 8-4PM Monday through Friday for in-person applications. We ask that you wear a mask if you are coming in to purchase a birth or death certificate.
Do you need a birth certificate from another state?
Try one of the following web sites:
Where to Write for Vital Records (CDC) OR
For information on ordering a birth certificate from another State go to www.vitalchek.com
We have access to birth records for ALL State of Wisconsin births. We have death certificates for anyone who died at a City of Milwaukee hospital, institution or residence prior to 9/2013 and we have death records for anyone who died in Wisconsin from September 2013 to the present. Our office has birth records dating back to 1893 and deaths back to 1869.
This office does NOT have marriage or divorce records for Milwaukee County events. These are only available at the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds office on 9th and State.
Vital Statistics operations are governed by Chapter 69 of the Wisconsin state statute.
This office also has forms and instructions for adding the husband's name if the parents marry after the birth or for adding the father's name to a birth certificate.
A packet is available for those immediate family members who wish to act as funeral directors in handling the final disposition of a loved one. Help is available for those persons who are attempting to file a delayed birth certificate.
The office also has a Notary Public official on staff. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8AM - 4:30PM, accepting applications until 4:15PM.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Regarding 3rd party vendors selling vital records
We have received an increasing number of calls about private companies (3rd party vendors) selling birth and death certificates. These companies charge customers VERY high fees (up to $250) to ‘process’ or ‘help you apply’ for birth and death certificates. To avoid high fees when ordering online, we highly encourage customers to double check the URL of the site you are on. You should only order certificates from a state government website or call us at 414-286-3503 for assistance.
Penalties: Any person who willfully and knowingly makes a false application for a birth certificate is guilty of a Class I felony [a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than three years and six months, or both, per s.69.24(1). Wis. Stats.].