Find Bloomington Death Records

Death records for Bloomington, Minnesota are filed and maintained by Hennepin County Vital Records. Bloomington does not have its own vital records office -- all death certificates for the city are issued through the county. If you need a certified copy of a death that occurred in Bloomington, or you are searching the historical death index for a Bloomington resident, Hennepin County is the office to contact. This page explains which office to use, how to submit a request, what the fees are, and how to search Bloomington death records online or in historical archives.

Which County Handles Bloomington Death Records

Bloomington is located in Hennepin County, which makes Hennepin County Vital Records the office responsible for all death certificates involving Bloomington residents and deaths that occurred in the city. This is true for both current records and older historical records. Bloomington the city has no vital records function -- when a death is registered, it goes through the state and a copy is held by the county.

Hennepin County Vital Records is located at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN 55487. The mailing address for requests is Vital Records Office, 300 South 6th St, MC-678B, Minneapolis MN 55487-0678. The office phone is (612) 348-8240, and email inquiries go to vitalrecords@hennepin.us. The county's website at https://www.hennepin.us/ has the full list of services and downloadable forms.

For deaths that occurred in 1997 or later, any county in Minnesota can issue the certificate. That means Bloomington residents don't have to go all the way downtown if another county office is more convenient. For deaths before 1997, Hennepin County or the Minnesota Department of Health are the only options. The MDH can be reached at 651-201-5970.

The City of Bloomington's homepage is shown below:

The City of Bloomington does not issue death certificates or maintain vital records. All death certificate requests for Bloomington residents must go through Hennepin County Vital Records.

How to Request a Bloomington Death Certificate

Hennepin County accepts death certificate requests in person, by mail, by fax, or by drop-off. Each method has its own steps and fees.

In person is the most direct way. Go to the Government Center at 300 S 6th St in Minneapolis. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. You'll fill out the application at the counter, pay, and typically receive the certificate the same day. If you need guaranteed same-day service, a $20 rush fee is available to move your request to priority processing. Checks go to Hennepin County Treasurer. Credit cards are accepted in person.

For mail requests, you must notarize your request first. Download the death certificate application from the Hennepin County website and complete it. Have a notary witness and sign your application. Mail it with a check or money order to the mailing address above. Allow at least one to two weeks for processing and delivery. Do not send cash.

Fax requests go to 612-348-2010. A $9.50 fax convenience fee is added on top of the certificate cost, and payment must be by credit card. Drop-off is also an option -- you can leave a completed application at the Government Center without waiting in person and pick up or receive your certificate later.

Bloomington Death Certificate Fees

The fee for a certified Bloomington death certificate is $13 for the first copy. Each additional certified copy ordered at the same time costs $6. Non-certified informational copies cost $13 each. Veterans who need records for benefit claims receive copies free of charge as required by Minnesota policy.

Extra fees apply for expedited or special services: $20 for rush processing, $9.50 for fax requests, and a 2.15% surcharge for credit card payments if that fee structure applies at the time of your request. Always confirm the current fee schedule before submitting, as fees can be updated. The current Minnesota fee schedule is posted at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/birthnc.html.

Who Can Get a Certified Bloomington Death Certificate

Certified death certificates for Bloomington deaths are restricted under Minnesota Statute 144.225. To qualify, you need a tangible interest in the record. Direct family members are the main category: spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, and sibling all qualify. Legal representatives of those family members also qualify. People who need the record for a legal proceeding and government agencies acting in official roles are also covered.

Non-certified copies are open to the general public. A non-certified copy shows the same basic information as a certified copy but is stamped to indicate it cannot be used for legal purposes. If you're doing genealogy research on a Bloomington family line, a non-certified copy is usually all you need.

Data practices for death records are governed by Minnesota Statute 13.10. Some details within a certificate -- particularly cause of death -- may be restricted for newer records but become accessible over time. Hennepin County staff can tell you exactly what you qualify for based on your circumstances.

Online Death Record Search for Bloomington

You can search Bloomington death records online without going to the county office. The Minnesota Department of Health's Verify a Death tool at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/deathsearch/dthSearch.html covers deaths statewide from 1997 onward. Enter a name and you can confirm whether a death record exists in the state system, which county registered it, and basic details like date and age. This tool doesn't produce a certificate but is useful for verifying records before making a formal request.

For older Bloomington deaths, the Minnesota Historical Society people records search at https://www.mnhs.org/search/people covers death records from 1904 through 2001. Bloomington Township -- the predecessor jurisdiction to the current city -- had its own historical records that included birth, death, and burial records from 1871 to 1973. Those records are available through historical collections and may be accessible through the MNHS or related archives. This is one of the more distinctive historical records sets for any Hennepin County city, given that Bloomington was a township with distinct record-keeping before it incorporated as a city.

For guidance on the full range of records available in the MNHS, check https://www.mnhs.org/search/people/about/deathrecords. The MDH main death records page at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/death.html is also useful for understanding current ordering options.

Historical Bloomington Death Records

Bloomington has a distinctive history as far as death records go. It operated as a township -- Bloomington Township -- until it incorporated as a statutory city and eventually a home rule charter city. Township records were kept separately from county records in some cases, and this means the historical death record picture for Bloomington involves multiple source types.

The Bloomington Township birth, death, and burial records from 1871 to 1973 represent a locally maintained historical archive. These records predate and overlap with the statewide system and can provide details not found in official county records. For researchers tracing Bloomington families back to the late 1800s, this is often one of the first places to check alongside the MNHS database.

The broader Hennepin County death index, which covers 1870 through the present, is the main framework for Bloomington deaths within the statewide system. As the county grew and Bloomington shifted from a rural township to a major suburban city, the volume of death records from Bloomington increased substantially. The MNHS database captures most deaths from 1904 to 2001 in the county, including those from Bloomington.

The page below shows Hennepin County resources for Bloomington residents seeking death records:

Hennepin County Vital Records handles all certified death certificate requests for Bloomington, whether for recent deaths or records going back to the county's earliest registration years.

More Bloomington and Hennepin County Death Record Resources

For the full picture of Hennepin County death records, including the Medical Examiner's office, all service center locations, and the complete range of historical records, see the Hennepin County Death Index page. That page covers all municipalities within Hennepin County and provides more detail on what historical archives are available for research.

Other large cities in Hennepin County include Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie. All of those cities use the same Hennepin County Vital Records office for death certificates. The Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis is the main location for all of them, though county service centers are available in other parts of the county for post-1997 records.

If you need guidance from the state level, the Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records line is 651-201-5970. MDH can help if you're trying to locate a record that predates county centralization or if the county cannot find a specific record in its system. MDH holds records going back to 1870 for the entire state, including Bloomington and all of Hennepin County.

Death registration in Minnesota is governed by Minnesota Statute 144.221, which sets out who is responsible for filing a death certificate and when. For Bloomington deaths, as with all Minnesota deaths, the funeral director or attending physician is responsible for filing within the required time after death occurs.