Plymouth Death Records Index

Death records for Plymouth, Minnesota are maintained by Hennepin County Vital Records. Plymouth is one of the largest cities in Hennepin County but does not issue its own death certificates. All vital records for Plymouth -- including certified copies needed for estate or legal purposes and historical death index records for genealogy -- are handled by Hennepin County. Records go back to 1870 in the statewide system, and Plymouth-specific death records from as early as 1899 are available through historical collections. This page explains where to go, how to make a request, what to pay, and how to search Plymouth death records online.

Hennepin County Vital Records and Plymouth Death Certificates

Plymouth sits in the western part of Hennepin County, along the north shore of Lake Minnetonka's extended watershed and bordering the western metro. All death records for Plymouth are issued by Hennepin County Vital Records. Plymouth has no vital records office. When a death occurs in Plymouth, the attending physician or funeral director files the death certificate with the state, and Hennepin County retains a copy for issuing certified and non-certified duplicates upon request.

The Hennepin County Vital Records office is at the Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN 55487. The mailing address for written requests is Vital Records Office, 300 South 6th St, MC-678B, Minneapolis MN 55487-0678. The phone number is (612) 348-8240. Email questions go to vitalrecords@hennepin.us. The county website at https://www.hennepin.us/ has current forms and full instructions.

For deaths from 1997 onward, any Minnesota county can issue the certificate. Plymouth residents who find it inconvenient to travel to downtown Minneapolis can request through a closer county if one is available. For deaths before 1997, only Hennepin County or the Minnesota Department of Health can issue the certificate. The MDH can be reached at 651-201-5970 or by mail at P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul MN 55164.

Hennepin County also maintains service centers in various parts of the county. Plymouth residents may find a service center closer to home than the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. Check https://www.hennepin.us/servicecenters for current locations and which services each center provides.

How to Request a Plymouth Death Certificate

Hennepin County accepts death certificate requests by several methods. In person at the Government Center is the fastest. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Fill out the application at the counter, pay, and receive your certificate the same day in most cases. A $20 rush fee guarantees same-day processing if you need it. Checks are payable to Hennepin County Treasurer. Credit cards are accepted in person.

For mail requests, notarize your application first. Download the application from the Hennepin County website, complete it fully, have a notary witness your signature, and mail the notarized request with payment to the mailing address above. Include the full name of the deceased, date of death, date of birth or age, city or county where the death occurred, parents' names if known, and spouse's name if applicable. Do not send cash. A check or money order is required. Allow at least one to two weeks for processing and return mail delivery.

Fax requests are accepted at 612-348-2010. A $9.50 fax convenience fee is added to the total, and payment must be by credit card. Drop-off is another option -- leave your completed, notarized application at the Government Center without waiting in person and arrange to pick up or receive the certificate later.

Plymouth Death Certificate Fees

The fee is $13 for the first certified copy of a Plymouth death certificate. Each additional certified copy ordered at the same time costs $6. Non-certified informational copies are $13. Veterans requesting records for their own benefit claims receive copies at no cost.

Plan ahead for estate proceedings. Insurance companies, banks, pension administrators, and courts each typically want an original certified copy. Ordering four or five at once -- $13 plus $6 each -- is far less expensive than returning to order them one at a time. The savings add up quickly when you know multiple agencies will need a copy.

Extra costs apply for specific services: fax requests add $9.50, rush processing adds $20, and USPS Priority Express shipping on mailed orders adds $27.90. The current Minnesota fee schedule is at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/birthnc.html.

Who Can Get a Plymouth Death Certificate

Certified copies are restricted under Minnesota Statute 144.225. To qualify, you need a tangible interest in the record. Family members -- spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, and sibling -- qualify automatically. Legal representatives of those family members also qualify. People who need the record for a court case and government agencies acting in official capacity are covered too.

Non-certified copies are available to anyone. They show the same core facts as a certified copy but are stamped as not for legal use. For genealogy research, family history projects, or confirming that a death is on record, a non-certified copy is usually all you need. There's no requirement to prove family connection for a non-certified copy.

Data privacy rules for death records are set by Minnesota Statute 13.10. Cause of death and certain other fields may be restricted for newer records. As time passes, more of the information in a death certificate becomes accessible. Hennepin County staff can tell you exactly what you qualify to receive based on your relationship to the deceased and the year of death.

Online Death Record Search for Plymouth

Two state tools let you search Plymouth death records from home. The Minnesota Department of Health's Verify a Death tool covers deaths statewide from 1997 onward. Access it at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/deathsearch/dthSearch.html. Search by name to confirm whether a death is in the state system, what county registered it, and basic identifying information. This tool doesn't produce a certificate but verifies the record before you make a formal request.

For historical Plymouth deaths, the Minnesota Historical Society people records search at https://www.mnhs.org/search/people covers 1904 through 2001. Plymouth was a separate township and small community through much of the MNHS coverage period before growing into a major suburb in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier MNHS records may appear under Plymouth Township or Hennepin County rather than the current city name. The MNHS guidance at https://www.mnhs.org/search/people/about/deathrecords explains how records are organized and how to search effectively.

The MDH main death records page at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/death.html covers current ordering options and the full statewide system.

The screenshot below shows the Minnesota Department of Health's Verify a Death search tool:

The Verify a Death tool can confirm whether a Plymouth death is in the state system for deaths from 1997 onward, providing basic identifying details before you make a formal certified copy request from Hennepin County.

Historical Plymouth Death Records

Plymouth has a historical death record collection that begins in the late 1800s. Plymouth death records from 1899 to 1915 are available through FamilySearch and MNHS historical collections. This period falls within the earliest decades of statewide death registration in Minnesota, which began in 1870, so Plymouth was generating registerable death events from close to the start of the statewide system.

Before Plymouth became one of the Twin Cities' major western suburbs, it was a rural township where deaths were often recorded through local churches, township records, and county registration. The FamilySearch collection specifically for Plymouth deaths between 1899 and 1915 makes this an accessible starting point for researchers tracing families from that era. FamilySearch holds digitized copies from MNHS and other sources, and many Plymouth records from this period have been indexed and made searchable online.

For the broader Hennepin County death index, which covers 1870 to the present, Plymouth deaths appear within the county records. Plymouth's transition from township to city happened in stages during the mid-twentieth century, and the volume of death records from Plymouth grew substantially as the population expanded from the 1960s forward. By the 1980s, Plymouth was one of the fastest-growing cities in Minnesota, and its death records reflect that demographic shift.

The Hennepin County death records section, shown below through the county homepage:

The Hennepin County homepage links to vital records services for Plymouth and all other county cities. Navigate to residents and then licenses and certificates to reach the death certificate request section.

Plymouth Death Records and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner

Hennepin County has its own Medical Examiner's office, which handles deaths in Plymouth and all other Hennepin County cities that are sudden, unexpected, violent, or otherwise requiring investigation. The Medical Examiner maintains separate records from the standard vital records system. These records can include autopsy reports, cause and manner of death determinations, and detailed case information.

The Medical Examiner's public information database -- which includes name, age, race, gender, home address, and date and location of death -- is available for Plymouth cases investigated by the office. More detailed records, such as autopsy reports and medical information, are restricted to next of kin and authorized representatives. The Medical Examiner can be reached at 612-215-6300, and information on what records are available is at https://www.hennepin.us/residents/public-safety/medical-examiner.

Medical Examiner records and standard death certificates are distinct. If a Plymouth death was investigated by the ME, both types of records may exist. Families and legal representatives may need both depending on the purpose of their request.

More Plymouth and Hennepin County Death Record Resources

For the full picture of Hennepin County death records, including all service center locations, the Medical Examiner's office, the county's historical archive details, and request methods, see the Hennepin County Death Index page. That page covers all municipalities in the county and provides more context on both current records and historical collections.

Other Hennepin County cities with qualifying populations include Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Brooklyn Park. All those cities use the same Hennepin County Vital Records office. The process, fees, and access rules are identical regardless of which Hennepin County city the death occurred in.

Death registration requirements are set by Minnesota Statute 144.221, which specifies who files the death certificate and when. For Plymouth deaths, as with all Minnesota deaths, the funeral director or attending physician is responsible for filing within the required period. This statute is the basis for Minnesota's entire vital records system going back to 1870.