How to Find Arizona Birth Records

How to Find United States Birth Records Arizona Births

Statewide registration of births began in 1909 in Arizona with general compliance by 1926.

Next Step: When did the birth occur?	Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record: Births before 1855 Births from 1855 thru 1937 Births from 1938 thru 1989 Births after 1990 [How to Estimate United States Birth Information|I don't know when the birth is]]

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1855

Before 1855, no births were recorded by the state or county. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

Records that give birth information:
Death Records Cemetery Records Newspapers	Church Records Census Military Records

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Births from 1855 thru 1937

Records dating from 1855 are available for a few counties. In July 1909, counties began sending birth records to the state for registration.

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the database below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during this time period, try the following database:

Includes Index and Images
	Arizona Births, 1855-1937	Free
Can't find your ancestor in the index?		Tips for searching indexes
No birth record for your ancestor?		Other records with birth information

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Births from 1938 thru 1989

Only immediate family members and selected others may obtain certified copies of birth records created less than 75 years ago. Currently, there is no index to Arizona births after 1938 available online. Because county clerks sent copies to the Arizona Department of Health Services, vital records are available at both the county and State Department of Health offices.

Obtain the Certificate

If you qualify to request a certificate you must have full name, exact date and place of the birth. You can then order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from the Arizona Department of Health or VitalChek.

In addition, those who qualify may obtain an "as-is" birth record from a local County Health Department. This record includes limited information such as name, date of birth and parents' names. These certificates are only available from 1950-1989, but include certificates from all counties. The advantage is that in many counties you may purchase these certificates in person and obtain them the same day. For complete birth certificates you must order from the State Department of Health. Fees vary between the different County and State Health Departments. Consult the respecitve websites for fee information.

To Order Birth Certificates
From County of Birth		From AZ Dept. of Health State office
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	A few counties do not offer certificate retrieval services	Dates limited to 1950-1989	May be more expensive than ordering from the county	May be more expensive than ordering from the county	Offers a "complete" birth certificate copy	Includes certificates 1938-1990

Restrictions to qualify for certificates for persons born within the last 75 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 75 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate (paternal grandparent is eligible if father is listed on the vital record)
• The spouse of the person on the certificate
• The child of the person on the certificate
• The sibling of the person on the certificate
• The legal guardian of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 75 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

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Births after 1990

Only immediate family members and selected others may obtain certified copies of birth records created less than 75 years ago. You may obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate for a birth that occurred in Arizona after 1990, at any County Health Department, but not at the State Health Department.

Obtain the Certificate

If you qualify to request a certificate you must have full name, exact date and place of the birth. You can then order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from any County Health Department. This is considered a complete certificate, with all available information.

Restrictions to qualify for certificates for persons born within the last 75 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 75 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate (paternal grandparent is eligible if father is listed on the vital record)
• The spouse of the person on the certificate
• The child of the person on the certificate
• The sibling of the person on the certificate
• The legal guardian of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 75 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

• Learn more about U.S. Birth Records
• United States Record Selection Table
• U.S. Vital Records Overview
• United States Vital Records
• Locating United States Vital Records
• United States Death Records
• United States Marriage Records