Idaho Vital Records

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Births and Deaths
The first birth records in Idaho were kept in the 1870s by midwives who sent their reports to county clerks. The Family History Library has some of these records. The counties were officially required to keep records of births and deaths from 1907 to 1911. Write to the county clerk for information about these records. The Family History Library is presently acquiring copies of some of them. The State Historical Society has some birth and death records from Ada, Canyon, and Twin Falls Counties.

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1911, and was generally complied with by the early 1920s. Copies of these records are available from:

Idaho Department of Vital Statistics and Health Statistics P. O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0036 Telephone: 208-334-5988 Fax: 208-389-9096 Web page: http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov then click on "Certificates..."

State your relationship to the individual you want information about and the reason you want the information. Only family members can obtain the information in these files.

Fees and restrictions on providing copies of vitals records are available on their website.

An index to Idaho Deaths, 1911-1956 is available online. This index is being expanded as time and resources allow.

Marriages and Divorces
The county recorders have kept marriage records since the date each county was organized. The Family History Library has copies of some of these.

Marriage records since 1947 are available from the Bureau of Vital Statistics (address above).

Divorce records are available from the clerk of the district court in the county where the decree was granted.

BYU-Idaho and the Idaho Falls Regional Family History Center has compiled a Western States Marriage Index which is available online. Marriage records from many counties in Idaho, as well as some bordering states, are included in this index. This is a work in progress and many entries will be added in the future.

Inventory of Vital Records
You can learn more about the history and the availability of vital records in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records In Idaho, State and County. Boise, Idaho: Historical Records Survey, 1942. (FHL book 979.6 V2h; film 1036585 item 8.) or from their website above.