Fairfield Death Index

Death records for Fairfield are maintained by Solano County offices, not by the city itself. When someone dies in Fairfield, the death certificate goes through county vital records. You can request certified copies for legal purposes such as settling estates, claiming insurance benefits, or closing financial accounts. The county keeps death records going back to 1850. Recent deaths take a few weeks to process before certificates become available. Older records may require searches through county archives or state repositories.

Solano County Vital Records Office

Solano County maintains all death certificates for Fairfield. The county vital records office handles requests from the public. You can visit in person, send your request by mail, or order online through approved vendors.

Each certified copy of a death certificate costs $26. This fee is set by California state law and increased in January 2026. The cost covers one certified copy plus the search fee. If the office cannot locate the record you need, they keep the fee but issue a statement showing no record was found.

Death certificates usually become available two to four weeks after someone dies. This delay allows funeral homes and medical examiners to file paperwork and lets the county process the information. Trying to get a certificate before this processing period will not work because the record does not exist in the system yet.

How to Request Fairfield Death Certificates

You have several options for requesting death records. Walk into the county vital records office during business hours. Mail a completed application with payment. Or use online ordering through VitalChek or the county's own web portal if available.

In person requests need a valid photo ID such as a driver license, state ID, or passport. The office provides application forms. Fill out the form with the deceased person's name, date of death, and place of death. More details help staff locate the correct record faster. Pay the fee and wait while they search their files. Some records are available same day. Others take longer if they need to be retrieved from archives.

Mail requests require a completed application form, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order for the certificate fee. Download the application from the county website or call to request one. Fill it out completely. Make it clear you want a death certificate for someone who died in Fairfield. Mail everything to the county vital records office. Processing time runs two to four weeks from when they receive your envelope.

Online ordering through VitalChek adds convenience but costs more. VitalChek charges a processing fee on top of the certificate fee. They accept credit cards and offer different shipping speeds. The county still needs time to process your order regardless of how you submit it. Express shipping only speeds up the final delivery, not the county processing time.

Who Can Get Authorized Copies

California law restricts who receives authorized certified copies of death certificates. Authorized copies work for legal matters like probate, insurance claims, and benefits applications. Informational copies contain the same data but have a stamp saying they cannot be used to establish identity.

Authorized requesters include immediate family members. Parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, spouses, and domestic partners of the deceased all qualify. Legal guardians with proper documentation can request copies. Attorneys representing the estate may order them. Court appointed representatives such as executors and conservators have access. Funeral home staff working on the case can get copies. Law enforcement officers and government officials conducting official business may request them.

Most authorized requesters must provide a notarized sworn statement under penalty of perjury. This document declares your relationship to the deceased. A notary public verifies your identity and witnesses your signature. Law enforcement agencies, government offices, and funeral establishments are exempt from the notary requirement for death records.

Anyone can request an informational copy without proving a relationship. These copies help with genealogy research and family history projects. No notarized statement is needed for informational copies.

Information Needed for Your Request

Applications ask for specific details about the deceased person. The more information you provide, the faster and more accurate the search will be.

Start with the full legal name. First name, middle name, and last name exactly as they appear on legal documents. If the person used nicknames or alternative name spellings, list those as well.

Date of death is crucial. Give the exact day, month, and year if possible. If you only know the month and year, provide that. Even just the year helps narrow the search considerably.

Place of death goes in another field. Write Fairfield as the city. If you know the specific location such as a hospital name or street address, include that information.

Other helpful details include age at death, date of birth, parent names, and social security number. You do not need all these details, but each one makes the search more efficient. Common names like John Smith or Maria Garcia need extra information to find the right record.

Processing Times and Wait Periods

In person requests at the county office may get processed same day if the record is readily available and the office is not busy. Walk-in times vary by day of week and time of day. Early morning visits on Tuesday through Thursday usually have shorter waits than Monday mornings or Friday afternoons.

Mail requests take longer. The county needs two to four weeks from receiving your application to mailing back your certificate. Add transit time both ways. Total time from when you mail your request to when you receive your certificate typically runs four to six weeks.

Online orders through VitalChek or county portals take similar time as mail requests. The county processing period stays the same. You just skip the initial mail transit time. Express shipping from VitalChek speeds up the final leg but does not make the county work faster on your request.

Historical Fairfield Death Records

Older death records may be harder to find than recent ones. The Solano County Clerk-Recorder typically has records going back to 1850. Records before that date might not exist or might be stored elsewhere.

The California State Archives in Sacramento holds microfilm copies of some county records. Check their online catalog to see if they have Solano County death records. Records more than 75 years old are usually open to the public without restriction.

Local libraries and historical societies sometimes have death indexes, cemetery records, or old newspapers with obituaries. These alternative sources can fill gaps when official death certificates do not exist or cannot be located. Online genealogy websites like FamilySearch and Ancestry have searchable databases of California deaths. Some features are free while others require paid subscriptions.

Nearby Cities in Solano County

Fairfield is one of several cities in Solano County. All cities in the county use the same vital records system. Fees, forms, and procedures remain consistent across the county. The city name listed on the death certificate is the main difference between records from different cities.