Find Fairbanks Death Index Records
The Fairbanks death index covers Interior Alaska's largest city, a regional hub with records going back to the gold rush era of the early 1900s. This page explains where to search for death certificates, how to use local genealogical collections, and what sources are available for historical death research in the Fairbanks area.
Fairbanks Death Index
How to Get a Death Certificate in Fairbanks
Death certificates for Fairbanks residents are issued by the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS), not by the City of Fairbanks. The City of Fairbanks handles business licenses and local services, but vital records are a state function. You must go through HAVRS to get a certified death certificate.
The main HAVRS office is in Juneau at 5441 Commercial Blvd, Juneau AK 99801, phone (907) 465-3391. There is also an Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy Suite 101, Anchorage AK 99503, (907) 269-0991. Fairbanks residents who need a death certificate quickly can request it in person at the Anchorage office, which offers same-day service. Or you can order by mail, sending your request to P.O. Box 110675, Juneau AK 99811-0675.
Online ordering is available through VitalChek. Current instructions and forms are posted on the HAVRS orders page. The first certified copy costs $30, and each additional copy is $25 when ordered at the same time. Records under 50 years old require proof of a direct personal interest in the record, such as being a close relative or legal representative of the deceased.
Fairbanks Genealogical Society
The Fairbanks Genealogical Society is a key resource for anyone researching deaths in Interior Alaska. The society maintains collections at the Noel Wien Public Library and publishes a periodical called "North Star Nuggets," which contains genealogical information, historical records, and cemetery inscriptions from the Fairbanks area.
Cemetery inscription projects are particularly valuable for death research. The society has worked to document burials at Fairbanks-area cemeteries, recording names, dates, and other inscriptions. This work fills gaps left by incomplete official records, especially for deaths that occurred during the early decades of Fairbanks history when record-keeping was less consistent.
The society can also point you toward local resources you might not find on your own. Members have deep knowledge of Interior Alaska records and can advise on the best strategy for a specific research problem. Contact information and current event listings are on the society's website.
Noel Wien Public Library Alaska Collection
The Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, holds an Alaska Collection with city directories, historical newspapers on microfilm, and local history materials. For death record research, the most useful items are the newspaper archives and any local obituary indexes held in the collection.
City directories from earlier decades can help establish that a person lived in Fairbanks at a given time, which is useful when you know someone died but aren't sure where the record is filed. The directories often also list household members, which helps with family research.
Staff in the Alaska Collection section can assist with research questions. The library is a public resource and does not charge for in-house use of its collections. Some materials may be available through interlibrary loan if you cannot visit in person.
The Noel Wien Public Library's Alaska Collection is the starting point for many historical research projects in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
The library's Alaska Collection holds microfilm newspaper archives and local history materials that support death index research across Interior Alaska.
Clay Street Cemetery and Burial Records
Clay Street Cemetery is one of Fairbanks' oldest cemeteries and an important resource for historical death research. The Fairbanks North Star Borough maintains a burial list for the cemetery. This list is useful for researchers trying to confirm deaths that occurred in the early years of Fairbanks, when official death certificates may not have been filed or may be difficult to locate.
Many of the people buried at Clay Street Cemetery died during the gold rush era and the early decades of the 20th century. The burial records can provide a death date, which you can then use to request the official certificate from HAVRS if one was filed. For very old deaths, no certificate may exist, and the cemetery record may be the primary documentation.
The borough's website has information on current cemetery services and how to access burial records. Some records have been digitized and may be searchable online. Contact the borough directly if you need help locating a specific burial record.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Obituary Archives
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner has been published since 1903, making it the primary newspaper source for obituary research in Interior Alaska. The paper covers deaths in Fairbanks and surrounding communities, and its archives stretch back over 120 years.
Obituaries published in the News-Miner often contain details that do not appear in official death certificates. They may list survivors, the cause of death, employment history, church membership, and other personal details that help fill out a family history. Finding the obituary for an ancestor can be one of the most valuable steps in genealogical research.
Some older editions of the paper are available on microfilm at the Noel Wien Public Library. More recent archives may be searchable through the newspaper's website. The Fairbanks Genealogical Society also maintains some indexed obituary collections that reference News-Miner articles. Combining these sources gives you good coverage across different time periods.
Alaska State Archives and Broader Research Sources
For deaths in Fairbanks before Alaska statehood in 1959, the Alaska State Archives holds coroner's inquests from 1898 to 1969 and probate records from 1883 to 1960. These records cover Interior Alaska and can be valuable for tracing deaths that occurred during the territorial period.
The archives are in Juneau, but reference staff can help you locate specific records by mail or by submitting an inquiry through their website. Some finding aids are posted online so you can check whether a particular record type is likely to exist before making a formal request.
The Alaska State Library's genealogy page lists additional databases and tools for statewide research. It's worth checking this resource if you've exhausted local Fairbanks sources. The CDC's Where to Write page confirms current HAVRS contact information for researchers working from outside Alaska.
Alaska's rules for accessing death records come from the Vital Statistics Act, which you can read at Justia's Alaska statute database. Understanding the access rules is helpful before you submit a request, especially if the record you need is less than 50 years old.