Ohio Birth Records

About Birth Records in Ohio
source: http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/brthdth1.html

Before 1867

Ohio did not make it a law to keep birth records until 1867.


1867 through December 19, 1908

Ohio made it a law to record births in 1867. County probate courts kept birth records between 1867 and December 19, 1908. There is no statewide index to birth records from 1867 through December 19, 1908.

http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/brthdth2.html

to the list of county probate court birth records held at the Ohio Historical Society. If the Ohio Historical Society does not hold a county's birth records, please the county's probate court. A list of county courthouses is available at

http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/cthouse.html


December 20, 1908 to the present

The state of Ohio began issuing certificates for births on December 20, 1908. The Ohio Department of Health holds birth certificates for the state of Ohio from December 20, 1908 to the present. You should contact the Ohio Department of Health at the address below for information concerning their request procedures.

Ohio Department of Health
Division of Vital Statistics
PO Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098
(614 ) 466-2531

Guidelines for requesting birth records

Before making a request for a birth record, please confirm that we hold records for the county and time period by reviewing County Birth Records Held at the Ohio Historical Society. Requests that are submitted with a county, name of child, and exact year of birth are processed by our staff as COPY REQUESTS. The county where the birth was registered and the child's name must be provided, but our staff will search a 10 year time frame if the exact year of birth is unknown. Requests that are submitted with a county, name of child, and a time frame within a 10 year span are processed by our staff as RESEARCH REQUESTS. A complete description of all request policies can be reviewed at Guidelines for Offsite Copy and Research Requests.