Death certificate Clark County Nevada: who can get a copy, what it costs, and how to fix one
A death certificate Clark County Nevada families need, to close a bank account, claim property or settle an estate, is a certified copy of the death record on file with the state. The funeral home files the record. The Clark County district health office or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics issues the copies. Not everyone can order one. If something on it is wrong, only certain people can ask to fix it. Here is what Nevada law says.
What you do now
1. Let the funeral home file it. The funeral director must give the completed death
certificate to the local registrar within 72 hours after the death happened or was discovered. If the
coroner is looking into the death, the coroner files it when the investigation is done
(NRS 440.490).
2. Order certified copies from the right office. If the death was filed in Clark
County, the Clark County district health officer can issue a certified copy (NAC 440.070(1)). The State
Registrar can issue one for any death registered in Nevada (NRS 440.650(1)).
3. Show you are allowed to have it. Copies go only to people with a "direct and
tangible interest" (NRS 440.650(2)). See the list below.
4. Order more than one. Banks, the county recorder and anyone paying out the person's
property may each want a certified copy. Getting several at once saves a second trip.
Who can get a certified copy
"Direct and tangible interest" means one of these (NAC 440.070(2)):
Close family. A relationship by blood or marriage, within the second
degree, to the person who died. That covers the spouse, parents, children, brothers and sisters,
grandparents and grandchildren.
A legal relationship. For example, the person's legal representative
or the executor of the estate.
A legal need. When the law, or a legal process, requires it.
The funeral home. The funeral director listed on the certificate, or
their designee, within 180 days after the death was registered.
If the registrar says no, the State Board of Health or a court can review that decision (NRS 440.650(2)). Researching family history? Death records may be released 50 years after the death (NRS 440.125(2)(b)).
Deadlines and fees in Nevada law
| What | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Start the certificate | Within 24 hours after the death if a doctor starts it, or within 24 hours after the funeral director receives the body | NAC 440.162(1) |
| Cause of death | The doctor or nurse practitioner assigned to certify must fill in the cause of death within 24 hours | NAC 440.160(1) |
| File with the local registrar | Within 72 hours after the death or its discovery. Coroner cases: when the investigation ends | NRS 440.490 |
| Certified copy from the State Registrar | $22, or $25 in a county that set up a coroner support account. In that case $4 of the fee goes to the county coroner | NAC 440.400(2)(g), (h); NRS 440.700(6) |
| Search with no copy made | $10 for one name, whether or not a record is found | NAC 440.400(2)(a) |
| Correct a record and get a copy | $45. Only $10 when the certifier files the fix and it was not the certifier's error | NAC 440.400(2)(i), (j) |
| Where part of the fee goes | $3 to the Children's Trust Account, $1 to the Review of Death of Children Account, 50 cents to the Grief Support Trust Account | NRS 440.700(2), (3), (4) |
A local registrar may charge the same fees as the State Registrar. Fees are not refunded once the service is done (NAC 440.400(2)). The free copy for homeless people and people just out of prison covers birth certificates only, not death certificates (NRS 440.700(5)).
Read 2026-11-07 off the Nevada Revised Statutes: chapter 440 revision stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), chapters 111 and 146 revisions stamped 4/15/2026 (2025); and the Nevada Administrative Code, chapter 440 revision stamped 8/26/2026.
Who signs it and when the coroner steps in
The doctor. The medical part is signed by the doctor or advanced
practice registered nurse last caring for the person. It lists the hour and day of death and the cause
of death (NRS 440.380(1)).
No doctor was caring for the person. The funeral director must send
the case to the local health officer or coroner to investigate and certify (NRS 440.420(1)).
Suspicious death. If the death came from unlawful or suspicious
means, it goes to the coroner (NRS 440.420(3)). That can mean the certificate is filed later.
What you need it for
A small estate. To collect money or property without probate, the
affidavit must have a certified copy of the death certificate attached. It must show at least 40 days
have passed since the death (NRS 146.080(1)).
A house held in joint tenancy. The affidavit recorded with the county
recorder must come with a certified copy of the death certificate (NRS 111.365).
A deed upon death. A copy of the death certificate goes with the Death
of Grantor Affidavit that is recorded (NRS 111.699).
Proof in court. A copy certified by the State Registrar is proof, in
every court and office, of the facts it states (NRS 440.660).
If something on it is wrong
Who can ask. A change to personal facts, like a name or birth date, must come from
the funeral director listed on the certificate, the coroner, the certifier or the informant listed on
it (NAC 440.023(1)(b)). If you are not one of them, start with the funeral home.
Medical facts. The date and hour of death and the cause of death can only be changed
by the doctor who certified them, or by a coroner investigating the death (NAC 440.023(2), (5)(b)).
Act fast. Before the record gets a state file number, the funeral director or
certifier can fix it without an affidavit (NAC 440.040(1)). After that, it takes a two-part affidavit:
a sworn statement of what is wrong, plus other evidence that backs it up (NAC 440.030(1)).
Some changes need a judge. Changing the name or marital status of
the person who died, or naming a different surviving spouse, needs a court order, unless there is
verifiable evidence that a mistake was made (NAC 440.035(1)).
Gender. The funeral director marks the sex of the person to match
their gender identity or expression, as the informant tells them (NAC 440.167(1)).
What not to do
Don't change a certificate yourself. Willfully altering a death
certificate or a copy on file is a misdemeanor (NRS 440.760).
Don't give false facts. Giving false information to make a death
certificate wrong carries a fine of up to $250 (NRS 440.770).
Don't buy a "certified copy" from a website or a stranger. Only the
people the law allows may issue a certified death certificate (NRS 440.175(2)(a)).
Good to know
Settling what the person left behind? See probate in Clark County. Need a birth record too? See birth certificate Clark County.
For the current fee, hours and how to apply, check with the district health office in Clark County or
the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. Your funeral home can often order copies for you. Call
211 if you need help with funeral or burial costs.