Search Hammond Death Records

Hammond death records are managed by the Lake County Health Department, which serves all of Lake County from its main office in Crown Point. As one of the larger cities in northwest Indiana with about 76,700 residents, Hammond generates a solid number of death certificate requests each year. You can search for and order death records in person at the health department, by mail, or online through VitalChek. The office has records for deaths in Lake County going back to 1920, covering Hammond and all the other communities in the county.

Lake County Death Records Office

The Lake County Health Department is the office that handles death records for Hammond. The main office is in Crown Point at 2900 W. 93rd Avenue. This is about a 20-minute drive south from Hammond. Lake County is one of the most populated counties in Indiana, and the health department handles vital records for the entire county. That includes Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Merrillville, Crown Point, Hobart, Schererville, and many other towns.

Walk-in service at the Crown Point office is available during regular business hours. Bring a valid photo ID and fill out the request form. A certified death certificate costs $20. The office accepts credit cards, which is not the case at every Indiana health department. That makes it a bit easier if you do not have a check or money order on hand. Staff can look up records by the deceased person's name and date of death. For recent deaths, the certificate is usually ready the same day. Older records from the 1920s through the mid-1900s may take more time.

Note: The Lake County office is in Crown Point, not in Hammond. Plan your trip if you are coming from the Hammond area.

How to Get Hammond Death Certificates

Hammond residents have three ways to get a death certificate. In person at Crown Point is the fastest. By mail is fine if you can wait. Online through VitalChek is good for people who cannot get to the office. Each option has the same base fee of $20 for a certified copy. The difference is in speed and extra costs.

For mail requests, write to the Lake County Health Department at 2900 W. 93rd Ave, Crown Point, IN 46307. Include the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name, address, phone number, and the reason for the request. Put in a check or money order for $20 payable to the Lake County Health Department. Do not send cash. Mail orders take one to three weeks to process and ship. The office sends the certificate to your mailing address once they find and verify the record.

Online orders go through VitalChek. The service adds a processing fee on top of the $20 base cost. VitalChek accepts credit and debit cards. You fill out the form online, and the order goes to Lake County for processing. The certificate ships to your address. Standard delivery takes about two weeks. Rush options cost more but arrive faster. For Hammond residents who work long hours and cannot make it to Crown Point, VitalChek saves the trip.

Lake County Government Portal

The Lake County government website has details on the health department and vital records services for Hammond and other county residents.

Check the site for the latest hours, fees, and any changes to how the health department processes death certificate requests in the Hammond area.

Indiana State Death Records

The Indiana Department of Health keeps a central copy of every death certificate filed in Indiana. Hammond residents can request records from the state by mail using Form 49606. The state office is in Indianapolis and serves all 92 counties. For a single Hammond death certificate, the Lake County office is the faster option. The state is useful if you need records from multiple counties in one go.

The Indiana Local Health Department Map confirms that the Lake County Health Department covers Hammond. Deaths are filed where they happened. If a Hammond resident died in Cook County, Illinois (just across the state line), that record would be in Illinois, not in Lake County. The border location of Hammond makes this a real possibility, so keep it in mind when searching for death records.

Hammond Death Record Regulations

Death records in Hammond are governed by Indiana state law. Indiana Code 16-37-1-10 makes vital records public. Anyone can request a death certificate from the Lake County Health Department by filling out the form and paying the fee. You do not need to prove a family connection. Certified copies carry the official seal and serve as legal proof of death for courts, banks, insurance, and government agencies.

Under Indiana Code Title 16, Article 37, deaths must be reported within 72 hours. The funeral home files the death certificate with the local registrar. In Lake County, that registrar is the health department. They log the record and send a copy to the state office. Both places can issue certified copies. Hammond families handling estate matters or insurance claims need certified copies with the seal. Banks and financial groups usually want original certified copies, not photocopies.

Lake County records start in 1920. For deaths before that date, you may need to check other sources like church records, newspaper archives, or the state office. The state vital records office may have some older records on file that predate what Lake County keeps at its local office.

Lake County Death Records

Hammond is in Lake County. All death records for the city are managed by the Lake County Health Department in Crown Point. For the full county page with details on all Lake County cities and resources, see the link below.

View Lake County Death Records

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Hammond in the Lake County area of northwest Indiana. Each has its own page with details on local death records access.