Schererville Death Records
Schererville death records are held by the Lake County Health Department, which serves as the vital records registrar for the entire county. Schererville is a town in the south-central part of Lake County with a population of about 29,700. The health department office is in Crown Point, the county seat, roughly 10 miles south of Schererville. Residents can order death certificates in person at the Crown Point office, by mail, or online through VitalChek. The county has records on file going back to 1920, covering a full century of vital records for the region.
Schererville Quick Facts
Lake County Death Records Office
The Lake County Health Department handles death records for Schererville and every other community in the county. Lake County is the most populous county in northwest Indiana, and the health department processes a large number of death certificate requests each year. The vital records office is at the government complex on West 93rd Avenue in Crown Point.
Walk-in service is available during regular business hours. You show a photo ID and fill out a request form. The staff searches the database and prints a certified copy if the record is on file. The fee is $20 per certified copy. That is on the higher end compared to some Indiana counties, but it is the standard rate for all of Lake County. The office takes standard payment methods, though you should call ahead to check if they accept credit cards at the counter.
Lake County has death records dating back to 1920. Anything older than that may need to be requested through the Indiana State Archives or the Indiana Department of Health. For most modern requests, though, the county office will have what you need.
| Office | Lake County Health Department - Vital Records |
|---|---|
| Address | 2900 W. 93rd Avenue, Crown Point, IN 46307 |
| Phone | (888) 985-7536 |
| Website | lakecountyin.gov |
| Certified Copy | $20.00 |
| Records Available | 1920 to present |
Note: The toll-free phone number connects you to the Lake County government switchboard, so ask to be transferred to the vital records division.
How to Get Schererville Death Certificates
There are three ways to get a death certificate for a death that took place in the Schererville area. Pick the one that works best for your situation.
In-person is the fastest option. Drive to the Lake County Health Department at 2900 W. 93rd Avenue in Crown Point. It is about a 15-minute drive from Schererville. Bring a photo ID and fill out the request form. Pay the $20 fee and get your certified copy the same day. The whole process can take less than an hour, depending on how busy the office is.
If you cannot visit in person, mail works fine. Send a letter to the health department with the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name and address, a phone number, and a check or money order for $20. Make the payment out to the Lake County Health Department. Do not send cash in the mail. Expect the certified copy to arrive in one to three weeks. Sometimes it takes longer if the office is handling a high volume of requests.
Online ordering through VitalChek is the third option. VitalChek charges the $20 base fee plus a service fee for credit and debit card processing. The total cost is higher than other methods. But it is convenient. You can place an order at any time, day or night, from anywhere. The order still gets filled by the Lake County office.
Where Schererville Deaths Are Filed
Death records go to the county where the death happened. A death in Schererville gets filed with the Lake County Health Department. If a Schererville resident died at a hospital in a different county, that record would be on file in that other county. This trips people up sometimes. The place of death determines the filing location, not the home address.
Lake County is big. It covers Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Crown Point, Merrillville, Hobart, and many other communities. Most of these use the county health department for vital records. A few cities in Lake County, like East Chicago, have their own city health departments that handle death records separately. Schererville is not one of them. All Schererville death records go through the county office in Crown Point.
Note: East Chicago and Gary are among the few Indiana cities with their own health departments that can issue death certificates independently from the county.
Lake County Health Resources
The Lake County government website provides information on vital records services for Schererville and all other communities in the county.
Check the county site for updates on office hours, payment methods, and any changes to the way death certificates are processed in Lake County.
Indiana State Death Records
The state keeps copies of all Indiana death records too. The Indiana Department of Health maintains a central file for every death certificate. You can request records from the state by mail using Form 49606. The state fee may differ from the $20 that Lake County charges.
For Schererville residents, the Lake County office is the more direct route for deaths that happened in the county. The state office is the better pick when you need records from multiple counties or when you are not sure where a death was filed. It saves you from calling around to different health departments.
Schererville Death Record Laws
Death records in Indiana are public records. Under Indiana Code 16-37-1-10, anyone can request a death certificate. You do not have to be a family member. You fill out the form, pay the fee, and get your copy. Certified copies carry an official seal and serve as legal proof of death for estates, insurance claims, and court proceedings.
Indiana Code Title 16, Article 37 lays out the full framework for vital records. Deaths must be reported within 72 hours. The funeral home files the death certificate with the local registrar. In Lake County, that registrar is part of the health department. They keep the original on file and send a copy up to the state. Both the county and the state can issue certified copies after filing.
Find the Right Health Department
The Indiana Local Health Department Map shows which office handles vital records for any area in Indiana. For Schererville, the map points to the Lake County Health Department. If a death occurred outside Lake County, you would need to contact the health department in the county where it happened.
Lake County Death Records
Schererville is in Lake County. All death records for the town go through the Lake County Health Department in Crown Point. For the full county page with more on offices, fees, and resources, see the Lake County death records page.
Nearby Cities
These cities and towns are near Schererville. Each page covers local death records access and the health department for that area.