Dakota County Death Records and Obituaries

Dakota County obituary records and death certificates are held at multiple offices across the county, with the main Auditor-Treasurer office in Hastings serving as the primary source for certified death records. The county is the third largest in Minnesota, covering a stretch of suburbs south of the Twin Cities, and its records reach back well into the 1800s. Whether you are tracking down a recent death notice or searching for an ancestor who passed away decades ago, Dakota County has resources at the county level, through the Minnesota Department of Health, and at local historical societies.

Dakota County Vital Records Office

The Dakota County Auditor-Treasurer office in Hastings is the main place to get certified death records for people who died in the county. Staff can look up deaths on file and issue certified copies. The office also keeps birth and marriage records. If you need a certified death certificate, this is the office to contact first.

Dakota County runs several service locations spread across the county, which makes it easier to get records depending on where you live. The Northern Service Center in West St. Paul serves the northern part of the county. The Burnsville and Lakeville license centers also handle records requests. The Robert Trail License Center in Rosemount is another option. Call ahead to confirm which services each location offers before you make the trip.

The Dakota County vital records page at co.dakota.mn.us lists all service center locations and contact numbers. That site also has details on what you need to bring and what forms of ID are accepted.

The image below is from the Dakota County vital records portal, which shows the certificate request process for deaths recorded in the county.

The portal walks you through what to bring and how to order certified copies in person or by mail.

Search Dakota County Death Records Online

The Minnesota Department of Health runs the Death Search Index, which covers deaths recorded in the state from 1997 onward. You can search by name and get basic details like the date and county of death. This tool is free and does not require an account. Go to health.state.mn.us death search to run a name search. It will tell you if a record exists, but to get the actual certificate you still need to contact the county office or MDH directly.

For deaths before 1997, the Minnesota Historical Society holds the main collection of statewide death records. MNHS has death certificates from 1904 through 2001. Death cards from 1904 to 1907 are part of the collection as well. You can search the MNHS people database at mnhs.org/search/people to see what is in the collection for Dakota County. Records in the MNHS collection are non-certified copies and are treated as public records under state law.

Under Minnesota Statutes section 144.225, death records in Minnesota are public after a set number of years. Non-certified copies are available to anyone who asks. Certified copies, which have legal weight, are available to immediate family members and others with a legal need. The fee for a first certified copy is $13, and each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $6 under Minnesota Statutes section 144.226.

Note: The MDH Death Search Index covers deaths statewide, not just Dakota County, so you can use it even if you are unsure which county a death was recorded in.

Dakota County Historical Society Records

The Dakota County Historical Society at dakotahistory.org holds a strong collection of local history records that include obituaries, census data, Civil War records, World War I and World War II service records, marriage documents, and cemetery listings. Their research library is open to the public and provides access to materials not found in state databases. Staff can help you look up family history and pull together records from multiple sources.

The research section at dakotahistory.org/research describes the databases and collections available for in-person and online use. The society holds local newspaper runs that include death notices and obituaries going back many decades. Newspaper obituaries are often the most detailed records for deaths that happened before death certificates were commonly kept, and for the period before state registration was required.

Cemetery records at the historical society can also fill in gaps. Cemetery inscriptions, sexton records, and burial logs often list the deceased person's name, death date, age, and sometimes cause of death. These records tie closely to obituary research and are especially useful for deaths before 1900.

Dakota County Genealogy and MNGenWeb

The Dakota County MNGenWeb project at dakota.mngenweb.net is a free volunteer-run site with transcribed vital records, military records, obituaries, and cemetery data for the county. The project has been adding records for years, and it covers a range of time periods that complement the MDH database. It is a good place to search when you are not finding what you need through official channels.

MNGenWeb pages are not official records, but the transcriptions are typically pulled from original documents or published newspaper sources. You can use what you find there to narrow down a date or county, then go to the official office to get a certified copy. FamilySearch also maintains a Minnesota vital records wiki at familysearch.org that explains how the record systems work and what is available online versus in person.

The Minnesota Newspaper Hub at mnhs.org/newspapers/hub gives access to digitized historical newspapers from across the state, including papers that served Dakota County communities. Obituaries printed in these papers can be found by searching key dates or names.

Minnesota Department of Health Death Records

The Minnesota Department of Health is the state agency that oversees death registration and keeps copies of all death certificates filed in Minnesota. MDH holds death records from 1908 forward at the state level. For Dakota County deaths, MDH has the same records as the county office, and either can issue a certified copy. The MDH vital records page is at health.state.mn.us.

MDH processes mail-in requests for certified death certificates. You fill out a request form, include a copy of your ID, and pay the $13 fee for the first certified copy. Additional copies cost $6 each when ordered at the same time. Processing times vary but are typically a few weeks by mail. You can also visit MDH in person in St. Paul if you need the record faster. The county registrar list at health.state.mn.us/registrars shows all local offices where you can request records in Dakota County.

Cities in Dakota County

Dakota County includes several large cities. Death records for all of them are kept at the county offices in Hastings and at MDH in St. Paul. Cities in the county with their own pages are listed below.

Other communities in Dakota County include Hastings, Rosemount, South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Farmington, and Inver Grove Heights. All death records for these cities run through the county and state vital records system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Dakota County. Each keeps its own death records at the county office and at MDH.