Search
Close this search box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: DeKalb Public Health provides general information as a public service, not to advise on any specific legal problem. The information is not, and should not be construed to be, legal advice.

 

DeKalb Public Health’s Office of Vital Records Services

Birth certificates from 1919 to the present are available. For a newborn, please wait at least two weeks after the birth before ordering a birth certificate.

A death certificate is available for 75 years after the death.

There are two locations:

Richardson Health Center, Suite 191
445 Winn Way
Decatur, GA 30030
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Phone: (404) 294-3857

North DeKalb Health Center
3807 Clairmont Road, NE
Chamblee, GA 30341
Hours: Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Phone: (678) 475-4308

Please arrive more than 15 minutes before closing time. Both locations are closed on state holidays.

If you have proof of identification (and other documentation, if required) and the certificate is in Georgia’s electronic Vital Records system, you will receive the certificate within 15 minutes. We strive to provide excellent customer service and are committed to filling your order without delay.

If you obtain the certificate in person or by mail, a non-refundable search fee of $25 includes your first certificate. If the exact birth or death date is unknown, there is an additional $25 fee for a search covering 3 years. Each additional certificate ordered at the same time for the same person is $5. There is a processing fee of $5 for each order submitted through our website.

Please contact the Vital Records office at (404) 294-3857 to determine if a search is feasible.

No. We do not conduct record searches based on orders by phone.

Yes. The DeKalb County Vital Records Office has access to certificates of births and deaths in all Georgia counties.

 

Birth certificates

Parents may designate a last name (surname) that is not the legal surname of the mother or father, if the surname is chosen in accordance with a bonafide cultural naming convention practiced in the nation of origin of one or both of them. Be sure to discuss this with the person who will be filing the birth record. 

 

Death certificates

 

Corrections or changes to a birth or death record

Contact the Special Services unit of the Georgia Office of Vital Records at (404) 679-4702.

 

Certificates for births and deaths outside Georgia

 

Certificates to provide to other countries

There are two types of international certification. The type you need depends on the country where you plan to submit the document.

Check the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority’s list to see if the country is listed as a participant of the Apostille Convention: https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list.

 

Adoption

Visit the Georgia Department of Family Services’ website at: http://dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/birth-family-search.

As soon as the baby is born, place your name on the Putative Father Registry. Call the Georgia Vital Records Office at (404) 679-4702 or visit http://dph.georgia.gov/putative-father-registry. You will be notified of any adoption petitions and other legal proceedings.

 

Paternity Acknowledgement

To add your name to your child’s birth certificate as the father, call the Georgia Vital Records Office at (404) 679-4702 or visit https://dph.georgia.gov/ways- request-vital-record/paternity-acknowledgements.

 

Marriage licenses and divorce decrees

Call the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court at (404) 371-2836 and then press 1 for civil cases. Or, visit https://ody.dekalbcountyga.gov/portal and click on the Smart Search button. In the box, enter the spouse’s name under which the divorce was filed.

 

Genealogy research

To obtain a birth or death record for genealogy research, please designate the intended use on your request. The search fee(s) applies. If a record is found, you will receive it printed on plain white paper and watermarked “For genealogy purposes only.” This record cannot be used for legal purposes.

SERVICE ALERT:

Due to unplanned maintenance,
our Clifton Springs Health Center will be on CLOSED on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Our East DeKalb, T. O. Vinson and North DeKalb
Health Centers remain open to serve you.

We apologize for any inconvenience and
appreciate your understanding. 

SERVICE ALERT:

Due to unexpected maintenance, our Clifton Springs Health Center will be closing early today at 2:30 p.m.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Thank you!

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed, on October 13, 2025, in observance of the state holiday.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed, on September 1, 2025, in observance of Labor Day.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed, July 4, 2025, in observance of Independence Day.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed, June 19, 2025, in observance of Juneteenth.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed April 18, 2025, in observance of the State holiday.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed January 20, 2025, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday.

SERVICE ALERT:

Our health centers will be closed on January 1, 2025, in observance of the State holiday.

AIR QUALITY UPDATE 

Current weather models show that winds will begin to shift
from the east to the west after sunset on Wednesday.

Smoke from the BioLab facility fire in Rockdale County is predicted to settle towards the ground as it moves toward Atlanta. There is a high likelihood that people across Metro Atlanta will wake up on Thursday morning seeing haze and smelling chlorine.

For more information about health precautions, click here.

last updated 10/2/2024 at 5:45 p.m.

Warning SERVICE ALERT UPDATE Warning

DeKalb Public Health will resume normal operations
for all health centers and services at 8:15 a.m.,
on Monday, September 30.

SERVICE ALERT 

Due to today’s worldwide cybersecurity outage, some services have been impacted.

  • You may experience delays reaching our Call Center, which handles health center appointments.
  • WIC benefit issuance is unavailable at this time. However, eWIC cards can still be used at authorized WIC vendors.


This outage has not only affected DeKalb Public Health, but other government and business services, in Georgia, throughout the nation and internationally.

We apologize for the inconvenience and greatly appreciate your patience, as we work with our partners to fully restore systems.

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on Tuesday December 24 and Wednesday, December 25th, in observance of the holiday. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on November 28-29th, in observance of the State holiday.

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on Monday, November 11th, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on Monday, October 14th, in observance of the State holiday.

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on Monday, September 2, in observance of the holiday. Have a safe and healthy Labor Day! 

SERVICE ALERT

In observance of Juneteenth, all DeKalb Public Health centers will be closed on Wednesday, June 19th. #happyjuneteenth

SERVICE ALERT: Our health centers will be closed on Thursday, July 4th, in observance of the Federal Holiday. Have a safe and healthy Fourth of July!