Tulsa Obituary Records
Tulsa obituary records span more than a century of death notices, burial data, and memorial listings from Oklahoma's second-largest city. The city sits in Tulsa County, where the court clerk has kept probate and death-related court files since the early 1900s. You can search Tulsa death records through the county court clerk, the Tulsa Health Department, local newspaper archives, and the Tulsa City-County Library genealogy center. The Tulsa World newspaper has run death notices for the area since 1905, and its archives are a rich source of obituary listings. Whether you need a current death notice or want to trace a death from decades ago, Tulsa has multiple paths for your search.
Tulsa Overview
Tulsa County Court Clerk Death Records
The Tulsa County Court Clerk at 500 South Denver Ave., Room 200, Tulsa, OK 74103 is the main office for court records tied to Tulsa deaths. The court clerk keeps marriage licenses, divorce decrees, probate records, and civil court files. Probate cases list the date of death and show how estates were divided among heirs. The phone for general inquiries is (918) 596-5420. For divorce records, call (918) 596-5454.
Copy fees at the Tulsa County Court Clerk are low. Paper copies cost $0.25 per page for standard sizes and $0.50 for ledger size. A certified copy is $1.00 per page. You can also get copies on CD or DVD for $1.00. These records are public in most cases, though some files may have sealed parts.
Tulsa Health Department Vital Records
The Tulsa Health Department Vital Records Division at the James O. Goodwin Health Center, 5051 S. 129th East Ave, Tulsa, OK 74134, handles death certificate orders for Tulsa residents. The phone is (405) 426-8880 and the email is bdart@tulsa-health.org. Will-call pick up hours are 12:00 to 4:45 PM, Monday through Friday.
Same-day service is no longer available at this location. You must order in advance online or by phone through VitalChek at 405-426-8880. The cost is $20.00 for the first copy and $15.00 for each added copy. Under Title 63, Section 1-323, death records become open to the public 50 years after the death. For newer records, you need to show you are a close family member or have a legal right to the file.
Tulsa Obituary Newspaper Archives
The Tulsa World is Tulsa's daily paper and has printed obituary notices since 1905. Current death notices are published through Legacy.com on the Tulsa World site. Historical issues are on microfilm at the Tulsa City-County Library. The paper covers deaths across Tulsa County and the wider metro area, so obituaries for people in Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, and Bixby often show up in the Tulsa World.
The screenshot below shows the Tulsa World homepage where you can search for recent Tulsa obituary listings.
The Tulsa World website carries current obituary notices for the Tulsa metro area.
This newspaper archive is one of the best sources for Tulsa death notices going back more than a hundred years.
Tulsa Library Genealogy Center
The Tulsa City-County Library runs a genealogy center with databases for death record research. You can use Ancestry Library Edition, Fold3, HeritageQuest Online, Newspapers.com, and the Oklahoma Digital Prairie collection at no cost in any branch. The library keeps Tulsa World archives on microfilm and provides access to other local newspapers that printed Tulsa obituary notices over the years.
The Tulsa City Clerk's Office at 175 East 2nd Street, Suite 260, Tulsa, OK 74103 maintains city records. The clerk is Christina Chappell. The phone is (918) 596-7513. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The city clerk handles open records requests and can help locate municipal records tied to deaths in Tulsa.
The Tulsa City Clerk portal shown below provides access to city records and open records requests.
You can reach the Tulsa City Clerk's Office for municipal records tied to death filings in Tulsa.
The city clerk maintains ordinances, resolutions, and serves as custodian of the city seal and official documents for Tulsa.
Tulsa Death Certificate Process
To get a Tulsa death certificate, you can order from the Oklahoma State Department of Health for $15 per copy, or through the Tulsa Health Department for $20. Online orders go through VitalChek with an added service fee. You need valid photo ID to order.
The OK2Explore free index lets you check if a death record exists before you pay. It shows basic data for deaths more than five years old. The FamilySearch Oklahoma wiki also has tips for finding Tulsa death records through alternative sources like cemetery records, church files, and the Social Security Death Index.
Note: The Tulsa Health Department no longer offers same-day death certificate service, so plan ahead and order through VitalChek or by phone.
Tulsa Probate and Court Records
The OSCN Tulsa County case search gives you free online access to court records including probate files. Probate cases are filed after a person dies and list the date of death, heirs, and estate details. The OSCN system covers records from the 1990s forward. Not all old files are online, but the system has a wide range of Tulsa County civil, criminal, and probate cases that may tie to a death in the area.
Nearby Cities with Obituary Records
Tulsa is the hub of a metro area that includes several cities in Tulsa County and beyond. If your search for a Tulsa obituary turns up empty, try looking in these nearby cities where residents may have been listed in local papers or filed through a different office.