Death Certificates

Most business and or legal matters require a certified copy of the death certificate. We will secure certified copies of the Death Certificate for you and our services for the initial order are included in the Package you selected. Please be aware that this does not happen immediately after death.

YOUR ATTORNEY OR ACCOUNTANT SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN DETERMINING THE CORRECT NUMBER OF CERTIFICATES TO ORDER.

Check with individual companies, banks etc to determine if they will require an original or a  digital PDF copy of the original death certificate. YOU CAN NOT PHOTOCOPY THE CERTIFIED COPIES OR SCAN THEM INTO A JPG FILE, BECAUSE THEY ARE COPY PROTECTED!

Death certificates can be made WITH or WITHOUT cause of death. Under Florida Law, the cause of death is CONFIDENTIAL. Cause of death SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED when requesting copies for probate issues, real estate taxes, vehicle title transfers or banks, as they are not permitted to accept them by Florida Law. Life insurance companies WILL REQUIRE CAUSE OF DEATH to be on the certified copies.

Who is authorized to obtain cause of death?

Pursuant to Florida Law, the decedents spouse or parent, child, grandchild or sibling if of legal age, or to any family member who provides a will, insurance policy or other document that demonstrates the family member’s interest in the estate of the decedent, or to any person who provides documentation that he/she is acting on behalf of any of the family member’s”.

What if we need more death certificates later?

You can call us for the convenience - There is a $25.00 Service Charge plus the cost of your certified copies. You may pick them up at our office when they are available or you can pay for them to be sent to you in the United States by:

Certified Mail - $10.00 (Signature required - First Class Postage with Certified Tracking)
Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope:  $15.00 (No Signature Required - Tracking Provided)
Priority Express Mail: $30.00 (Signature Required - Tracking Provided)

By Florida Law Doctor has 72 business hours (excluding week-ends and holidays) to complete his portion of the death certificate and submit it to the Electronic Death Registration System.

Once the doctor has completed his portion of the death certificate, the State notifies us that it is complete and available for ME Approval, in the case of cremation, anatomical donation or burial at sea. Once notified we verify all of the demographic information and subtmit it for District Medical Examiner approval in the county where the death occurred.

Once approval is obtained, we can then legally perform the cremation and file the death certificate with the county health department for the certified copies. Once we file the death certificate with the county health department, it takes, at least 7 business days plus mailing time (excluding holidays), unless you pay the $10.00 expedite fee for the order and $35.00 Courier Service fee, to obtain the official certified copies. Considering this, please allow seven (7) to ten (10) business days for the death certificates to be in your possession.

We at Brooks Cremation and Funeral Service strive to provide you the best possible service, at an affordable price. We have service personnel available 24/7 to answer any questions or to meet with you in person. However as an owner operated firm, it is important to understand that you will always meet or speak with an owner of the firm, and we as owner operators will complete and handle all tasks and services related to each and every decedent. Therefore office appointment times are very important in our day-to-day operation. So, please feel free to call us at anytime, but before just stopping by, call to ensure that we are available to meet with you.