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. 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 photocopy of the original death certificate.

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. 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?

For Broward County Deaths:
Broward County Health Dept.
Vital Statistics Unit
2421A SW 6 Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
954-467-4413

For Miami-Dade County Deaths:
Miami-Dade County Health Dept.
Vital Records Unit
1350 NW 14 Street
Miami, FL 33125
305-324-2489

For Palm Beach County Deaths:
Palm Beach County Health Dept.
Office of Vital Statistics
1150 45 Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
561-514-5320

or order online from the State of Florida

How long does it take to get death certificates?

We must complete the death certificate and obtain the doctor’s signature. This process will not even begin until the first business day following the death. Should the death occur on a weekend, no processing of the death certificate happens until at least Monday, as doctors’ offices do not open on the weekends.

After we complete the death certificate we present it to the doctor. We do not wait for him to sign it. Very rarely does a doctor sign the death certificate immediately when we arrive. Pursuant to Florida law, the doctor has 72 hours in which to complete his portion of the death certificate.

Once the doctor has completed his portion of the death certificate, his/her office notifies us that it is complete and available for pickup. Once it arrives in our office, we then transmit the information to the medical examiner for cremation approval.

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 4 business days, unless you pay the $10.00 expedite fee to obtain the official certified copies. Taking all of the above into account, 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 we do not normally utilize contract or “outside” service or employees. 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.