Homer Death Records
Death records for Homer are maintained by Alaska's Health Analytics and Vital Records Section at the state level. Homer is a city on the southern Kenai Peninsula in Kenai Peninsula Borough, and all requests for certified death certificates must go through the state HAVRS office.
Homer Overview
Homer Death Records and the State System
Homer is a city at the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula, situated on Kachemak Bay. All death records for Homer residents are held by the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS) at the state level. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Courthouse at 144 N Binkley, Soldotna, AK 99669, phone (907) 262-4441, handles local government matters but does not store or issue death certificates. The City of Homer at cityofhomer-ak.gov provides local government information.
Alaska Statute AS 18.50 governs all vital records statewide. Death records are restricted for 50 years from the date of death. Records from before 1975 are now publicly available. Records from 1975 onward require proof of an eligible relationship to the deceased. Homer has a documented history of precinct-level administration, with death records available in archival collections dating back to the mid-20th century.
Statewide registration began in Alaska in 1913, and the Homer Precinct was integrated into that system during the territorial period. Marriage records for Homer date from 1950, and death records from the precinct are available starting in 1949. These collections now reside in the Alaska State Archives and have been made searchable through FamilySearch.
Requesting Homer Death Certificates
Certified death certificates for Homer residents are ordered through the state HAVRS system. Requests can be submitted in person at a state office, online through VitalChek, or by mail or fax. Email is not accepted.
The Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy, Ste. 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, phone (907) 269-0991, is the most practical state walk-in location for Homer residents who travel north. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Juneau office at 5441 Commercial Blvd., Juneau, AK 99801, phone (907) 465-3391, fax (907) 465-3618, is open the same hours. Mail requests go to Health Analytics and Vital Records, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675.
The first certified copy costs $30. Additional copies at the same time cost $25 each. An apostille costs $42. A verification costs $2.50. VitalChek orders take 2 to 3 weeks. Mail and fax take 2 to 3 months. All requests need a completed form, a government ID copy, and payment.
Note: Submit through one method only to avoid duplicate charges.
Historical Records and Genealogy for Homer
Historical death records for Homer are held at the Alaska State Archives in Juneau, at 395 Whittier St., phone (907) 465-2270. The FamilySearch Catalog includes two key collections for this area: the 1949-1977 Alaska, Homer Precinct, Death Records and the 1950-1960 Alaska, Homer, Marriage Records. These provide several decades of vital data for family history research in the Homer area and southern Kenai Peninsula.
The statewide Alaska Vital Records 1816-2005 collection at FamilySearch includes records from the Kenai Peninsula across the full span. The Archives has digitized over 1.1 million Alaska documents through its FamilySearch partnership. The Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch covers deaths from 1962 to present statewide.
The Homer Public Library at 500 Hazel Ave., Homer, AK 99603, phone (907) 235-3180, maintains a local history collection that may supplement genealogical research. Cemetery records for Homer are indexed at Find a Grave and BillionGraves. The Alaska State Library genealogy resources page provides additional statewide tools applicable to Kenai Peninsula research.