Kodiak Death Records
Death records for Kodiak are maintained by Alaska's Health Analytics and Vital Records Section at the state level. Kodiak is the seat of Kodiak Island Borough, and all requests for certified death certificates must go through the state HAVRS office rather than any local borough agency.
Kodiak Overview
Kodiak Death Records and the State System
Kodiak is the seat of Kodiak Island Borough, located on the northeast corner of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. All death records for Kodiak residents are held by the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS) at the state level. The Kodiak Island Borough Government Offices at 710 Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615, phone (907) 486-9300, handle local administration but do not issue or store death certificates. The borough website is at kodiakak.us.
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. Newer records require proof of an eligible relationship to the deceased.
Kodiak has one of the longest documented histories of any Alaska community. Russian Orthodox Church records maintained by the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak document births, deaths, and marriages dating back to the Russian colonial period in the late 18th century. These records, along with territorial-era precinct records, make Kodiak a well-documented location for genealogical research.
Requesting Kodiak Death Certificates
Certified death certificates for Kodiak 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. For Kodiak residents, the online and mail methods are most practical given the island's location.
The Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy, Ste. 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, phone (907) 269-0991, is the most accessible state walk-in location for Kodiak residents who travel to the mainland. 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 record verification costs $2.50. VitalChek orders take 2 to 3 weeks. Mail and fax take 2 to 3 months. All submissions 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 Kodiak
Kodiak has some of the richest historical records in Alaska. The Alaska State Archives in Juneau, at 395 Whittier St., phone (907) 465-2270, holds extensive Kodiak records. The FamilySearch Catalog includes the 1927-1959 Alaska, Kodiak Precinct, Death Records collection, which covers the territorial era. Russian Orthodox Church records for the Kodiak area document vital events from the Russian colonial period and are available through the Archives and FamilySearch.
The statewide Alaska Vital Records 1816-2005 collection at FamilySearch covers Kodiak records across the full span. The Archives has digitized over 1.1 million Alaska documents through its FamilySearch partnership, with Kodiak well-represented given its long administrative history. The Russian Orthodox Church records are particularly valuable for researchers tracing Alaska Native and Russian settler families.
The Kodiak Public Library at 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615, phone (907) 486-8686, maintains a local history collection. Cemetery records for Kodiak are indexed at Find a Grave. The Alaska State Library genealogy resources page provides additional statewide tools. The Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch covers deaths from 1962 to present.