Sitka City and Borough Death Records
Death records for Sitka City and Borough are maintained by Alaska's Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, the state agency that handles all certified vital records in Alaska. Sitka Borough does not keep death records locally. Whether you need a certified death certificate for a current record or want to search historical collections that go back to 1817, this page covers every available resource for Sitka death record research, including Sitka's extensive archive as Alaska's former capital and the center of Russian America.
Sitka City and Borough Overview
How Sitka Death Records Work
Sitka City and Borough was formally established on November 5, 1913. The Borough Clerk is at 304 Lake Street, Sitka, AK 99835-7563, phone (907) 747-3291. Like all Alaska boroughs, it does not maintain vital records. Death certificates for events in Sitka City and Borough are held exclusively by the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS). The borough clerk handles municipal records, but vital statistics fall under state authority.
Alaska Statute AS 18.50 governs all vital records statewide. Death records are restricted for 50 years after the date of death, making records from before 1975 publicly available. Sitka's role as the capital of Russian America from 1799 to 1867, and then as Alaska's territorial capital until 1906, means its death records are among the oldest and most historically significant in the state. Russian Orthodox Church records from the Russian America period predate any government registration system.
Statewide death registration began in 1913, the same year Sitka Borough was established. Sitka's earlier records, including those from the Russian period, are preserved at the Alaska State Archives and through the FamilySearch digitization project. The Sitka, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1817-1960) collection is one of the most comprehensive local collections in all of Alaska.
Requesting Sitka Death Certificates
Certified death certificates from Sitka City and Borough are ordered through the state HAVRS vital records system. You can submit in person at either state office, online through VitalChek, or by mail or fax using the official request form. Email is not accepted.
The Juneau office at 5441 Commercial Blvd., Juneau, AK 99801, phone (907) 465-3391, fax (907) 465-3618, is the closest state location to Sitka. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Hwy, Ste. 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, phone (907) 269-0991, 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 ordered at the same time run $25 each. An apostille for foreign use costs $42. A record verification costs $2.50. Online orders through VitalChek take 2 to 3 weeks. Mail and fax submissions take 2 to 3 months. All requests must include a completed application, ID copy, and payment.
Note: Use one submission method per request to prevent duplicate charges and delays.
Historical Sitka Death Record Collections
Sitka has some of the oldest documented death records in Alaska. Through the Alaska State Archives and FamilySearch partnership, the Alaska, Sitka, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1817-1960) collection spans 143 years of vital records. The Alaska, Sitka, Coroner's Records (1912-1944) documents deaths investigated by the coroner during the early statehood era. These collections reflect Sitka's layered history as a Russian colonial capital, an American territorial capital, and a modern Alaska community.
The Alaska State Archives at 395 Whittier St., Juneau, AK 99811-0571, phone (907) 465-2270, holds Russian Orthodox Church records and territorial court records for Sitka that are among the most complete in the state. Sitka was the center of government for Alaska from 1867 until 1906, and its administrative records from that period are extensive. Researchers with Sitka ancestry from the Russian America period should inquire directly with the Archives about available church registers and missionary records.
The FamilySearch Alaska Vital Records guide notes that Sitka was the center of government until 1906, and that its death records are an important resource for all of Southeast Alaska from the 1800s through the territorial period. The statewide Alaska Vital Records 1816-2005 collection at FamilySearch includes Sitka records within the broader territorial registration system.
Genealogy Research Resources for Sitka
The City and Borough of Sitka website at cityofsitka.com provides local government information and contacts for the borough. The Sitka Police Department maintains local criminal records. For genealogical societies active in the Sitka area, the Gastineau Genealogical Society in nearby Juneau assists with Southeast Alaska research, and can be reached through the Juneau LDS Family History Center at 5100 Glacier Hwy.
The Alaska State Library provides genealogy resources covering all of Southeast Alaska, including Sitka. Cemetery records for Sitka are indexed at Find a Grave and BillionGraves, which can confirm burial dates and locations for historical research. The Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch covers Sitka deaths reported from 1962 to the present.