Flint Obituary Records and Death Certificates
Flint obituary and death records are held by the Genesee County Clerk in downtown Flint. The city has exceptional local resources for death record research, including the Flint Public Library's second-largest open-stack genealogical collection in Michigan and the Flint Journal obituary indexes covering 1920 to 1959 and 2000 to the present. This page walks through each resource available to Flint researchers.
Flint Overview
Genesee County Clerk Death Records
The Genesee County Clerk office is located at 900 Saginaw St., Flint, MI 48502. Phone is 810-257-3010. You can reach their office online at gc4me.com. The clerk handles certified death certificate requests for all of Genesee County, including the city of Flint. The fee for a certified copy is $25.
Flint is the county seat of Genesee County, so the clerk's office is right in the city. That makes in-person requests convenient for Flint residents. Staff can search by name and year of death and process certified copies on the same visit in most cases. For mail-in requests, include the deceased person's full name, date of death, and your payment. Call ahead to confirm current hours and accepted payment methods before your visit.
Under MCL 333.2882, Michigan death certificates are available to any person regardless of their relationship to the deceased. Genesee County death records go back many decades and cover the full period of Flint's growth as an auto industry center. Records from the mid-20th century, when Flint's population was much larger, are well-represented in the county system.
| Office | Genesee County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 900 Saginaw St., Flint, MI 48502 |
| Phone | 810-257-3010 |
| Website | gc4me.com |
| Fee | $25 per certified copy |
Flint Public Library Genealogical Collection
The Flint Public Library holds Michigan's second-largest open-stack genealogical collection in the state. This is a major research asset for anyone tracing Flint or Genesee County deaths. The library's genealogy holdings include Flint Journal obituary indexes covering two distinct time periods: 1920 to 1959 and 2000 to the present. These indexes are searchable and allow you to quickly locate newspaper obituary notices for Flint residents who died during those years.
The screenshot below shows the Flint Public Library website, home to Michigan's second-largest open-stack genealogy collection and the Flint Journal obituary indexes.
The Flint Public Library at flintlibrary.org is the primary local resource for Flint obituary and death record research, with indexed Flint Journal obituaries and a large genealogy reference collection.
The open-stack format at the Flint library means you can browse the genealogy section directly without staff assistance for every query. This is unusual and valuable for researchers who want to work through materials at their own pace. The library also holds materials related to Flint's auto industry history, which is relevant if you are researching a family member who worked at one of the major plants.
For the gap years between 1960 and 1999 not covered by the Journal indexes, researchers may need to check newspaper microfilm at the library or contact the Flint Genealogical Society for additional index materials.
Flint Genealogical Society and Local Archives
The Flint Genealogical Society at flintgenealogicalsociety.org maintains a vital records database covering Flint from 1867 to 1930. This period includes the era when Public Act 194 of 1867 established Michigan's statewide death registration system and runs through the city's early auto industry growth. The society's database is a key resource for deaths in that foundational period before modern county and state databases were established.
The Genesee Historical Collections Center at the University of Michigan-Flint is another research resource in the city. UM-Flint's archive holds local history materials, donated collections, and records related to Flint's history. The Sloan Museum Perry Archives holds funeral home records from the area. Funeral home records often contain details not found in other sources, including burial information, family member names, and cause of death notes.
Public Act 73 of 2006 limits free online access to death record images from the past 75 years. For recent Flint deaths, you need to request a certified copy from the Genesee County Clerk or MDHHS. For records from 1897 to 1952, the free GENDIS database at Michiganology is a useful starting point before paying for anything.
Note: The Flint Genealogical Society website may be temporarily unavailable at times; the library and county clerk are reliable fallback resources if the society site is down.
State-Level Death Certificate Orders for Flint
Flint death records can be ordered from MDHHS in Lansing at 201 Townsend St., Lansing, MI 48913, phone 517-335-8666. The state fee is $34 for the first certified copy and $16 for each additional. Online ordering through VitalChek is available with a $12.95 service fee added.
The free Michiganology site covers Michigan death records from 1897 to 1952, including Flint and Genesee County records. This is a good first step for historical research before committing to a paid copy request. The Michigan Archives in Lansing also holds historical Genesee County materials and can be a resource when county-level records are incomplete.
Genesee County Death Records
Flint is the county seat of Genesee County. All death filings for the city go through the Genesee County Clerk at 900 Saginaw St. in Flint. For full county-level details, visit the Genesee County obituary and death records page.
Nearby Cities
These qualifying Michigan cities are in the broader mid-Michigan region near Flint.