Chemung County Vital Records
103 Washington Street
P.O. Box 588
Elmira, NY  14902

Phone:  607-737-2018   Fax: 607-737-0437

The office is open for processing requests: 
 Monday – Friday
 8:30AM – 11:30AM & 1:00PM – 4:00PM

Our office is located at the corners of Washington Street and John Street, in front of the Health Department/Nursing Facility, in the Peter Chalk Pavilion.

BIRTHS AND DEATHS THAT OCCURRED IN
CHEMUNG COUNTY ONLY ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS OFFICE. 
IF THE BIRTH OR DEATH
OCCURRED IN ANOTHER COUNTY OR STATE,
WE CANNOT ORDER or PROCESS CERTIFICATES FOR YOU.

Birth certificates, death certificates and the indexes relating to births and deaths are not subject to the Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL) and are NOT open to public inspection.

You must be 18 years of age to request a birth or death certificate without parent or legal guardian present.  Legal guardian must have court paper stating guardianship and photo ID.  Parent must have photo ID and their name must appear on the child's birth certificate.

You must know your birth mother OR adopted mother's maiden name and birth father OR adopted father's name when requesting your birth certificate.

If the birth occurred less than 75 years ago, you must have a notarized letter of consent from that person or show legal cause to request a birth certificate for someone other than yourself or child.  You must also show YOUR photo ID when requesting in person.

If the death occurred less than 50 years ago, you must have photo ID and be able to show relationship and/or legal cause to request a death certificate.

In most cases, birth and death certificate requests received by mail are processed and mailed within three (3) business days after receiving request.  Please allow at least 8-10 business days for turnaround time from the date your request is mailed.

If the birth certificate is not on file in this office and has to be ordered in from Albany, you must allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

If a search for a birth or death is requested and no record of birth/death is found, a certification of "NO RECORD FOUND" will be issued.  Fees are not refundable.

Certified birth and death certificates search and copy fees are $15.00. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $10.00 each.  Fees are not refundable.

Genealogy search and copy fees are $22.00 per copy.  We do not do genealogy searches while you wait.  Response time for genealogy searches may vary depending on availability.  Fees are not refundable.

Acceptable forms of payment are: Cash, money orders, or certified bank checks.  Make money orders or certified bank checks payable to Chemung County Health Department.  We do not accept personal checks.  We do not recommend that cash be sent through the mail. 

If you wish to EXPEDITE your order by means of an overnight/priority service, there is an ADDITIONAL $40.00 charge.  WE DO NOT GUARANTEE OVERNIGHT SERVICES.

Cash is accepted at the window.  Personal checks ARE NOT accepted.  Fees are not refundable.

Signatures must be notarized if requests are made by mail and proof of relationship or legal need must be shown if requesting for someone other than yourself or child.  Parents may request birth certificates for their children provided they are listed on child's birth certificate.

Immunization, marriage and divorce records or Social Security cards are not kept or provided by the Vital Records Department.  We can only provide birth and death records for births and deaths that occurred in Chemung County.

Send mail requests to:

Chemung County Vital Records
P.O. Box 588
Elmira, NY  14902-0588

Please include a self-addressed #10 stamped envelope (4" X 9.5")

TO EXPEDITE MAIL ORDERS:  Use an overnight or priority overnight service.  You must include a pre-paid self-addressed label and envelope to expedite service back to yourself.  WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THEIR SERVICES.

If the record is not on file and has to be ordered in from Albany, expect an additional 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Send expedited mail requests to:

Chemung County Vital Records
103 Washington Street
Peter Chalk Pavilion
Elmira, NY  14901

If the information you provide is not accurate or complete, your request will not be processed.  Fees are not refundable.

If you have any questions that have not been answered, please contact our office at (607)-737-2018.