The City Archives has:
- Birth and death records from July 1860 to June 1915.
- Marriage records from July 1860 to December 1885.
Cemetery returns from 1803 to June 1860 are available too.
You can also find birth, death, and marriage records from other sources:
- The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records has birth and death records from 1906 to the present.
- The PA State Archives has birth certificates for 1906-1913 and death certificates for 1906-1968.
- The Register of Wills keeps records for marriages after December 31, 1885.
Mail or in person
Visit the City Archives in person, or complete a birth, death, or marriage record application and mail it to:
Department of Records
City Archives
548 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you mail your request, the record will arrive in two to four weeks. If there’s no record, the department will issue a “No Record Statement.”
The Historical land and vital records search also has digital images of birth, death, marriage, and naturalization records. You must pay for a subscription to use the search.
Cost
The fee to get records from the City Archives varies. You can review all the different fees through the Department of Records.
You can pay by cash, money order, business, or certified check. We do not accept personal checks, credit, or debit cards. Make checks payable to “City of Philadelphia.”