Arizona genealogy records

Birth and death certificates online

ADHS offers PDF copies of birth and death certificates that are public record: births that occurred at least 75 years ago and deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago. The Library of Congress lists the digital images as birth certificates from 1800 to 1949 and death certificates from 1800 to 1974.

The Arizona State Archives also holds microfilm of original state level births over 75 years old.

State records since 1909

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the state office has had birth and death records since July 1909, and abstracts of records filed in the counties before then. The Library of Congress also lists county level birth and death records, with years that vary, through the ADHS Bureau of Vital Records. Before statewide registration, newspapers and cemetery records can fill the gap.

Ordering certified and genealogy copies

Certificates still under the 75 and 50 year limits are restricted. In Maricopa County, which issues certified copies of Arizona birth and death certificates, the people who can get a certified birth certificate include the registrant, a parent named on the certificate, a spouse with the registrant's notarized permission, a grandparent, an adult child, an adult grandchild, an adult sibling, or a guardian, each with proof of the relationship and identification. As of 2026, Maricopa County charges 20 dollars per certified copy.

For family history, there is a separate route. A family member, including a niece or nephew, who is doing genealogical research can request a noncertified copy of a relative's birth or death certificate. The applicant must be at least 18, must document the relationship with birth, death, or marriage certificates, and must send a signed application, identification, and the fee. Pedigrees, lineage charts, and family trees are not accepted as proof.

Marriages and divorces

Marriage and divorce records are county records kept by the clerk of the superior court in the county where the license was issued or the divorce was granted. Years vary by county. Depending on the county, the Arizona State Archives also has some marriage certificates and divorce decrees from before 1950. Adoption records in Arizona are sealed for 100 years; for adoptions over 100 years old, check with the State Archives or the superior court of the county.

Census records

The region north of the Gila River came to the United States after the Mexican War of 1846 to 1848, and the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 added the area south of the river. Both were part of the New Mexico Territory until 1863. So for 1860, look in the New Mexico Territory census schedules, which survive. From 1870, the census has separate schedules for Arizona Territory, and the National Archives lists them among the surviving 1870 records.

Use each census to find the county where the family lived, then search that county's superior court, recorder, and vital records.

Courts, probate, and land

The county superior court generally keeps wills and probate files, naturalizations, and civil and criminal cases. Deeds are generally with the county recorder. The Arizona State Archives generally holds coroner's inquests and tax records. When you request court records, ask for both the docket books and the paper case files, because each can have details the other lacks.

The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records also has public records such as assessment rolls, voter registers, land records, and pre-World War II marriage licenses and court records.

Newspapers

Many newspapers carried birth notices, death notices, and obituaries. Chronicling America, from the Library of Congress, has fully digitized historical newspapers, and the University of Arizona Libraries point researchers to genealogy databases available with a public library card.