Kentucky is an unusual state when it comes to vital records as they do not place any privacy restrictions on either birth or death records like most other states do. There is no time period when a Kentucky birth record is considered confidential and you are able to access records no matter what your relationship is to the person.
All you need to do is send in an application form, along with the proper fee to the state Vital Statistics office. Within 30 days, they will mail you back a certified copy of the record you requested. If they are unable to locate it, you will get a notice saying no file was found but your fee is not returned.
Download the form from the Health Services website (http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9627347C-B7B4-4ED4-AE87-8D02822D84FC/0/VS37Rev0210.pdf), and you can either mail it or hand-deliver it to the Office of Vital Statistics, 275 East Main Street 1E-A, Frankfort KY, 40621 USA. If you bring it to the office in person, they will usually do your search right while you wait. Otherwise, a mail-in request can take up to a month to be sent back to you.
You will have to pay the fee in either case, which is currently $10 USD. They will only accept money orders or checks made out to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
The form itself is simple, and only requires the name, birthdate, place of birth and parent's names of the person whose record you are seeking. You will also need to identify yourself, and provide an address where your Kentucky birth record can be sent.
The main office has records that date back to 1911 and that is the earliest date you will be able to search for in this way. But there are Kentucky birth records from other sources that can be found and accessed as early as 1852. Prior to 1852, there are no official records but may be some instances of church records that can help you.
Between 1852 and 1911, your best option is to contact individual city or county offices for their own archived records. Also, there Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (http://kdla.ky.gov) has a collection of birth records but you can only access them by visiting the archives in person. They are located in Frankfort KY.
Some genealogy sites have their own databases of indexes that can also help you locate a Kentucky birth record though may not include images of the actual records themselves. Certain cities are more likely to have these older records, such as Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Newport.
Finally, you can contact the Kentucky Historical Society to see what records they have collated in their database. They have some index for birth records between 1852 and 1878, though its not a complete list.
How to request Kentucky birth certificates:
Step 1.
Mailing in a request for Kentucky birth records takes approximately 30 days to complete. You will need to start the process by downloading and completing a Kentucky Birth Certificate form.
Step 2.
Include your identifying information, including the address and phone number of the place that the record should be sent.
Step 3.
Mail in the completed application and a check or money order covering the applicable fees. The cost for Kentucky birth records is $10 per copy.
If you need more information on how to access Kentucky birth records, you can contact the Cabinet below:
Kentucky Department of Public Health
Office of Vital Statistics
275 E. Main St. 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
(502) 564-4212
Requesting Your Kentucky Birth Records
If you need a copy of your Kentucky birth record, it can be requested from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Kentucky birth records have been kept on file since 1911, as well as a number of births that occurred in previous years that were filed as delayed records. By law, the Cabinet cannot assist you with locating Kentucky birth records unless you complete an application and include the appropriate fees.
Available Ordering Methods
You have multiple ways of ordering Kentucky birth records when you need them. The easiest way is to download, complete, and mail in an application. You can also order Kentucky birth records by phone, internet, and by visiting the office in person.
Limitations To Ordering
Because Kentucky birth records are considered confidential, there is restricted access to them. You will only be able to order your own birth certificate or that of your child unless you have legal documentation proving that you have a need to access the record.
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