History of Vital Records in Connecticut
Connecticut Government-Issued Vital Records
Connecticut, “the Constitution State,” has a population of 3.6 million. The Connecticut State Board of Health, now called the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH), was established in 1878. The Vital Records Office (VR); maintains the statewide registries for births, deaths, marriages, and fetal deaths for all vital events from July 1st, 1897, to the present. Each of Connecticut’s 169 towns operates a vital records office. Birth records are confidential and are not open to the public for 100 years. You can request a certified certificate if you are named on the certificate, a parent, guardian, grandparent, spouse, adult child, adult grandchild, or someone who can show cause. Anyone 18 years or older may order a marriage certificate.
If you’re doing genealogy research, the Vital Records Offices may be able to help or try the many available public archives. Find out what information they contain, where to obtain them, and how they are used.