UpFront with NGS: Change in Accessing Maine Vital Records (effective 1 May 2015)

13 August 2015

Change in Accessing Maine Vital Records (effective 1 May 2015)

Back in May there was a change made in how/where you can access vital records.

Per state law, all vital records – such as notices of birth, death and marriage – dating from 1892 to the present day, are no longer available at the Maine State Archives.*

The records dating from 1892 – 1922 were previously held at the Archives, but have now been digitally scanned, allowing the Vital Records office to issue these documents. As of May 1, 2015, Data, Research and Vital Statistics at the Vital Records office will issue ALL vital records from 1892 to present.

The Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Maine State Archives will continue to issue non-certified copies of documents prior to 1892.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If you have questions, please contact the Archives at 287-5795 or visit the Data, Research and Vital Statistics, Vital Records office at 220 Capitol St. in Augusta. The Vital Records office can also be reached via telephone at 287-3771 or 1-888-664-9491.

*Pursuant to Maine State Revised Statutes, Title 22, Section 2706 (revision effective August 31, 2012), the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control, Data, Research, and Vital Statistics and the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Maine State Archives have entered into a cooperative agreement for the purpose of complying with MRSA Title 22, Section 2706, Disclosure of vital records.

I believe that FamilySearch does have some Maine vital records available as does Ancestry.com.

If you are aware of any other states where access to vital records has shifted from one agency to another, please do let us know and we’ll share with readers.

Editor's note: May corrected to Maine [8:43EST 13 August 2015]

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