Tennessee · 95 counties
When someone dies in Tennessee
Two things matter first: getting certified death certificates, and, if money is short, reaching the burial assistance program in the county where the death happened. Pick your county below for exact contacts.
The paperwork
Death certificates in Tennessee
Certified copies come from the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, or any county health department (official site).
Copies are $15 each, with no discount for ordering several. You can walk into any county health department in Tennessee, which is the fastest option, or use the state office in Nashville at 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243. VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor. To find the record you will need the name, the date of death or a three year range to search, the county of death if you know it, and the spouse's name if there was one.
Planning ahead
Nobody has died yet? Set up a power of attorney
If someone you love is aging or ill, the cheapest protection your family can get is a power of attorney, and it must happen while they can still sign. We cover Tennessee's exact rules and official forms.
Tennessee power of attorney rulesPick your county
Tennessee counties (95)
Anderson CountyBedford CountyBenton CountyBledsoe CountyBlount CountyBradley CountyCampbell CountyCannon CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCheatham CountyChester CountyClaiborne CountyClay CountyCocke CountyCoffee CountyCrockett CountyCumberland CountyDavidson CountyDeKalb CountyDecatur CountyDickson CountyDyer CountyFayette CountyFentress CountyFranklin CountyGibson CountyGiles CountyGrainger CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamblen CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHawkins CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyHickman CountyHouston CountyHumphreys CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyKnox CountyLake CountyLauderdale CountyLawrence CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLoudon CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMaury CountyMcMinn CountyMcNairy CountyMeigs CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorgan CountyObion CountyOverton CountyPerry CountyPickett CountyPolk CountyPutnam CountyRhea CountyRoane CountyRobertson CountyRutherford CountyScott CountySequatchie CountySevier CountyShelby CountySmith CountyStewart CountySullivan CountySumner CountyTipton CountyTrousdale CountyUnicoi CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWeakley CountyWhite CountyWilliamson CountyWilson County