Access Lima Birth Records
Birth records for Lima are filed through Allen County Public Health. The office has certified birth and death certificates from December 1908 to the present for events in Allen County. Lima is the county seat and the largest city in the county. Walk-in orders are printed while you wait during regular business hours. You can also order by mail, online through VitalChek, or from the Ohio Department of Health. This page breaks down every option for getting Lima birth certificates.
Lima Birth Records at a Glance
Allen County Files Lima Birth Records
Lima is in Allen County. Allen County Public Health handles all vital statistics from 219 East Market Street, Lima, OH 45801. The mailing address is ACPH, PO Box 1503, Lima, OH 45802-1503. Call 419-228-4457 and press 3 for vital statistics. Birth and death certificates are on file from December 1908 to the present.
Certified copies cost $27.00 each. To get a birth certificate, you need the full name at birth, date of birth, and both parents' names including the mother's maiden name. For a death certificate, you need the full name at time of death and the date of death. The office takes cash, money orders, cashier's checks, debit cards, and credit cards. There is a minimum $2.50 usage fee for card payments. They also accept business checks. Personal checks are not accepted at all.
Walk-in hours are 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Requests are printed while you wait. That makes the Lima office one of the faster options for getting a certified birth certificate in Ohio.
Lima Birth Certificate Resources
The Ohio Department of Health vital statistics page shows statewide birth certificate ordering options that serve Lima and all Ohio residents.
The state site lists fees, links to local health departments, and instructions for ordering from the state office. Lima residents can use this page as a starting point for any Ohio birth record request.
Order Lima Birth Certificates Online
Online ordering is available through VitalChek. The base fee is $27.00 plus VitalChek processing and shipping charges. You pick the delivery speed. Standard is cheapest. Overnight costs more. VitalChek takes Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. They verify your identity and your connection to the person on the record before sending the certified copy.
The Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is at 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228. Phone 614-466-2531. State copies are $21.50, which saves you $5.50 over the Allen County fee. You can order online or by mail. Mail orders go to PO Box 15098, Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098. State online orders take about three weeks to arrive.
Allen County Probate Court Records
The Allen County Probate Court holds historical vital records for the Lima area from 1867 to 1908. The court is in the Allen County Courthouse. Records from this period were kept sporadically because Ohio did not require statewide birth registration until 1908. Some births were never recorded. The probate court also handles marriage records, estate files, and adoptions.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23, certified copies of vital records carry the same legal standing as the original in all Ohio courts. A certified copy must include the date of issue, the officer's signature, and the official seal. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24, the state sets a minimum fee of twelve dollars per certified copy, with a five-dollar surcharge going to the state general fund. Local offices send collected fees to the Ohio Department of Health each quarter.
Birth Record Research in Lima
The Lima Public Library offers genealogy resources including local history collections, newspapers, and access to online databases. Their reference staff can help with family research in the Allen County area. The Allen County Historical Society keeps archives and collections that document Allen County history, including records tied to Lima families going back generations.
FamilySearch provides free access to digitized Ohio vital records online. You can search for Allen County birth registers, census records, and military records without paying a fee. The Ohio History Connection in Columbus holds death certificates from 1908 to 1963. Death records list a person's birth date and birthplace, which can help piece together family history when the actual birth record is missing or hard to locate.
Note: Hospital-issued birth certificates are not certified copies and cannot be used for legal ID purposes.
Nearby Cities
Other cities near Lima with birth record pages: