Lorain Birth Records
Lorain birth records are maintained by two separate offices. The Lorain City Health Department at 1144 West Erie Avenue handles births that happened within city limits. The Lorain County General Health District in Elyria covers the rest of the county. The city office also keeps Elyria birth records from 1908 to now. Each certified copy costs $25.00 at the county level, and the Lorain County Probate Court has older records from 1867 to 1908. This page explains every office and option for getting a birth certificate in Lorain.
Lorain Birth Records at a Glance
Lorain County Handles Local Filings
Lorain is part of Lorain County. The county seat is Elyria, not Lorain, which is a common mix-up. The Lorain County General Health District at 9880 South Murray Ridge Road in Elyria serves as the main vital records office for the county, but the city of Lorain is excluded from its coverage. Lorain runs its own health department and keeps its own birth and death records. If you were born at a Lorain hospital, your records are at the city office, not the county one.
The county office charges $25.00 per certified copy and offers online ordering through VitalChek. Phone numbers are (440) 322-6367 and (440) 244-2209. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Credit card payments may carry extra fees. For records before 1908, both offices send you to the Lorain County Probate Court or the Records Retention Center.
Lorain City Health Department
The Lorain City Health Department at 1144 West Erie Avenue keeps birth records for Lorain births from 1908 to now and death records for Lorain deaths from the same period. The office also holds Elyria birth records from 1908 to the present. That is unusual, since most city health departments only keep records for their own city. Call (440) 204-2300 for questions. The office follows Ohio's standard rules for issuing certified copies, which means you need a valid photo ID and payment of the statutory fee.
If your birth happened outside Lorain city limits but within Lorain County, you need the county office in Elyria instead. For births outside the county, you can use any local health department in Ohio or order from the state.
Lorain Birth Certificate Resources
The Lorain County General Health District website shows vital statistics information, including fees and ordering options for county residents.
The site lists the $25.00 fee and explains the process for walk-in, mail, and online orders through VitalChek.
The Lorain City Health Department page covers the city-level vital records office and its services for Lorain residents.
This page explains the difference between the city and county offices and which one to contact based on where the birth took place.
Pre-1908 Lorain Birth Records
The Lorain County Probate Court at the Justice Center, 225 Court Street, 6th Floor in Elyria, has birth and death records from 1867 to 1908. Marriage records go back to 1824 and estate records to 1840. Call (440) 329-5175. The court has an online search portal for probate records from 1990 forward with marriage records indexed to about 1930. Older records require an in-person visit. The court also handles delayed birth registrations, adoptions, guardianships, and name changes.
The Lorain County Records Retention Center at 320 Gateway Boulevard in North Elyria stores historical county records including birth and death records from 1867 to 1908 and marriage records from 1824 to 1901. Call (440) 326-4868. The center does not take public requests directly but houses records for county departments.
Lorain Birth Certificate Fees
The county fee is $25.00 per certified copy. The Ohio Department of Health charges $21.50 from the state office. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24, the base state fee is twelve dollars with a five-dollar surcharge going to the general fund. Local offices add their own costs. VitalChek charges processing and shipping fees on top of the base rate. Mail orders from the state take 4 to 6 weeks; online orders take about 5 business days.
Birth Record Research in Lorain
The Lorain Public Library System keeps special collections on the 2nd floor of the Main Library. They have duplicate copies of Lorain County birth records from 1867 to 1908, death records from 1867 to 1889, and marriage records from 1824 to 1901. A marriage index on microfilm covers 1824 to 1884. Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest are free to use. The library also holds local histories, cemetery records, and church records for the county.
The Elyria Public Library's Ohio Room and West River Branch's Ely Collection provide additional local history and genealogy resources for Lorain County. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23, certified copies of vital records in Ohio are treated the same as originals in court and must show the date of issue, the officer's signature, and the office seal.
Nearby Cities
These qualifying cities near Lorain have their own birth record pages: