Lake County Birth Records
Birth records in Lake County are handled by the General Health District office in Mentor, Ohio. The district can issue certified copies for any person born in Ohio, not just Lake County. If you need a birth certificate for legal use, school, travel, or personal records, this is where to start. Walk-in service is available on weekdays, and you can also order by mail, phone, or email. Older records from before 1908 sit at the Lake County Probate Court. This page covers every way to get Lake County birth records, from in-person visits to online ordering.
Lake County Birth Records at a Glance
Lake County General Health District
The Lake County General Health District issues certified birth certificates for anyone born in the State of Ohio. The office is at 5966 Heisley Road, Mentor, OH 44060. Call (440) 350-2549 for vital records or email lakevs@lcghd.org. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Each birth certificate costs $23.00 per copy. Death certificates are also $23.00, and burial permits run $10.00.
The health district takes cash, Ohio checks, credit and debit cards, and tap-to-pay. Card and tap-to-pay payments have a small convenience fee on top of the base price. Out-of-state checks are not accepted for mail orders. To order by mail, fill out the application form on their site, send it with a check or money order made to the Lake County General Health District, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Phone orders need a credit card on file. You can also email the office to start a request.
The district holds Lake County birth records from December 21, 1908 to now. For births before that date, you need to contact the probate court.
Lake County Birth Certificate Resources
The Lake County General Health District website shows their birth and death records page with current fees, accepted payment types, and instructions for ordering by mail or phone.
This page lists the $23.00 fee per copy along with the application form for mail-in requests. It also has the email address and phone number for questions about Lake County vital records.
Lake County Probate Court Records
The Lake County Probate Court holds birth records from 1867 to December 20, 1908. These older records are kept in an index card file and two large ledger books. Microfilm copies of the same records are at Morley Library in Painesville. The Lake County Genealogical Society has put together a guide showing where each type of record can be found in the county. An alphabetical transcription of the early birth index is on the Lake County OHGenWeb site, and digital images are on FamilySearch.
The probate court also has marriage records from 1840 to now and death records from 1867 to 1908. For anyone doing family research, this court is a key stop. Lake County was formed in 1840 from parts of Geauga and Cuyahoga counties, so records before that year may be in those neighboring counties instead.
Order Lake County Birth Records Online
The Ohio Department of Health keeps copies of all Lake County birth records from 1908 to now. Their office is at 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228. You can order online, by mail, or in person. The state fee is $21.50 per certified copy as of January 1, 2025. Online orders take about five business days to process and three weeks for delivery by mail.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24, the state sets a base fee of twelve dollars for each certified copy. A five-dollar surcharge on each one goes to Ohio's general fund. Local offices send collected fees to the state within thirty days after the end of each quarter. The local Lake County fee of $23.00 includes the state portion plus a small local charge.
Note: Hospital-issued birth certificates are not certified copies and cannot be used as legal ID.
Birth Record Research in Lake County
FamilySearch has a Lake County genealogy page with free access to digitized records. The collection covers Ohio County Births from 1841 to 2003, with both index entries and scanned images. You can also find census records, military files, and land documents for Lake County on the same site.
The Ohio History Connection does not have indexed Lake County birth records in their archives. Their collection covers 28 of Ohio's 88 counties, and Lake County is not among them. If you need pre-1908 Lake County birth records, the probate court or FamilySearch are your best options. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23, certified copies of vital records carry the same weight as originals in all Ohio courts. A certified copy must show the issue date, the name and signature of the officer, and the seal of the issuing office.
Nearby Counties
Lake County borders several other Ohio counties. If you are searching for birth records in this part of the state, these pages may help:
Cities in Lake County
Lake County includes the city of Mentor, which is the largest community and a qualifying city with its own birth records page. The health district office is in Mentor, making it the main hub for vital records in the county.
Other communities in Lake County include Painesville, Willoughby, Eastlake, and Wickliffe. Birth records for those areas are handled by the Lake County General Health District in Mentor.