Bristol Bay Borough Birth Records

Bristol Bay Borough birth records are kept by the Alaska Department of Health at the state level in Juneau. The borough is Alaska's smallest by population, with about 850 people living near the seat of Naknek. If you were born in Bristol Bay Borough or need a birth record for someone who was, you go through the state office. There is no local clerk that issues birth certificates here. This page walks you through how to search for and order Bristol Bay Borough birth records, what forms you need, and who can make a request.

About Bristol Bay Borough Birth Records

Bristol Bay Borough was set up in 1962. It is the smallest borough in the state of Alaska by the number of people who live there. The seat is Naknek. About 850 people call the area home. The borough sits along the north side of Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska. It has no court clerk or health office that files birth records. All Bristol Bay Borough birth records are handled by the state through the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, known as HAVRS. This office in Juneau is the only place that holds the legal copy of a birth certificate for anyone born in the borough.

The state has kept birth records since 1913. That was the year after Alaska became a U.S. territory. Before 1913, no state or local office in Alaska filed births. Many births in the Bristol Bay area before that time were noted only in church books or mission logs. Under Alaska Statute 18.50.160, hospitals and clinics must file a birth form with the state within five days. Even small clinics in Naknek send their forms to Juneau. The Alaska Department of Health vital records page has more on how the system works.

Note: Bristol Bay Borough does not have a local office that issues birth certificates, so all orders must go through the state.

Order Bristol Bay Birth Records

You can get a copy of a Bristol Bay Borough birth record in four ways. Online is the fastest. Mail is the cheapest. Walk-in is the only same-day choice, but you have to travel to Juneau or Anchorage. Fax orders take about the same time as mail. Most people in Naknek and the rest of Bristol Bay Borough use the online or mail route because the walk-in offices are far away.

Online orders go through VitalChek, the only vendor the state allows for online vital records orders. You fill out the form on the site, add a copy of your photo ID, and pay with a card. There is a service fee on top of the state fee. Orders ship in about two to three weeks. This is the route most Bristol Bay Borough residents pick. It saves a trip and gets the job done from home.

Mail orders go to Health Analytics and Vital Records, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. Print the state form, fill it out, sign it, and send it with a copy of your ID and a check or money order made out to the Alaska Vital Records Office. The wait is two to three months for mail orders. Fax orders go to (907) 465-3618 and take the same time. The Alaska vital records orders page has the form and full steps.

The Bristol Bay Borough government website can point you to the right state office for your request. Below is a look at the borough's official site.

The borough clerk does not file birth records, but the site has phone numbers and local contact info for other services.

Walk-In Service for Bristol Bay Residents

There is no walk-in vital records office in Bristol Bay Borough. The two state offices are in Juneau and Anchorage. The Juneau office is at 5441 Commercial Boulevard. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Anchorage office is at 3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 101. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Both can issue a Bristol Bay Borough birth record the same day.

For most Bristol Bay residents, a trip to Anchorage is the closer choice. You must bring a valid photo ID and the fee. The state takes cash, checks, money orders, and credit or debit cards at the walk-in offices. You do not need to make a trip to the same office where the birth was filed. Every Alaska birth record is in one central system. It does not matter which office you visit.

The CDC also lists the state office as the only place to write for Alaska birth records. You can check the CDC where to write page for Alaska for the same address and fee.

Who Can Get Bristol Bay Birth Records

Alaska is a closed-record state. Recent Bristol Bay Borough birth records are not open to the public. Only certain people can order a certified copy. The state checks your ID with each request.

You can order a Bristol Bay Borough birth record if you are one of these:

• The person named on the record, age 14 or older with a photo or school ID
• A parent listed on the birth certificate
• A legal guardian with court papers
• A third party with a notarized consent letter from the person on the record
• An attorney or government agency with a letter on letterhead

You must send a clear, large copy of your photo ID with every order. The state takes a driver's license, state ID, passport, military ID, Tribal or BIA card with photo, or a school ID for minors. Expired IDs work if they are less than one year past the date. Sign your name under the copy. Under AS 18.50.310, records that are more than 100 years old become public. So a Bristol Bay Borough birth record from 1925 or before can be ordered by anyone.

Bristol Bay Borough Birth Record Fees

The fee for a certified copy of a Bristol Bay Borough birth record is $30. Each extra copy ordered at the same time costs $25. Heirloom certificates cost $55 for the first and $50 for each extra. Two heirloom designs by Alaska artists are sold through the state. Make checks out to the Alaska Vital Records Office.

Other fees may come up. A name change or fix to a Bristol Bay Borough birth record costs $60, which includes one new copy. An apostille for use in a foreign country is $42. The state charges $75 per hour for special research. Cards are taken at the walk-in offices. The state warns you to use only one ordering method per request to avoid double charges.

Note: Applications expire after 180 days if the state asks for more documents and you do not send them.

Historical Bristol Bay Birth Records

Old birth records for the Bristol Bay area go back to the early 1900s. The state began to require birth filing in 1913. Before that year, no Alaska agency kept birth records. For births in the Bristol Bay region before 1913, church and mission records are the best source. Russian Orthodox parishes and other missions filed some births in the area. These records are in the Alaska State Archives and on FamilySearch.

The Alaska State Archives has vital statistics indexes from 1816 to 1998. A project with FamilySearch put more than 1.1 million pages online. The Bristol Bay birth, marriage, and death records from 1902 to 1961 are part of that set. You can browse them for free. The FamilySearch Alaska vital records wiki has a full guide on how to search these old files. It also explains how to use church records and delayed birth filings for people who were never registered at the time of birth.

Under Alaska Statute Title 18, Chapter 50, birth records become public 100 years after the date of birth. So any Bristol Bay Borough birth record from 1926 or before is now open to the public. Death, marriage, and divorce records open after 50 years. The Alaska State Archives in Juneau is the main place for research on these older files.

Delayed birth records were also created for people born in Alaska who never had a birth filed. The state used church books, school records, and family records to build these delayed certificates. They carry the same legal weight as a standard Bristol Bay Borough birth record. The full rules are in Alaska Statute 18.50.

Bristol Bay Borough Local Resources

The borough seat is Naknek. The borough office handles local meetings, land use, and school matters. It does not file or issue birth records. Local clinics in the area send all birth forms to the state in Juneau. If you live in Bristol Bay Borough and need a birth record, you must order through the state by mail, fax, online, or in person at the Anchorage or Juneau office.

The borough website is at bristolbayboroughak.us. The clerk can help with local forms and point you to the state office for vital records. For Bristol Bay Borough birth records, call the state at (907) 465-3391. You can also reach the Anchorage office at (907) 269-0991. The CountyOffice.org Alaska birth records page also lists contact info for each borough.

The Alaska record dates page shows the full timeline of when the state began to keep each type of record. Birth records date from the 1890s, though most were not filed until after 1930. The FamilySearch catalog also has a large set of Alaska vital records. You can check the FamilySearch Alaska vital records catalog for free access to scanned files.

Nearby Boroughs and Census Areas

Bristol Bay Borough sits near other remote parts of southwest Alaska. Each one uses the same state system for birth records. You may find these pages useful if you have ties to the area.

Dillingham Census Area, Lake and Peninsula Borough, Aleutians East Borough.