Juneau City and Borough Birth Records
Juneau City and Borough birth records are filed at the main Alaska state vital records office, which is located right in Juneau on Commercial Boulevard. As the state capital, Juneau is also the seat of the Alaska Department of Health, Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. This means Juneau residents have the shortest path to a certified copy of any Alaska birth record. You can search for and order Juneau City and Borough birth records in person, by mail, by fax, or online through VitalChek. Use the search tool below to start a quick lookup.
Juneau Birth Records Overview
About Juneau Birth Records
Juneau City and Borough is a unified city-borough on the Gastineau Channel in Southeast Alaska. It is the state capital and home to about 32,000 residents. The borough was set up in 1970 when the city of Juneau and the Greater Juneau Borough were merged. Juneau City and Borough birth records are kept by the state, but the main state office is right here in town. That makes Juneau the only place in the state where the seat of local government and the seat of the state vital records office sit in the same building.
The state office is at 5441 Commercial Boulevard, Juneau, AK 99801. The mailing address is P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. The phone is (907) 465-3391. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-in orders are filled the same day. The full how-to is on the Alaska Department of Health vital records orders page.
Juneau also hosts the Alaska State Archives at 141 Willoughby Avenue. The archives holds vital statistics from 1816 through 1998. While this is not where you order new birth records, it is where you find old public ones. The archives has free access to indexes and digital scans of older Juneau City and Borough birth records.
You can plan a visit through the Alaska State Archives website. The archives is a key stop for anyone who is doing family history work in Southeast Alaska.
Order Juneau Birth Records
You have four ways to order Juneau City and Borough birth records. Walk-in is the fastest for locals, since the state office is right in town. Online is fast for people who do not want to leave home. Mail and fax are slower but cost less.
Walk-in service is open at 5441 Commercial Boulevard in Juneau. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Bring a valid photo ID and the fee. The first certified copy is $30. Each extra copy ordered at the same time is $25. Same-day service is the standard for in-person orders. The office takes cash, checks, and credit or debit cards.
Online orders go through VitalChek for Alaska. This is the only online vendor that the state has approved. You fill in the form, upload your ID, and pay with a card. There is a small extra fee for the service. Orders ship in two to three weeks.
Mail orders take longer but the base fee is the same. Print the form, fill it in, sign it, and send it with a copy of your ID and a check or money order to P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. The wait is two to three months. Fax orders go to (907) 465-3618 and follow the same time frame as mail.
Note: The state warns against sending the same order through more than one channel because that may cause double charges that the state will not refund.
Who Can Order Juneau Birth Records
Alaska is a closed-record state. Recent Juneau City and Borough birth records are not open to the public. Under Alaska Statute 18.50, a birth record is closed for 100 years from the date of birth. Only certain people may order a copy. The state checks photo ID for every order.
The list of people who may order a Juneau birth record under state rules:
- The person named on the record, age 14 or older with a school or photo ID
- A parent listed on the certificate
- A legal guardian with court papers
- A third party with a notarized letter from the person named
- An attorney or government agency with a letter on letterhead
Friends and other family members may order an heirloom birth certificate as a gift, but only for a person who would be eligible to order on their own. The fee for an heirloom is $55 for the first copy and $50 for each extra copy. Two artist designs are sold by the state.
Older Juneau City and Borough birth records, those more than 100 years old, are open to anyone. The full disclosure rule is in Alaska Statute Title 18, Chapter 50. AS 18.50.310 covers disclosure. AS 18.50.160 covers birth registration in the state and sets the time frame for filing.
Local Resources in Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau Municipal Clerk is at 155 South Seward Street. The clerk handles local records like meeting minutes, ordinances, election files, and property data. The clerk does not issue or hold birth certificates. For Juneau City and Borough birth records, the clerk will refer you to the state office on Commercial Boulevard. You can read about the clerk's role on the Juneau public records page.
Bartlett Regional Hospital is the main hospital in town. The hospital files each new birth with the state. New parents can ask staff to help them fill in the state birth worksheet. The state then prints the certificate and mails it to the parents. The first copy is sent free with the new birth packet.
For family history work, Juneau is one of the best cities in Alaska. The state archives, the state library, and the state museum all sit within walking distance. The Juneau Public Library on Marine Way also has access to genealogy databases. Researchers can find more on the Alaska State Archives genealogy page.
Note: The state Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200 handles all changes to a Juneau City and Borough birth record, with a $60 fee that includes one new copy.
Historical Juneau Birth Records
Old Juneau birth records date back to the late 1800s. Juneau was founded in 1880, soon after gold was found in the area. The state began to file births in 1913. Before that, many local births were noted in church books, hospital logs, and family Bibles. The Russian Orthodox church and the Catholic mission both kept their own books for the area.
FamilySearch and the Alaska State Archives have scanned more than 1.1 million pages of vital records. Many of these include early Juneau birth records from 1913 to 1915 and delayed birth filings for the years before. You can search the indexes for free on the FamilySearch Alaska Vital Records wiki.
The state has the full set of old Juneau City and Borough birth records on hand at the archives. The CDC also keeps a quick contact list on the CDC where to write page for Alaska.
Nearby Boroughs
Juneau City and Borough sits next to a few other parts of Southeast Alaska. Each one uses the same state system for birth records. None of them issue local certificates.
Browse nearby borough pages: