Lake and Peninsula Borough Birth Records
Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records are held by the State of Alaska through its central vital records office in Juneau. This borough spans a huge stretch of the Alaska Peninsula and the Bristol Bay region, with King Salmon as the borough seat. No local office in the borough issues birth certificates. If you need to search for or get a copy of a birth record from this area, you must go through the Alaska Department of Health, Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. You can order by mail, fax, online, or in person at the Juneau or Anchorage office. The search tool below can help you start a quick lookup for Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records.
Lake and Peninsula Borough Birth Records Overview
About Lake and Peninsula Birth Records
Lake and Peninsula Borough is one of the most remote parts of Alaska. It was set up in 1989 and covers a vast area that takes in volcanoes, wild rivers, and parts of Katmai National Park. The borough has about 1,600 people spread across small villages. Most of these communities are only reached by plane or boat. Despite its size, the borough does not run a vital records office. Every birth that takes place in Lake and Peninsula Borough is filed with the state office in Juneau. The Alaska Department of Health holds these records in its central system, and no local clerk can issue a birth certificate.
Under Alaska law, all births must be filed with the state within five days. Clinics and health aides in the borough send birth data to the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section in Juneau. The state then logs the file number, the child's name, the date of birth, and the names of both parents. This is the same process used in every part of Alaska.
Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records are closed to the public for 100 years from the date of birth. Only people named on the record or their close kin can get a copy. After 100 years, the record is open to anyone. This rule comes from Alaska Statute Title 18, Chapter 50, which sets the rules for all vital records in the state.
Order Lake and Peninsula Birth Records
There are four ways to order Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records. For most people in this borough, online or mail is the best choice. The walk-in offices are far from the borough, so most locals will not make the trip in person. Pick one method per request. The state warns that sending the same order two ways may cause a double charge.
Online orders go through VitalChek for Alaska. This is the only service the state has approved for web orders. You fill in the form, upload your ID, and pay with a card. Orders ship in about two to three weeks. There is a small extra service fee on top of the base cost. For people in remote villages with no road access, this is often the fastest way to get a Lake and Peninsula Borough birth record.
Mail orders take longer but cost less. Print the state birth certificate request form from the Alaska Department of Health vital records orders page. Fill it in, sign it, and send it with a copy of your photo ID and a check or money order for $30. Each extra copy costs $25. Mail the packet to Health Analytics and Vital Records, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. Mail orders take two to three months. Fax orders go to (907) 465-3618 and have the same wait time.
Walk-in service is open at two state offices. The Juneau office is at 5441 Commercial Boulevard, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The phone is (907) 465-3391. The Anchorage office is at 3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 101, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The phone is (907) 269-0991. Both can issue a copy the same day.
Note: The state will not refund a duplicate order, so choose one method and wait for a response.
Who Can Get Lake and Peninsula Records
Alaska is a closed-record state. That means recent Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records are not open to everyone. The state checks ID for each request. You must send a clear copy of a valid photo ID with your form.
The people who can ask for a copy of a Lake and Peninsula Borough birth record are:
- 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 on the record
- An attorney or government agency with a letter on letterhead
Friends and kin can order an heirloom birth certificate as a gift for someone who is eligible. The heirloom costs $55 for the first copy and $50 for each extra. Two designs by Alaska artists are sold by the state. The Alaska Department of Health about vital records page has more on who can order and what types are sold.
Historical Birth Records in Lake and Peninsula
Old Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records are key for family history work. The state did not start to file births until 1913. Many events in the Bristol Bay area before that year were never filed at all. Church records from Russian Orthodox missions and other groups are the best source for births before 1950. The Bureau of Vital Statistics later used these church books to build delayed birth records for people who had no state filing.
The Alaska State Archives collection guides list the types of records you can find in Juneau. The archives holds vital statistics from 1816 through 1998. Researchers can plan a visit or ask for help by phone.
FamilySearch and the Alaska State Archives have worked together to scan more than 1.1 million vital records pages. Many old birth, death, marriage, and probate files from the Bristol Bay region are now free online. Use the FamilySearch Alaska Vital Records wiki to search for Lake and Peninsula Borough birth records by name, date, or place. The wiki also explains what years of records are open and what is still closed under AS 18.50.310.
Note: Birth records that are more than 100 years old are open to anyone, but the state still charges $30 for a certified copy.
Birth Records Access for Remote Villages
Lake and Peninsula Borough has no roads that link its villages to the rest of the state. Most communities, like Chignik, Igiugig, Kokhanok, and Newhalen, rely on small planes or boats for travel. Getting to Juneau or Anchorage for a walk-in order is not simple. The state set up the mail and online systems so that people in these areas can still get a birth certificate without a long trip.
VitalChek is the fastest option. Orders ship in two to three weeks. Mail takes two to three months, and delivery to a remote village may add more time. The CDC where to write page for Alaska has the full mailing address and phone for the state office. If you use a general delivery address, the state asks that you choose a tracked shipping method.
Local clinics and health aides can help new parents file a birth with the state. The first copy of a new birth certificate is sent free with the hospital packet. Extra copies cost $25 each. For help with a delayed birth record or a fix to an old filing, call the Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200.
Nearby Boroughs
Lake and Peninsula Borough sits near a few other boroughs and census areas in western Alaska. Each one uses the same state system for birth records. None of them issue local birth certificates. You can browse nearby pages below.
You can also browse the FamilySearch Alaska vital records catalog to search for older records from boroughs near Lake and Peninsula. This is one of the largest free sources of Alaska birth records online.