Yakutat Birth Records Lookup
Yakutat City and Borough birth records are held by the State of Alaska at its central vital records office in Juneau. Yakutat is an isolated community on the Gulf of Alaska coast with about 600 residents, making it the smallest borough by population in the state. It was set up in 1992. No local office in Yakutat issues birth certificates. To search for or order a Yakutat birth record, you work with the Alaska Department of Health, Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. Orders can go by mail, fax, online through VitalChek, or in person at state offices. Use the search tool below to begin.
Yakutat City and Borough Birth Records Overview
About Yakutat Borough Birth Records
Yakutat City and Borough is a tiny, remote community on the Gulf of Alaska. About 600 people live here. The town sits between the open ocean and the St. Elias Mountains. It is known for surfing, fishing, and vast glaciers. The borough was set up in 1992 as a consolidated city-borough. Yakutat has no road link to the rest of Alaska. You can only get there by plane or by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.
Yakutat does not have a local vital records office. All Yakutat birth records go to the state. Every birth is filed with the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section in Juneau within five days. The state keeps the record in its central system. The child's name, date and place of birth, parents' names, and file number are all logged.
Yakutat birth records are closed for 100 years from the date of birth. Under Alaska Statute Title 18, Chapter 50, only the person named, a parent, a legal guardian, or a few other parties can get a copy. AS 18.50.310 covers the disclosure rules. After the 100-year mark, anyone can order a copy.
Order Yakutat Birth Records
Yakutat is one of the most isolated boroughs in Alaska. The walk-in offices are in Juneau and Anchorage, both a plane ride away. For most Yakutat residents, online ordering through VitalChek or mail is the way to go. Pick one method per request. The state warns that two orders for the same record can cause a double charge.
Online orders go through VitalChek for Alaska. Fill in the form, upload a copy of your photo ID, and pay with a card. There is an extra service fee. Orders ship in two to three weeks. Delivery to Yakutat may take a bit longer than to cities with daily mail service. Use a tracked shipping method if you can.
Mail orders cost less but take much longer. Print the form from the Alaska Department of Health vital records orders page. Fill it out, sign it, and send it with your ID copy and a check for $30. Each extra copy costs $25. Mail it to Health Analytics and Vital Records, P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. Mail orders take two to three months. Delivery to Yakutat may add more time. Fax orders go to (907) 465-3618.
Walk-in service is open at the Juneau office at 5441 Commercial Boulevard, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone is (907) 465-3391. The Anchorage office at 3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 101 is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone is (907) 269-0991.
Note: If you use a general delivery address in Yakutat, the state asks that you pick a tracked shipping method for your birth record order.
Who Can Get Yakutat Birth Records
Alaska is a closed-record state. Recent Yakutat birth records can only be ordered by people who have a direct link to the record. The state checks your ID before it sends a copy.
The list of eligible people includes:
- 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 letter from the person on the record
- An attorney or government agency with a letter on official letterhead
Heirloom birth certificates cost $55 for the first copy and $50 for each extra. Two designs by Alaska artists are sold. The Alaska Department of Health about vital records page has the full rules on who can order and what types are for sale.
Historical Yakutat Birth Records
Yakutat has been home to Tlingit people for centuries. The area also saw Russian and later American influence. The state did not begin to file births until 1913. Many events in the Yakutat area before that year were noted only in church records and mission logs. By 1945, most births were filed with the state. Records from before 1913 are hard to come by.
The Alaska State Archives in Juneau holds vital statistics from 1816 through 1998. Some of these may name people born in or near Yakutat. The Alaska State Archives collection guides list all the records on hand. Researchers can plan a visit or call for help.
FamilySearch and the archives have scanned more than 1.1 million pages of Alaska vital records. The FamilySearch Alaska Vital Records wiki has free indexes and digital scans. You can search by name, date, or place. Cordova birth, marriage, and death records from 1912 to 1960 may also cover people who lived in or near Yakutat, since both are on the Gulf of Alaska coast.
Yakutat birth records more than 100 years old are open to anyone. The Alaska record dates page lists the years that are open for each type of vital record in the state.
Local Resources in Yakutat
The Yakutat Community Health Center is the main clinic in the borough. It files each new birth with the state. New parents get their first copy of the birth certificate free through the hospital packet. Extra copies cost $25 each.
If you need a delayed Yakutat birth record or a fix to an old filing, call the state Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200. A delayed record is made for a person born in Alaska who never had a birth filed. The cost is $60 and the wait is about three months. All papers must be mailed or hand-carried because the state needs originals. The CDC where to write page for Alaska has the full address and phone for the state vital records office.
The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe may also help community members with vital records questions. Tribal offices can sometimes help people who need to track down old records or file for delayed birth certificates. This can be a real help in a place as small and remote as Yakutat.
Nearby Boroughs
Yakutat is between Southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula along the Gulf of Alaska coast. Nearby boroughs use the same state system for birth records. Browse nearby pages below.
You can also browse the FamilySearch Alaska vital records catalog for older records from all parts of coastal Alaska.
Local Resources for Yakutat Birth Records
The SEARHC Yakutat clinic handles new births and files them with the state. The clinic staff can help with the paperwork if needed. After the state has the record on file, parents order a copy by mail or online. The Yakutat City and Borough clerk does not issue birth certificates. Yakutat is known for its surf break and its huge glaciers and is one of the most isolated communities in Alaska. Air service is the main way in and out. Note: Mail to and from Yakutat can take longer than the state estimate, so order well ahead of any date you need the record by.