"This powerful new tool provides professional genealogists and casual family tree researchers alike a new connection to Arizona's past," Napolitano said. "This site enables them to save time and money when searching for their family roots."
Before, accessing records was cumbersome and costly, requiring manual searches by Vital Records employees, a $3 fee per request, and a two- to three-week wait to receive them. With the Department of Health Services' new Web site, citizens have free, instant access to more than 400,000 images of original Arizona birth and death certificates that state law has made public record.
By law, birth certificates become public after 75 years, and death certificates become public after 50 years. So those tracing family roots now may search by name for Arizona birth certificates between 1887 and 1928, and Arizona death certificates between 1878 and 1953.
Catherine Eden, Department of Health Services director, said the site would provide ongoing savings. Vital Records employees who formerly conducted manual searches for historical birth and death certificates will be freed up to more quickly process other public requests. Development of the site cost approximately $25,000 in money that had been earlier appropriated by the legislature.
"People are using this site to learn about their heritage, and to discover relatives," Eden said. "It's very exciting to find a connection to your past."
The Web site was formed from the partnership between the Department of Health Services, the Arizona State Library and Archives and the Mesa Family History Library.
