Escambia County Birth Records

Escambia County birth records are available through the Florida Department of Health office in Pensacola. With more than 331,000 residents, Escambia County sits at the far western tip of the Florida panhandle and is home to the Pensacola area. The county health department on Fairfield Drive processes all birth certificate requests for births that took place in Florida. Walk-in visits, mail requests, and online orders through VitalChek are all options for Escambia County residents who need certified copies of birth certificates.

Escambia County Birth Certificate Office

The DOH-Escambia office is the main place to get birth certificates in the county. It sits at 1295 West Fairfield Drive in Pensacola. Staff can issue certified copies for any birth that was filed in Florida, not just births that took place in Escambia County. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Bring a valid photo ID and know the full name, date of birth, and place of birth for the record you want.

Under Florida Statute 382.013, every birth in the state must be filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville. Hospitals in the Pensacola area send birth data to the state within days. Home births also have to be filed. Once a birth record is in the state system, the Escambia County Health Department can pull it up and print a certified copy on security paper with the state seal. This process usually takes just a few minutes for walk-in requests at the Escambia County office.

The Escambia County Health Department birth certificates page has the full list of ID types they accept and steps for each way to order.

How to Get Birth Records in Escambia County

Getting a birth certificate in Escambia County can be done three ways. In-person is the fastest option. You go to the health department, show your ID, fill out an application, and pay the fee. Most people walk out with their certified copy the same day. The office on Fairfield Drive handles a good number of requests each week, but wait times are usually short unless it is a peak period like back-to-school season when parents in Escambia County need records for enrollment.

Mail requests take longer. You need to send a completed DH726 application form, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order for the fee. Make the check out to DOH-Escambia. Mail it to the Fairfield Drive address. Plan on two to three weeks for the certificate to come back. The office sends it by regular first-class mail. There is no tracking unless you add it yourself with a return receipt from the post office.

You can also mail your request to the state office. The Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville accepts mail orders at PO Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Processing takes three to five business days, plus mail time each way. This can be helpful if the Escambia County office is backed up or if you prefer to go through the state directly for your birth records.

Online orders go through VitalChek. They are the only vendor approved by the state.

Online Birth Certificate Orders for Escambia County

The VitalChek ordering page for Florida lets you request an Escambia County birth certificate from your computer or phone. You fill out a form with the birth details, upload a photo of your ID, and pay with a credit or debit card. The state fee is $19 and VitalChek adds a service fee of about $7. Orders ship by mail and usually arrive within five to seven business days. Rush delivery is available for an extra charge.

VitalChek works around the clock. You can place an order at any time. This is the best choice for Escambia County residents who work during the hours the health department is open. It also works for people who live out of state but need an Escambia County birth certificate. The site is secure and the state has used VitalChek for years.

The Florida DOH birth certificates page gives an overview of all ordering methods and current fees that apply across the state, including Escambia County.

This state page covers the rules and requirements that apply to all birth certificate requests in Escambia County and the rest of Florida.

Escambia County Birth Record Fees

A certified birth certificate from Escambia County costs $15 for the first copy. Extra copies of the same record cost $7 each when ordered at the same time. These fees come from Florida Statute 382.0255, which sets the fee schedule for all vital records in the state. The Escambia County Health Department accepts cash, checks, and money orders for walk-in and mail orders.

If you order through VitalChek, the base fee is $19 plus a processing fee. Credit and debit cards are accepted online. Rush shipping costs more. The total for a single birth certificate through VitalChek runs about $30 to $45 depending on the shipping speed you pick. The in-person option at the Escambia County office is the cheapest way to get your birth records.

Who Can Request Escambia County Birth Records

Florida law limits who can get a certified birth certificate. Under Florida Statute 382.025, birth records are confidential for 125 years from the date of birth. Only certain people can request a certified copy from the Escambia County Health Department.

Those who qualify include the person named on the record (if 18 or older), a parent listed on the certificate, a legal guardian with court documentation, a spouse, an adult child, or an attorney acting on behalf of any of these people. You must show proof of your identity and your relationship to the person on the record. The staff at the Escambia County office will check your ID before they process the request.

If you do not qualify for a certified copy, you can ask for an informational copy instead. This version has the same data but is stamped to show it is not valid for legal use. It works fine for family history research. Escambia County birth records from more than 125 years ago are considered public and can be accessed by anyone, though very few records from that era exist in the system.

Correcting Escambia County Birth Certificates

Mistakes on a birth certificate can be fixed. The Florida DOH amendments page explains the process. Minor errors like a misspelled name can often be corrected with a simple application and supporting documents. Bigger changes, such as adding or removing a parent, may need a court order as described in Florida Statute 382.016.

Amendments are handled by the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, not at the Escambia County level. You send your paperwork to the state office. Once the change is approved, the updated record goes into the system. Then you can get a new certified copy from the Escambia County Health Department that shows the corrected information. The amendment fee is separate from the copy fee.

Older Birth Records in Escambia County

The county health department can issue birth certificates for births from 1930 to the present. For births before 1930, you need to go through the state Bureau of Vital Statistics at 1217 N Pearl Street in Jacksonville. The state office keeps the oldest records on file. Some very early Escambia County birth records may also be available through the county clerk's office or local historical archives. Pensacola has a long history as one of the oldest settlements in Florida, so there may be some birth records going back quite far in local archives.

For genealogy work, the state office is the best starting point. Call 904-359-6900 to ask about what they have for old Escambia County birth records. They can search the index and let you know if a record exists before you pay any fees.

Cities in Escambia County

Escambia County includes Pensacola, Perdido Key, Cantonment, Bellview, Brent, and several other communities. All birth certificate requests for Escambia County residents are handled by the same health department office in Pensacola, regardless of which city or town you live in. None of the cities in Escambia County meet the population threshold for a separate city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Escambia County. Any Florida county health department can issue a birth certificate for a birth that took place anywhere in the state. If you live closer to one of these counties, you can visit their health department instead of the Escambia County office.