Find Mount Pleasant Death Records
Mount Pleasant is one of the fastest-growing cities in South Carolina and the fourth-largest municipality in the state. Death records for Mount Pleasant residents are maintained at the state level through the South Carolina Department of Public Health. The Charleston County system covers Mount Pleasant for all death investigations and vital records functions. This guide explains how to search the Mount Pleasant death index, request copies, and locate historical records for this area of Charleston County.
Mount Pleasant Quick Facts
How to Access Mount Pleasant Death Index Records
The South Carolina Department of Public Health handles all death certificates for Mount Pleasant residents. The main office is at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, phone (803) 898-3630. The Charleston County Health Department at 3685 Rivers Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405 serves as a local access point for Mount Pleasant residents who want to avoid the trip to Columbia. Both offices provide certified copies of death certificates on file.
Mount Pleasant sits east of Charleston across the Cooper River. Despite its rapid growth and size, the town remains part of the Charleston County vital records system. All death certificates for the Mount Pleasant area flow through Charleston County and then to the SC DPH. Statewide death registration began in January 1915, so certified records for Mount Pleasant are available from that date forward.
| State Office | SC DPH Vital Records |
|---|---|
| Address | 2600 Bull Street Columbia, SC 29201 |
| Phone | (803) 898-3630 |
| Online Orders | gocertificates.com |
| VitalChek | 1-877-284-1008 |
Note: Death records in South Carolina are restricted for 50 years from the date of death under Title 44, Chapter 63 of state law, after which they are publicly accessible.
Mount Pleasant Town Resources
The Town of Mount Pleasant maintains the official town website and provides access to local government services. Mount Pleasant operates as a municipality and has its own Clerk of Council. The town does not maintain or issue death certificates. Those are a state function handled by the SC DPH.
The town website links residents to departments and government functions, though vital records are not among the services provided at the municipal level.
The Clerk of Council for Mount Pleasant maintains the town's code of ordinances, attends all Council meetings, and records official minutes. The Clerk also ensures Council meeting notices and agendas are available to the public. If you need public records related to town government, start with the Clerk of Council office. For death records tied to Mount Pleasant, all requests go to the state DPH or Charleston County Health Department.
Town government records and vital records are entirely separate systems in Mount Pleasant and across all of South Carolina.
Searching Mount Pleasant Death Records
The SC DPH free online death index covers 1915 through 1967 and includes Mount Pleasant deaths filed under Charleston County. Access this index at dph.sc.gov/public/vital-records/indexes-data/death-indexes-1915-1967. The index provides names, dates, and county identifiers but no certificate images. Use it to confirm a record exists before submitting a formal request.
For deaths after 1967, online search is not available and you must submit a records request. Options include ordering online through gocertificates.com or VitalChek, mailing a request to the Columbia office, or visiting in person. The fee is $12 per certified copy and $3 for each additional copy of the same record. Allow time for processing when ordering by mail.
The SC Archives at 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 holds historical Charleston County records on microfilm. For genealogy research into Mount Pleasant family history, the archives and the Charleston County Public Library genealogy collection are valuable starting points. FamilySearch also indexes Charleston County death records, which covers the geographic area that includes Mount Pleasant.
What Mount Pleasant Death Certificates Include
A South Carolina death certificate for a Mount Pleasant resident lists the full legal name, date of death, place of death, cause of death, and manner of death. Standard fields also cover age, sex, race, birthplace, occupation, and last home address. The certifying physician or the Charleston County Coroner signs the certificate depending on the circumstances of the death.
Deaths in Mount Pleasant that are sudden, accidental, suspicious, or lack a certifying physician fall under the Charleston County Coroner's jurisdiction. The coroner certifies cause and manner of death in those cases under authority granted by Title 17, Chapter 5 of South Carolina law. Coroner autopsy reports and investigation records are separate from the death certificate and may be requested from the Charleston County Coroner's Office directly.
Mount Pleasant Genealogy and Historical Death Records
Mount Pleasant has a long history predating its incorporation as a modern city. Historical death records tied to the area are part of Charleston County's broader records collection. The Charleston County Public Library genealogy collection at ccpl.org/genealogy includes early death records and research tools that cover the Mount Pleasant area. Early death records from 1821 onward in Charleston County may include residents of what is now Mount Pleasant.
FamilySearch holds Charleston County death records from 1852 to 1926 in indexed, digitized form. For deaths in the early statewide registration period (1915 to 1930), the free SC DPH death index is the first place to check. For deaths before 1915, genealogists should consult the Charleston County Library, SC Archives, and FamilySearch databases. The Ancestor Hunt blog lists all known free South Carolina death record indexes and is a practical guide for researchers.
Note: Mount Pleasant's rapid growth over the past 30 years means many modern death records for the city exist in the current SC DPH system under the city's current name, while older records may list the address as a rural area or different designation within Charleston County.
Charleston County Death Records
Mount Pleasant is part of Charleston County. Death records for Mount Pleasant feed into the Charleston County vital records system. For full county-level information, coroner contacts, and related resources, visit the Charleston County death records page.
Nearby South Carolina Cities
Select a nearby city to find death index information for that part of South Carolina.