The following announcement was posted to the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies’ Public Records Access Monitoring Committee’s mailing list:

Due to the many wild fires in Oregon, which has so far burned over one million acres, many families have lost all their vital records.

As a result, the Oregon Center for Health Statistics has issued temporary rules to waive fees for certified copies of records for these families, in accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order 20-35. The State Vital Records office will provide up to three certified certificates of birth, death, marriage, divorce, domestic partnership or dissolution of domestic partnership free of charge if the record is requested in connection with the wildfire response. The temporary rules are in effect September 14, 2020 through March 1, 2021.

The temporary administrative order may be read at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/RULESREGULATIONS/SiteAssets/Pages/index/PH_63-2020.pdf.

For more information please read the website posting at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/BIRTHDEATHCERTIFICATES/GETVITALRECORDS/Pages/Vital-Records-Fees-for-Oregonians-Affected-by-the-Wildfires-under-Executive-Oregon-No.-20-35.aspx.

Ordering information may be read at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/BIRTHDEATHCERTIFICATES/GETVITALRECORDS/Pages/index.aspx.

I have not found similar notifications on either the Washington State Department of Health Services website:

https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/BirthDeathMarriageandDivorce/OrderCertificates.

I also have not found a similar posting on the California Department of Public Health website:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/chsi/pages/vital-records.aspx.

Both California and Washington State are also suffering under severe fires and I have no idea whether they adopt a similar rule following the Oregon emergency rule.

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee