(a) The Department shall charge fees for searches and transcripts as follows:
(1) For a search of two consecutive calendar years under one name and for issuance of a certified copy of a certificate of birth, death, or spontaneous termination of pregnancy, or a certification of birth or death, or a certification that the record cannot be found, the fee is $15.00 for each copy in accordance with § 4179 of the New York State Public Health Law.
(2) For each additional calendar year search, if applied for at the same time or within three months of the original request and if proof of payment for the basic search is submitted, the fee is $1;
(3) For a certified copy of the reverse side of a death certificate, or its electronic equivalent, issued at the same time as a copy of the face of the certificate, the fee is $2; and
(4) For a two calendar year search under one name for documents relating to transportation of human remains and the issuance of a certified copy of one side of a document, the fee is $3 and for each certified copy of an additional side, the fee is $1.50.
(b) Upon proper application by an authorized person, the Department shall exchange a certified copy of a birth or death certificate, or a certification that such a record cannot be found, for a certification of birth or death if the record can then be found. Upon proper application by an authorized person, the Department shall exchange a certification of birth or death, or a certification that such a record or a spontaneous termination of pregnancy certificate cannot be found, for a certified copy of a birth, spontaneous termination of pregnancy or death certificate if the record can then be found. Such exchanges shall be made without charge when application is made within three months of the issuance of the certification that a record cannot be found or of the certified copy or certification to be exchanged.
(c) When application for searches and issuance of transcripts is made by any agency of the government of the United States, a voucher for future payment of required fees may be accepted by the Department instead of immediate payment of fees.
(d) The Department shall make searches and issue certified copies, transcripts, corrections or disposition permits without charge when:
(1) Requested for official purposes by any agency of the City or State or of any other political subdivision of the State; or,
(2) Requested pursuant to the Civil Practice Law and Rules in connection with an application for benefits available from the Veterans Administration, if written proof of the application is first submitted; or,
(3) Requested in connection with applications for allowances for dependents of persons in the armed forces of the United States, in connection with an induction or enlistment into any armed force of the United States, or in connection with an application for a veterans' bonus pursuant to any law of the State, if written proof of the application, induction or enlistment is first submitted; or,
(4) Requested by an officer of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for use in court cases; or,
(5) The Commissioner or the person in charge of the office of the Department designated to receive vital records, for good cause, so directs.
(e) The Department may verify information contained on birth, spontaneous termination of pregnancy or death certificates filed with the Department when such verification is requested by authorized users of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) Electronic Verification of Vital Events (EVVE) System who are foreign or domestic governments, agencies of the City or State of New York, benefit-paying parties such as annuity companies and pension plans that demonstrate a need for such information to determine whether the benefits they are paying should be terminated, a physician licensed to practice in the United States who demonstrates that such information is needed to determine whether a patient he or she is treating has died, a hospital that demonstrates that such information is needed to determine whether a patient it is treating has died or an attorney licensed to practice in the United States who demonstrates that the information is necessary to administer an estate.
(f) The Department shall charge an application fee of $40.00 to correct or amend birth or death certificates as follows, except there shall be no fee to correct a final disposition as a result of an interim disposition issued pursuant to 24 RCNY Health Code Article 205:
(1) Adding a given name more than 60 days after birth
(2) Correcting birth and death certificate errors and omissions made by family members and informants
(3) Correcting hospital birth certificate errors and omissions after 12 months
(4) Correcting funeral home errors
(5) Correcting funeral home omissions filed after 12 months
(6) Amending a birth certificate for an adoption
(7) Amending a birth certificate for a person to correct the gender marker on their birth certificate.
(8) Re-submitting an application more than 1 year after rejection.
(g) The Department shall charge a fee of $40.00 for disposition permits issued pursuant to 24 RCNY Health Code Article 205, except those for burials in the City cemetery or for interim dispositions.
(Amended City Record 3/25/2016, eff. 4/24/2016)