DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH  
OFFICE OF THE STATE REGISTRAR  
COMPLETION, FILING, AND REGISTRATION OF VITAL RECORDS  
DOCUMENTS  
(By authority conferred on the department of health and human services by sections  
2226, 2233, 2235, and 2896 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.2226,  
333.2233, 333.2235, and 333.2896.)  
R 325.3201 Definitions.  
Rule 1. (1) As used in these rules:  
(a) "Code" means Act No. 368 of the Public Acts of 1978, as amended, being  
S333.1101 et seq. of the Michigan Compiled Laws.  
(b) "Date of application" means the date the application to establish a delayed  
registration of birth or a delayed registration of death is received in the office of the  
state registrar.  
(c) "Date of filing" means the date the local registrar places on the document at the  
time the record is accepted for filing.  
(d) "Live birth" means the complete expulsion or extraction from a pregnant  
woman of a product of human conception which, after such expulsion or extraction,  
shows any evidence of life, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the  
placenta is attached.  
(e) "Registered record" means a record accepted by the state registrar for  
incorporation into the permanent official records of the system of vital statistics.  
(f) "Registrant" means the individual to whom the record pertains.  
(2) The terms defined in part 28 of the code have the same meanings when used in  
these rules.  
History: 1981 AACS.  
R 325.3202 Instructions for completing and filing vital records.  
Rule 2. The state registrar shall prepare and distribute instructions on the proper  
completion and filing of vital records.  
History: 1981 AACS.  
R 325.3203 Information designated as confidential or collected for statistical,  
health, or medical purposes.  
Rule 3. (1) The state registrar shall identify on vital records forms all items which  
are confidential or collected only for statistical, health, or medical purposes.  
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(2) Information identified on vital records forms to be confidential or collected for a  
statistical, health, or medical purpose shall not be retained at the office of a local  
registrar beyond the time required by these rules to properly file and forward the vital  
record to the state registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS.  
R 325.3204 Forms.  
Rule 4. (1) All vital records forms prepared and distributed by the state registrar  
for reporting vital events and vital statistics shall be surrendered to the state registrar  
upon demand.  
(2) Only forms furnished or approved by the state registrar shall be used to report  
vital events and vital statistics or to make copies thereof.  
(3) The forms prescribed and distributed by the state registrar shall be used only for  
official purposes.  
History: 1981 AACS.  
R 325.3205 Storage and distribution of blank forms.  
Rule 5. (1) An individual responsible for the preparation and filing of vital records  
shall do all the following:  
(a) Store blank vital records forms in such a manner as to safeguard the forms  
against theft or misuse.  
(b) Distribute forms only to other persons when authorized to do so by a local  
registrar or the state registrar.  
(c) Report missing forms to the local registrar of the district or the state registrar.  
The report must contain all the following:  
(i) The date the records were discovered missing.  
(ii) The type of record.  
(iii) Information that may lead to the recovery of the forms.  
(2) A local registrar receiving a report of missing or stolen forms shall forward the  
report to the state registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3206 Vital records preparation; acceptability for filing.  
Rule 6. (1) All births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and other events designated by  
the state registrar must be entered in the state electronic registration system, using  
established procedures, or as otherwise directed by the state registrar.  
(2) In the event that a state electronic registration system is not available or  
otherwise directed by the state registrar, paper forms must be typed or printed legibly  
using black ink or toner, and all required signatures must be in black, archival quality  
ink.  
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(3) All signatures must be original signatures, except for the signatures of the local  
registrar, state registrar, or a judge of a circuit or probate court, or as otherwise  
determined permissible by the state registrar.  
(4) The full name of each individual recorded on vital records must be recorded in  
English alphabetic characters, with the exception of surname suffixes, which may be  
recorded in Roman or Arabic numerals, and limited to the following:  
(a) Upper and lower-case letters.  
(b) Letters a to z.  
(c) Commas.  
(d) Periods.  
(e) Apostrophes.  
(f) Hyphens.  
(g) Spaces.  
(4) All references to time on vital records must refer to the time in effect at the place  
and on the date the event occurred.  
(5) Unless otherwise directed by the state registrar, a certificate is unacceptable for  
filing under any of the following circumstances:  
(a) It is not completed in conformance with instructions issued by the state registrar.  
(b) It contains alterations or erasures, except on portions required only for  
statistical, health, or medical use.  
(c) It does not contain handwritten or electronic signatures required by instructions  
issued by the state registrar.  
(d) It is marked "copy" or "duplicate."  
(e) It is a carbon copy.  
(f) It is prepared on an improper or obsolete form.  
(g) It contains obvious improper, inconsistent, or incomplete information.  
(h) It has been folded, bent, stained, or otherwise damaged.  
(i) It is illegible.  
(j) It contains cause of death information not properly recorded in conformance  
with instructions issued by the state registrar.  
(k) It is not certified by a person authorized by law or by rule to certify to the facts  
of the event.  
(l) It records an event that occurred more than 1 year before the date the record is  
received by the local registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3207 Replacement of vital records not acceptable for filing.  
Rule 7. (1) When a vital record is not acceptable for filing, the individual  
responsible for filing the original vital record shall prepare another record acceptable for  
filing and submit it to the local registrar within 5 days after receipt of notice that the  
record is not acceptable for filing, except for records not accepted pursuant to R  
325.3206(5)(l).  
(2) If, after receipt of notice that a vital record is not acceptable for filing, the  
individual responsible for filing the original vital record cannot meet the required filing  
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date, the individual shall submit a written notification to the local registrar stating the  
reason for the lateness and expected date of submission.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3208 Recording false information.  
Rule 8. (1) An individual responsible for filing a vital record that contains suspected  
false information shall file the vital record and report the suspicion to the local registrar.  
(2) A local registrar receiving a report of suspected false information or a vital  
record suspected of containing false information, shall report it to the state registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3209 Late filing of certificates of birth and certificates of death.  
Rule 9. When an individual is found dead and the date of death as determined by the  
county medical examiner is at least 1 year before the date the body was found, the death  
must be registered on the form in use at the time the body is found and the state registrar  
shall mark the certificate of death "delayed."  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3210 Filing of certificates of death with incomplete information.  
Rule 10. (1) If all the information necessary to complete a certificate of death is not  
available within the time prescribed for filing of the certificate, the funeral director shall  
file the certificate completed with all information that is available. In all cases, the  
medical certification must be signed by the individual responsible for the certification. If  
the cause of death is not known or not yet determined, the cause of death must be shown  
as "pending."  
(2) A local registrar shall accept a certificate of death showing the cause of death as  
"pending" only if signed by a county medical examiner or a deputy county medical  
examiner licensed to practice medicine in any state.  
(3) A supplemental report providing the information missing from the original  
certificate must be filed by the individual responsible for obtaining the missing  
information with the state registrar as soon as possible, but in all cases within 60 days  
after the date the death occurred.  
(4) If the supplemental report is filed before the certificate is registered, the missing  
information must be added to the certificate. Otherwise, the certificate must be replaced.  
(5) Supplemental reports filed more than 60 days after the date of death must be  
considered an application to amend the record.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3211 Original records; minor changes or alterations.  
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Rule 11. (1) The individual responsible for filing a vital record may make a minor  
change or alteration to the original paper record only through use of a lift-off process.  
Changes or alterations made by erasure, correcting tape, or image overlay are not  
acceptable, except on portions designated for statistical, health, or medical use only.  
(2) Death certificates may be changed by the mortuary science or funeral director  
licensee responsible for the disposition of the deceased or the physician who certified the  
cause of death within 30 days after the file date in the electronic death registration  
system. Changes made to the medical section of the record by the mortuary science or  
funeral director licensee must be substantiated by documentary evidence provided by the  
certifying physician.  
(3) Data entry errors by the data provider in the birth registration system may be  
corrected during the 6 months after the date of birth. Statistical data can be changed by  
the data provider until the annual statistical file is closed.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3212 Errors in filing and registration.  
Rule 12. The state registrar or a local registrar may make changes to the record  
where the change corrects an error made by a registrar in the filing or registration of the  
record. All changes must be done using procedures approved by the state registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3213 Local registrar to number, date, and affix signature.  
Rule 13. A local registrar shall number, provide a date of filing for, and sign or  
electronically certify each vital record accepted for filing in accordance with instructions  
issued by the state registrar.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3214 Packaging and shipping vital records.  
Rule 14. (1) A local registrar shall package and ship vital records in conformance  
with instructions issued by the state registrar.  
(2) Records shall be shipped to the state registrar by the fourth of the month  
following the month the record was filed.  
(3) The state registrar may require the immediate shipment of an individual  
record.  
History: 1981 AACS.  
R 325.3215 Hospitals or institutions; preparation of certificates of death.  
Rule 15. When death occurs in a hospital or other institution and the death does not  
fall within the jurisdiction of the county medical examiner, the individual in charge of the  
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institution, or that individual’s designated representative, may initiate the preparation of  
the certificate of death through either of the following:  
(a) Enter the required information into the electronic death registry system in  
conformance with instructions issued by the state registrar.  
(b) Complete the medical certificate of death as follows:  
(i) Place the full name and sex of the deceased and the date and place of death on  
the medical certificate of death.  
(ii) Obtain the cause of death from the attending physician, other information  
required of the physician, and the attending physician's signature.  
(iii) Present the completed medical certificate of death to the funeral director or an  
individual acting as such.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3216 County medical examiner; preparation of certificates of death.  
Rule 16. If a death falls within the jurisdiction of a county medical examiner, the  
county medical examiner may initiate the preparation of the certificate of death as  
specified in these rules.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3217 Proper presentation of certificates of death for physician signature.  
Rule 17. (1) A physician responsible for completing the medical certification on a  
certificate of death shall provide the certification when a certificate of death is presented  
to that individual with at least all the following information:  
(a) The name of the deceased.  
(b) The sex of the deceased.  
(c) The county, city, village, or township and address of the deceased.  
(2) A record completed in the manner described in subrule (1) of this rule is  
considered properly presented for the purpose of obtaining the medical certification.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3218 Foundling registration.  
Rule 18. (1) When an individual assumes custody of a child of unknown parentage,  
the facts as prescribed by section 2825 of the code, MCL 333.2825, must be reported on  
the birth certificate form in use at the time the infant is found.  
(2) All items on the form must be completed in conformance with instructions  
issued by the state registrar. The completed certificate must be forwarded to the local  
registrar in the area where the infant was found.  
(3) Before registration, the data provider shall mark the record to identify the record  
as that of a foundling child. The reference mark must not disclose the fact that the record  
is for a foundling child.  
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History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3219 Registration of presumptive death.  
Rule 19. (1) A certificate of death prepared on the basis of an order of the court that  
finds that an individual is presumed to have died in this state as a result of a disaster or  
accident must be prepared in the manner in use at the time the order is presented.  
(2) All items on the certificate of death must be prepared as fully as possible. If  
unknown, the items must be completed as unknown, except that all information on the  
disposition of the body must be left blank.  
(3) A copy of the court order and the certificate of death must be submitted to the  
state registrar.  
(4) Before registration, the state registrar must mark the certificate "presumptive"  
and record on the certificate the name of the court that issued the order, case number, and  
date of the order.  
(5) Following registration, the state registrar shall forward a copy of the certificate  
to the local registrar for the area where death was presumed to have occurred.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3220 Delayed registration of birth; application; establishment; evidence;  
review of application and evidence; dismissal or denial of application; preparation  
and filing of registration; rescission of registration.  
Rule 20. (1) A living individual born in this state who has received an official notice  
from the state registrar that the individual’s birth is not recorded in the office of the state  
registrar, or that individual’s parent, guardian, or legal representative, may apply for the  
establishment of a delayed registration of birth subject to these rules. In the absence,  
inability, or refusal of a parent or guardian of any non-emancipated minor, any next of  
kin 18 years of age or older who is at least 10 years older than the registrant acting for the  
registrant and having personal knowledge of the facts of the live birth, may apply for the  
establishment of a delayed registration of birth subject to these rules.  
(2) An application must be made on a form prescribed by the state registrar setting  
forth the facts prescribed in subrule (3) of this rule and sworn to before a notary by the  
individual whose birth is to be registered if the registrant is 18 years of age or older or an  
emancipated minor, and is competent to sign and swear to the accuracy of the facts stated  
on the application. Otherwise, the application must be sworn to by any of the following:  
(a) One of the parents.  
(b) The legal guardian.  
(c) A legal representative.  
(d) In the absence, inability, or refusal of a parent or guardian, any next of kin 18  
years of age or older who is at least 10 years or older than the registrant acting for the  
registrant and having personal knowledge of the facts of the live birth.  
(3) The minimum facts to be established for a delayed registration of birth are as  
follows:  
(a) The full name of the registrant at the time of birth.  
(b) The date of birth and place of birth of the registrant.  
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(c) The full maiden name and birthplace of the registrant's mother.  
(d) The full name and birthplace of the registrant's father, except that if the mother  
was not married to the father at the time of birth or within 300 days preceding the birth,  
the name of the father must not be entered on the delayed registration of birth, unless  
there is filed with the department a properly executed affidavit of parentage, a true or  
certified copy of an acknowledgment of paternity filed in a court, or a true or certified  
copy of a court determination of paternity.  
(4) The application must be accompanied by the fee prescribed by law and  
documentary evidence as prescribed by these rules.  
(5) The official notice of the state registrar that the birth cannot be located in the  
files of the state registrar must accompany the application, except that this notice is not  
necessary for applications received within 1 year after the date the statement was issued.  
(6) Each of the facts prescribed by subrule (3) of this rule must be supported by any  
of the following:  
(a) For individuals over the age of 10, 3 pieces of acceptable documentary evidence  
that establish to the satisfaction of the state registrar the facts and date of the live  
birth. Documents must have been established at least 10 years before the date of  
application.  
(b) For individuals 10 and under, 2 pieces of acceptable documentary evidence that  
establish to the satisfaction of the state registrar the facts of birth. Documents must be  
dated at least 1 year before the date of application or within the first year of life.  
(c) At least 1 piece of documentary evidence that establishes to the satisfaction of  
the state registrar the names of the mother and father.  
(7) Documents submitted in support of a request to establish a delayed birth  
certificate that contain signs of erasure, alterations, or changes to the pertinent  
information must not be accepted.  
(8) The state registrar shall review each application and the evidence submitted in  
support of the application. When the documentary evidence is insufficient to support the  
application, the state registrar may require the submission of additional documentary  
evidence. The state registrar shall dismiss an application when additional evidence  
requested or the required fee is not received within 1 year after the request for the  
additional evidence or the fee. When an application is dismissed, the state registrar shall  
send a written notice of dismissal to the applicant. The application fee submitted must be  
retained. The state registrar shall deny an application when the applicant is not eligible to  
apply or when the applicant cannot provide satisfactory documentary evidence in support  
of the application. When an application is denied, a written notice of denial must be  
forwarded to the applicant indicating the reason for the denial. The application fee  
submitted must be retained, except when the applicant is not eligible to apply.  
(9) If, after review of the application and the evidence, the state registrar is satisfied  
that the evidence supports the request, the state registrar shall prepare a delayed  
registration of birth on a form prescribed by the state registrar and place the record in the  
active files of the system of vital statistics. A delayed registration of birth must show on  
its face a summary statement of the evidence submitted in support of the delayed  
registration of birth and be marked "delayed." A copy of the delayed registration of birth  
must be forwarded to the local registrar for the area where the birth occurred.  
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(10) If the state registrar becomes aware that a delayed registration of birth prepared  
by the department is invalid or that the evidence received in support of the delayed birth  
certificate is false or invalid, the delayed registration of birth must be rescinded. The state  
registrar shall notify the local registrar of the rescission of the record and instruct the  
local registrar to remove the record from the files.  
(11) A delayed registration of birth cannot be registered for a deceased individual.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
R 325.3221 Delayed registration of death; application; establishment; evidence;  
review of application and evidence; dismissal or denial of application; preparation  
and filing of registration; rescission of registration.  
Rule 21. (1) A next of kin of a deceased individual, the individual responsible for  
the medical certification of death, or the individual responsible for disposing of the  
deceased's body who has received an official notice from the state registrar that the death  
is not recorded in the office of a local registrar, or the state registrar may establish a  
delayed registration of death if the date of application is more than 1 year after the date  
the individual was pronounced dead.  
(2) An application must be made on a form prescribed by the state registrar, set forth  
the minimum facts prescribed in subrule (3) of this rule, and be sworn to by the applicant  
before an official authorized to administer oaths.  
(3) The minimum facts to be established are as follows:  
(a) The full name of the deceased at the time of death.  
(b) The sex of the deceased.  
(c) The date and place of death.  
(d) The manner and cause of death as determined by a physician licensed to practice  
medicine in this state and the name and address of the physician.  
(e) The date, place, and method of disposition of the body as recorded by an  
individual authorized by law to dispose of a dead body and that individual’s name and  
address.  
(4) The application must be accompanied by the fee prescribed by law and  
documentary evidence prescribed by these rules.  
(5) Documents submitted in support of a request to establish a delayed registration  
of death that contain signs of erasure, alterations, or changes to the pertinent information  
must not be accepted.  
(6) The facts prescribed in subrule (3) of this rule must be supported by either of the  
following:  
(a) A copy of pertinent medical records for the deceased or an affidavit by a  
physician licensed to practice medicine in this state that sets forth all the following:  
(i) The full name of the deceased.  
(ii) The date and place of death.  
(iii) The manner of death.  
(iv) The cause of death.  
(v) The physician's address.  
(b) An affidavit by an individual authorized by law to dispose of a dead body that  
sets forth all the following:  
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(i) The full name of the deceased.  
(ii) The date, place, and method of disposal of the body.  
(iii) The address of the individual disposing of the body.  
(iv) Other personal facts identified on the application form that may be known to  
the affiant or copies of documents that support the facts.  
(c) In all cases the affiant shall swear that the facts provided are based on pertinent  
records concerning the deceased that are in the possession of the affiant.  
(7) The state registrar must review each application and the evidence submitted in  
support of the application. When the documentary evidence is insufficient to support the  
requested change, the state registrar may require the submission of additional  
documentary evidence. The state registrar shall dismiss an application when additional  
evidence requested or the required fee is not received within 1 year after the request for  
the additional evidence or fee. When an application is dismissed, the state registrar shall  
send a written notice of dismissal to the applicant. The application fee submitted must be  
retained. The state registrar shall deny an application when the applicant is not eligible to  
apply or when the applicant cannot provide satisfactory documentary evidence in support  
of the application. When an application is denied, a written notice of denial must be  
forwarded to the applicant indicating the reason for the denial. The application fee  
submitted must be retained, except when the applicant is not eligible to apply.  
(8) If, after review of the application and the evidence, the state registrar is satisfied  
that the evidence supports the request, the state registrar shall prepare a delayed  
registration of death on a form prescribed by the state registrar and place the record in the  
active files of the system of vital statistics. A delayed registration of death must be  
marked "delayed." A copy of the delayed registration of death must be forwarded to the  
local registrar for the area where the death occurred.  
(9) If the state registrar becomes aware that a delayed registration of death record  
prepared by the state registrar is invalid or that the evidence received in support of the  
delayed registration of death is false or invalid, the delayed registration of death must be  
rescinded. The state registrar must notify the local registrar of the rescission of the record  
and instruct the local registrar to remove the record from the files.  
History: 1981 AACS; 2025 MR 9, Eff. April 30, 2025.  
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;