Records of the Coroner's Office are public records and are available for inspection during normal business hours. Appointments must be made to inspect such records by contacting the Coroner's Office in the county where the death occurred. Certified copies of coroner records are available upon written request to the respective Coroner's Office by paying the customary fee in effect at the time of the request. Furthermore no records may be reproduced, photocopied, and/or certified at the time of inspection.

Certified copies of a death certificate can only be obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the county in which a person died. For Ashland County the address is Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1763 State Route 60, Ashland, OH 44805. The telephone number is (419) 282-4231. Some funeral directors order additional copies of the death certificate upon request of the family, for the family's convenience. For life insurance and other official purposes a certified copy is usually necessary.