Birth Records in Unicoi County

Unicoi County birth records are issued through the Unicoi County Health Department in Erwin and through the Tennessee Office of Vital Records in Nashville. Residents can get a certified birth certificate for any Tennessee birth at the local health department for $15.00 per copy. The county seat is Erwin. This page covers how to request a birth certificate in Unicoi County, what ID you need, how to order remotely, and where to look for older historical birth documents for genealogy research.

Unicoi County Health Department

The Unicoi County Health Department in Erwin is the primary local source for birth certificate requests. Tennessee's VRISM (Vital Records Issuance System) means any county health department in the state can issue a certified birth certificate for any registered Tennessee birth. A person born in Memphis who now lives in Erwin can walk into the Unicoi County Health Department and get their certificate without a trip to Nashville. The system works statewide and the same fee applies everywhere.

The cost is $15.00 per certified copy. You must bring a valid government-issued photo ID. A driver's license, passport, or state-issued ID card are all accepted. Parents requesting a certificate for a minor child will need to demonstrate their legal relationship to the child. Check the county website at unicoicountytn.gov for current office hours and any additional requirements before going to the health department in Erwin.

The full process for requesting a birth certificate in person, by mail, or online is at vitalrecords.tn.gov. Current fees are posted at vitalrecords.tn.gov/fees.

Tennessee Vital Records Fee Schedule

The Tennessee vital records fee schedule at vitalrecords.tn.gov lists the current cost for certified birth certificates and other vital documents. The same fee of $15.00 applies whether you request a certificate at the Unicoi County Health Department in Erwin or at the state office in Nashville.

Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $15.00 as well. The fee covers the cost of the certified document with the state seal. Plain informational copies are not typically available for birth records. The fee page also covers other vital records such as death and marriage certificates, which are useful to know if you are doing broader research on a Unicoi County family.

Tennessee Office of Vital Records

Unicoi County residents who want to order by mail or online can contact the Tennessee Office of Vital Records. The office is at the 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243. Phone: (615) 741-1763. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, with Tuesday and Thursday extended to 6 PM. The state vital records office covers all registered Tennessee births from 1908 to the present.

For online and phone orders, use VitalChek at vitalchek.com or call 800-241-8322. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the standard $15.00 state fee. The Tennessee Department of Health's main page at tn.gov/health covers the full program. The CDC guide at cdc.gov also explains how to request Tennessee vital records by mail.

Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-07-01-.11, Tennessee birth records are restricted for 100 years. Only the registrant, a parent, a legal guardian, or other specifically authorized persons can get a certified copy of a record less than 100 years old. After 100 years, the record is open to the public.

Note: If a birth in Unicoi County was never formally registered, the state has a process for filing a delayed birth certificate. Information is at vitalrecords.tn.gov.

Unicoi County Clerk

The Unicoi County Clerk's office in Erwin issues marriage licenses and keeps county records. The clerk does not issue certified birth certificates, which come from the health department. But if you are researching family history in Unicoi County and need marriage or other vital records, the clerk's office is the right place.

Visit unicoicountytn.gov for office hours, location, and contact information for the Unicoi County Clerk. The clerk staff can tell you what records they hold and how to request copies. For marriage records tied to a birth you are tracing in Unicoi County, this is your local source.

Historical Unicoi County Birth Records

For genealogy and historical research, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) holds early birth records for Unicoi County. The TSLA is at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N., Nashville, TN 37219. Their vital records guide at sos.tn.gov lists what records are available for each county by year. This helps researchers know what to expect before making the trip to Nashville from Erwin.

Tennessee did not require formal birth registration until 1908, so records from before that year vary widely. For Unicoi County, most pre-1908 birth documentation is in church records, family bibles, and records held at the TSLA. After 1908, the formal registration system covered most births, though compliance in rural mountain counties sometimes lagged in the early years. The TSLA can help you locate what exists for Unicoi County in both the pre- and post-1908 periods.

Some early records have been digitized and are available through the Tennessee Digital Archives at digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov. Searching there first can help you determine what exists before visiting Nashville or the Unicoi County offices in Erwin.

Cities in Unicoi County

Unicoi County includes the town of Erwin and a few smaller communities. Erwin is the county seat and serves as the center for all county services, including the health department. No cities in Unicoi County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Unicoi County is in the northeastern corner of Tennessee along the North Carolina border. It is part of the mountains of East Tennessee. Birth records are filed in the county where the birth occurred, so check the correct county when looking for records from this region.

View All 95 Tennessee Counties