Ohio Code § 3705.23

§ 3705.23.

(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the director of health, the state registrar,

or a local registrar, on receipt of a signed application and the fee specified in section 3705.24 of the Revised Code , shall issue a certified copy of a vital record, or of a part of a vital record,

in the director's or registrar's custody to any applicant, unless the vital record

has ceased to be a public record pursuant to section 3705.09 , 3705.11 , 3705.12 , 3705.121 , 3705.122 , 3705.123 , 3705.124 , or 3705.15 of the Revised Code .  The certified copy shall show the date the vital record was registered by the local

registrar. (2) A certified copy of a vital record may be made by a mechanical, electronic, or other

reproduction process.  It shall be certified as a true copy by the director, state registrar, or local

registrar who has custody of the record and shall include the date of issuance, the

name of the issuing officer, the signature of the officer or an authorized facsimile

of the signature, and the seal of the issuing office. (3) A certified copy of a vital record or of any part of a vital record, issued in accordance

with this section, shall be considered for all purposes the same as the original and

shall be prima-facie evidence of the facts stated in it in all courts and places. (4)(a) Information contained in the “information for medical and health use only” section

of a birth record shall not be included as part of a certified copy of the birth record

unless the information specifically is requested by the individual to whose birth

the record attests, either of the individual's parents or the individual's guardian,

a lineal descendant, or an official of the federal or state government or of a political

subdivision of the state charged by law with detecting or prosecuting crime. (b) Except as provided in division (A)(4)(a) of this section, neither the office of vital

statistics nor a local registrar shall disclose information contained in the “information

for medical and health use only” section of a birth record unless a court, for good

cause shown, orders disclosure of the information or the state registrar specifically

authorizes release of the information for statistical or research purposes under conditions

the state registrar, subject to the approval of the director of health, shall establish

by rule. (5) For the first five years after a decedent's death, a decedent's social security number

shall not be included on a certified copy of the decedent's death certificate unless

that information is specifically requested to be on the certified copy by one of the

following who presents proof satisfactory to the director, state registrar, or local

registrar of the person's identity: (a) The decedent's spouse; (b) A county veterans service officer employed under section 5901.07 of the Revised Code ; (c) An official specified in division (A) , (B) , or (C) of section 9.15 of the Revised Code who is authorized to cause the burial or cremation of a dead person as described

in that section; (d) An agent of an officer or official described in division (A)(5)(b) or (c) of this

section, but only if the agent presents either of the following indicating the agent's

status as the officer's or official's agent: (i) Photographic identification, such as an employment badge; (ii) A signed and dated letter on the officer's or official's letterhead. (e) A lineal descendant of the decedent; (f) An individual with a class A or B license to engage in the business of private investigation

issued under section 4749.03 of the Revised Code ; (g) An official of the federal or state government or of a political subdivision of the

state charged by law with detecting or prosecuting crime; (h) An individual engaged in the work of, or connected with, or employed by, any media

organization or media association for the purpose of gathering, procuring, compiling,

editing, disseminating, or publishing news; (i) The executor or administrator of the decedent's estate, or an attorney representing

the executor or administrator; (j) An agent, as defined in section 1337.22 of the Revised Code , of the decedent, when the decedent had been the principal under a power of attorney

created pursuant to sections 1337.21 to 1337.64 of the Revised Code ; (k) The adult, or any adult in a group of adults, serving as the representative or successor

representative under a written declaration the decedent executed pursuant to section 2108.70 of the Revised Code ; (l) A licensed funeral director, or an employee or agent of that individual, who requests

a certified copy of the decedent's death certificate on behalf of a person described

in division (A)(5) of this section other than a person described in division (A)(5)(g)

of this section; (m) Any person who is authorized by law to act on behalf of the decedent or the decedent's

estate but is not listed in divisions (A)(5)(a) to (l) of this section. (B)(1) Unless the applicant specifically requests a certified copy, the director, the state

registrar, or a local registrar, on receipt of a signed application for a birth record

and the fee specified in section 3705.24 of the Revised Code , may issue a certification of birth, and the certification of birth shall contain

at least the name, sex, date of birth, registration date, and place of birth of the

person to whose birth the record attests and shall attest that the person's birth

has been registered.  A certification of birth shall be prima-facie evidence of the facts stated in it

in all courts and places. (2) The director or state registrar, on receipt of a signed application for an heirloom

certification of birth and the fee specified in section 3705.24 of the Revised Code , may issue an heirloom certification of birth.  The director shall prescribe by rule guidelines for the form of an heirloom certification

of birth, and the guidelines shall require the heirloom certification of birth to

contain at least the name, sex, date of birth, registration date, and place of birth

of the person to whose birth the record attests and to attest that the person's birth

has been registered.  An heirloom certification of birth shall be prima-facie evidence of the facts stated

in it in all courts and places. (3)(a) The director or state registrar, on receipt of an application signed by either parent,

shall issue a certificate that recognizes the delivery of a stillborn infant.  The director or state registrar shall not charge a fee for the certificate.  The certificate is not proof of a live birth for purposes of federal, state, and

local taxes. The certificate shall contain the infant's name and sex, the date of delivery, and

the place of delivery.  The certificate shall not contain the word “stillborn” or “stillbirth” or any other

words having the same or a similar meaning.  The director may prescribe by rule any other standards regarding the form of the

certificate. (b) If, prior to June 3, 2014, a parent obtained a certificate that contains the word

“stillborn” or “stillbirth” or any other words having the same or a similar meaning,

the parent may submit to the director or state registrar a written request for issuance

of a certificate that meets the conditions specified in division (B)(3)(a) of this

section.  On receipt of the request, the director or state registrar shall issue the certificate. (C) On evidence that a birth certificate was registered through misrepresentation or

fraud, the state registrar may withhold the issuance of a certified copy of the birth

record or a certification of birth until a court makes a determination that no misrepresentation

or fraud occurred.