Fees increase for birth and death certificates

Advocates for low-income people say the increased fees will be a financial burden for people struggling during the recession.

The latest increase comes as Georgians approach one of the busiest seasons for requests for birth certificates, said Vicky Kimbrell, a project director for the Georgia Legal Services Program. Parents often need them to enroll children in school, summer camps and public assistance programs such as Medicaid.

"If you have three children entering school, that's $75," she said. "For a family that is living paycheck to paycheck, that could mean fewer groceries."

Additional copies of a single record cost $5, according to the DCH. People often need multiple copies of a death certificate in order to settle a person's insurance policies and other matters.

In pushing through another cost increase, the state health agency followed the recommendation of state lawmakers, who approved legislation to raise dozens of fees this year. They expect to raise a total of about $90 million to prop up a suffering state budget.

Bert Brantley, a spokesman for Gov. Sony Perdue, said officials were attempting to update the costs of administering the services behind these fees, and that some of the fees had not been increased in decades.

The increase in the certificate fee is expected to generate an additional $1.8 million for the state general fund, DCH spokeswoman Ravae Graham said.

Before the increase in January, the fees for birth and death certificates had not been raised since 1993, said Nancy Stephenson, a probate judge in Daugherty County.

DCH officials say the cost of birth and death certificates ranges across the country from free to $45. Alabama charges $15 for a birth or death certificate, and $6 for each additional copy. Florida charges $9 for a birth certificate and $5 for a death certificate, and $4 for copies, at the state office in Jacksonville. Some counties add additional fees at their offices.