Madison County Birth Certificates

Madison County birth records are some of the oldest in all of Illinois. The County Clerk's office in Edwardsville has birth records going back to 1846, which is 30 years before most other Illinois counties started keeping them. That is a rare thing. If you need a birth certificate for someone born in Madison County, the clerk's office at 157 North Main Street handles all requests. You can order in person, by mail, or through VitalChek online. With over 265,000 residents, Madison County is one of the larger counties in southern Illinois and processes a steady flow of birth record requests each year.

Madison County Clerk's Office

The Madison County Clerk handles all birth certificate requests for this county. Their office is at 157 North Main Street, Room 109, in Edwardsville. This is the only local office where you can get a Madison County birth record. Call (618) 692-6290 with questions, or send a fax to (618) 692-8903. The mailing address is P.O. Box 218, Edwardsville, IL 62025.

Madison County has kept birth records since 1846. That is 70 years before the state of Illinois started its own vital records system in 1916. Few counties in the state can match that kind of history. If you need a birth certificate from the mid-1800s, this is one of the rare offices that might have it. Records from before 1916 exist only at the county level, so the Madison County Clerk's website is the right place to start for those older files.

Walk-in requests are handled at the Edwardsville office during business hours. Bring a valid photo ID. Staff will look up the birth record and print copies while you wait in most cases.

Madison County Birth Record Fees

The fee for a certified birth record from Madison County is $20 for the first copy. Additional copies of the same record cost $8 each when ordered at the same time. These rates are set by the clerk's office and apply to all ordering methods.

Genealogical copies are priced differently. If you are doing family history research and the birth record is 75 years old or more, you can get an uncertified genealogical copy for $12. Additional genealogical copies of the same record cost $8 each. Since Madison County has records back to 1846, there is a large pool of records that fall into the genealogical category. These copies are stamped "For Genealogical Purposes Only" and cannot be used for legal matters, but they work well for tracing family lines.

Payment by check or money order is the standard for mail requests. In-person orders at the Madison County Clerk's office may have additional payment options. Confirm with the clerk before you visit.

Note: Madison County fees can change, so call (618) 692-6290 to verify the current amount before sending payment.

How to Get a Madison County Birth Certificate

There are several ways to order a birth certificate from Madison County. Each has its own steps and timeline.

For in-person orders, visit the clerk's office at 157 North Main Street, Room 109, in Edwardsville. Bring a valid photo ID such as a driver's license or state ID. If you don't have either of those, Madison County will accept three other forms of identification. These include an insurance card, voter registration card, Social Security card, car registration, check stub, or Public Aid ID. You need to show at least three of these if you cannot provide a driver's license or state ID. Most walk-in orders are filled on the spot.

Mail orders go to P.O. Box 218, Edwardsville, IL 62025. Include a photocopy of your ID, a filled-out request form, and a check or money order for $20 made payable to the Madison County Clerk. Mail processing takes longer than walk-in visits. Allow a few weeks for your Madison County birth certificate to arrive.

You can also order through VitalChek online or by phone. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the Madison County charge, but it lets you pay by credit or debit card. This is a good choice if you live far from Edwardsville or don't have access to checks.

The VitalChek portal above shows the ordering page for Madison County vital records, including birth certificates. Follow the prompts to place your order and track its status.

Who Can Order Madison County Birth Records

Illinois law limits who can receive a certified birth certificate. This is not a public record. The rules come from 410 ILCS 535/25 and apply to every county in the state, including Madison County.

The people who can get a certified copy include the person named on the birth certificate if they are 18 or older. A parent whose name is on the record can also order it. Legal guardians must bring court papers that prove their status. Legal representatives need proper authorization documents. A court order can grant access in other cases too. Government agencies may request birth records with a written statement of purpose.

One thing to know about Madison County: anyone under the age of 18 cannot get a certified copy of their own birth record. Even though state law allows a person "of legal age" to request their own certificate, Madison County enforces the age-18 rule strictly. A parent or guardian must place the order for a minor.

For genealogical requests on records 75 years or older, the access rules are less strict. Anyone with a family research interest can apply for an uncertified copy from Madison County.

Fixing Errors on Madison County Birth Certificates

The Madison County Clerk does not make corrections to birth records. All changes go through the Illinois Department of Public Health in Springfield. This applies whether you found a misspelled name, a wrong date, or any other mistake on a Madison County birth certificate.

Minor corrections are smaller fixes that happen within one year of when the birth was recorded. These are the simpler cases. Major corrections cover everything else, including name changes, date or place changes, and changes to parent information. Any change made after one year from the birth date is automatically treated as a major correction under 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 500. Contact IDPH at (217) 782-6554 to begin a correction for a Madison County birth record. Processing at the state level takes about 12 weeks.

State Birth Records for Madison County

The Illinois Department of Public Health also keeps copies of Madison County birth records, but only from 1916 forward. For births before that year, the Madison County Clerk is your only option. Since Madison County records start in 1846, there are 70 years of records that only exist at the county level.

At the state office, a short-form certified copy costs $10 and a long-form copy costs $15. Extra copies are $2 each. Send requests to IDPH, Division of Vital Records, 925 E. Ridgely Ave, Springfield, IL 62702-2737. Make checks payable to IDPH. Processing takes about 12 weeks by mail, and no updates are provided during that time. If you need it faster and the birth was after 1916, you can visit the IDPH Springfield office at 605 W. Jefferson St. during weekday hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for walk-in service.

If you need an apostille for international use of a Madison County birth certificate, contact the Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, or call 800-252-8980.

Delayed Birth Registration in Madison County

Sometimes a birth is not recorded at the time it happens. This is more common with older records from Madison County. Illinois law under 410 ILCS 535/14 has a process for late registration. If a birth in Madison County was never registered, you can still create a record, but the steps depend on how long ago it was.

For births that happened within the past year, the standard form can be used. Births from one to seven years ago need approval from the State Registrar, and the record gets marked as "delayed." For births more than seven years in the past, you must file a "Delayed Record of Birth" form with sworn testimony. Supporting documents like hospital records, baptismal certificates, or school records help prove the facts. This process goes through the state office, not through the Madison County Clerk directly.

Cities in Madison County

Madison County has many cities and towns, all served by the same county clerk for birth records. Edwardsville is the county seat. Other communities include Granite City, Alton, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Troy, and Highland. All birth records for Madison County come from the clerk's office in Edwardsville, no matter which city the birth took place in.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Madison County. If you are not sure where a birth was recorded, check which county the hospital or home was in. Birth records in Illinois go by the county where the birth happened, not where the family lived later.