Now can issue certified birth certificates for all Ohio births
The Wood County Health Department can now issue birth certificates for anyone born in Ohio after 1907.

Prior to this improvement, a person would need to purchase a copy from the county where the birth
occurred or from the state office of vital statistics. Now, anyone born in Ohio can obtain a copy of a
birth record from the Wood County Health Department at 1840 E. Gypsy Lane Road in Bowling Green. Office
hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $23. No appointment is necessary and
the process usually takes less than 15 minutes.
For more information, the Vital Stats office can be reached at (419) 354-1050. Information is also
available at the "Birth/Death Records" link at the department’s Web site:
www.co.wood.oh.us/HealthDepartment.
"We’re very excited to be able to expand our services to the community," said Pamela Butler,
health commissioner. "We think it will be a great benefit for residents who may not have been born
in Wood County to be able to get their birth record locally."
The change comes after many years of work by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to scan and key index
information of over 20 million vital records into the state database. Wood County was approved by the
state health department for statewide issuance after attending training and passing a site audit.
Participation in statewide issuance is voluntary.
Certified birth records are required for various reasons including getting a state ID or driver’s
license, enrolling a child in school or applying for a passport. For genealogical searches, vital
statistic indexes are currently still limited to recorded births that occurred in Wood County after
1907. In addition, there have been no changes to death records and they must still be obtained from the
county in which the death occurred.
The Wood County Health Department provides more than100 services to the community, including medical
services for uninsured and underinsured men, women and children. The mission of Wood County Health
Department is to promote conditions that allow people to lead healthy lives by routinely reviewing
health-related issues and taking action to prevent illness and injuries. The Wood County Board of Health
meetings are generally held on the second Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Wood County Health Department and
are open to the public. For more information, call (419) 352-8402 or 866-861-9338 or go to
www.co.wood.oh.us/HealthDepartment.