Apache County expands vital records outreach in Ganado, Chinle for 2026

Apache County’s vital records office has put birth and death certificates within easier reach for Navajo Nation residents who need them for school enrollment, benefits, IDs, estate paperwork or health-related documentation.

The county’s 2026 outreach schedule adds regular service in Ganado and Chinle, two communities where a trip to St. Johns can mean hours on the road. Ganado outreach is held at the Ganado District II Administration Complex at Highway 264 and Chapter House Road, while Chinle service is offered at the Chinle District I Administration Complex, left of the Motor Vehicle Division. Both sites operate from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment only.

The county says appointments for Ganado and Chinle should be made by calling the office Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (928) 337-7525. If residents call on a scheduled outreach day, they should text or leave a message at (928) 245-8461. The schedule lists monthly outreach throughout the year, including May 12 in Ganado and May 13 in Chinle.

Fees are simple but strict. Apache County charges $20 for each birth or death certificate and $30 for each amendment. The office accepts money orders and debit or credit cards, but it does not accept cash or personal checks. Residents can also order records online through the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The county says it can process some birth certificate amendments from 1997 to the present and death certificate amendments from 2009 to the present. Older amendments must go through the state office. Apache County Vital Records also says it cannot create delayed birth certificates for unregistered home births, but it can point Native American residents born before 1970 to the state process for delayed birth registration.

That state guidance matters in Apache County and across Indian Country, where many people were born at home before paperwork was filed and later found no birth record in the state database. Arizona Department of Health Services says a 2014 tribal consultation helped streamline delayed birth procedures for Native Americans born before 1970.

The main Vital Records office is on the second floor at 75 W. Cleveland Street in St. Johns, and Apache County Public Health Services lists the unit as part of its public-health division. For families across this large, rural county, the outreach schedule turns a hard-to-reach government task into a local service that can keep school applications, benefit claims and estate matters from stalling.