Birth certificate number definition

Almost all birth certificates issued by a U.S. State include an 11-digit number written in XXX-XX-XXXXXX format. The birth certificate number is formed by:

This format was adopted by all states in 1948, making the birth certificate number uniform across the country.

Where is the Document Number on a Birth Certificate?

In all birth certificates issued in the United States of America, the birth certificate identification number is located in the upper right corner of the certificate copy.

How to Identify the Birth Area Code

The birth area code consists of the first 3 digits of the birth certificate number. It is useful to identify the location where the birth occurred.

Find below a list of birth area code numbers by state as well as applicable exceptions:

Birth Area Code By States
State Area Code
Alabama 101
Alaska 150
Arizona 102
Arkansas 103
California 104
Colorado 105
Connecticut 106
Delaware 107
D.C. 108
Florida 109
Georgia 110
Hawaii 151
Idaho 111
Illinois 112
Indiana 113
Iowa 114
Kansas 115
Kentucky 116
Louisiana
- Birth certificates issued before 1988 in Louisiana may start with 119. New Orleans birth certificates started with 117 until 7/01/74		 117
Maine 118
Maryland
- Baltimore birth certificates issued before the 1970s may start with 154		 119
Massachusetts
- Boston does not have an area code for birth certificates		 120
Michigan 121
Minnesota 122
Mississippi 123
Missouri 124
Montana 125
Nebraska 126
Nevada 127
New Hampshire 128
New Jersey 129
New Mexico 130
New York
- New York city uses the birth area code 156 for its birth certificateS		 131
North Carolina 132
North Dakota 133
Ohio 134
Oklahoma 135
Oregon 136
Pennsylvania uses a 7-digit number, which always ends in 0, followed by an - and the year of birth
Rhode Island 138
South Carolina 139
South Dakota 140
Tennessee 141
Texas 142
Utah 143
Vermont 144
Virginia 145
Washington 146
West Virginia 147
Wisconsin 148
Wyoming 149