Vital records

A birth certificate is held by the state where the birth happened, not by the federal government. That same state is the only office that can correct what the record says.

Certified death certificates come from the state or county where the death occurred, and only certain relatives and representatives may order them. Most estates need far more copies than families expect.

A marriage record is held by the county that issued the license and often by the state registrar. A divorce decree is held by the court that granted it, which is a different office entirely.

An adoption creates an amended birth certificate and seals the original. Three separate files result, held by three different offices, each with its own access rule.

Replacing lost records has a required order, because each document is the proof another one demands. This sets out that order, the issuing agency for each, and what to do when you have nothing.