In my research of my family I had to get certified copies from New York ($15.00 ), Rhode Island (($15.00) this included my own birth certificate), and Connecticut ($5.00). I don't see any other way of getting copies other then certified as they are type certificates, at the time, taken from the orginial records (usually a ledger) that the clerk types and certifies that they are taken from the orginial source. When obtaining information of land records or copies of property cards or transfers you research the orginial documents (City Clerks or Assessors) you can copy these documents for a fee using their copier or they copy it for you; these are not certified. Peg I check my state (Connecticut) statues regarding certified copies and the following is what I found: Sec. 7-74. Fees for certification of birth registration and certified copy of vital statistics certificate. The fee for a certification of birth registration shall be five dollars and for a certified copy of a certificate of birth, five dollars except that the fee for such certifications and copies when issued by the Department of Public Health shall be fifteen dollars. The fee for a certified copy of a certificate of marriage or death shall be five dollars. Such fees shall not be required of any federal agency or the Department of Public Health. (1949 Rev., S. 577; 1971, P.A. 284, S. 2; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 80-117, S. 2, 3; P.A. 89-217, S. 3, 6; P.A. 93- 114, S. 1, 2; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 94-51, S. 1, 3; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58.)