How Soon After Death is an Obituary Posted?
Short answer: Most obituaries appear within 3-7 days, but the timing is unpredictable. Funeral home websites post first (often same-day), while newspaper obituaries can take a week or more. If you're anxiously checking Google every few hours, there's a better way.
This guide explains the 2026 timeline for obituary publication, why delays happen, and how to get instant alerts the moment a notice goes live—so you never miss what you're waiting for.
State Probate Compliance Requirements
Creditor notification statutes and "Reasonable Diligence" standards vary by state. Review the requirements for your jurisdiction:
2026 Obituary Publication Timeline
Here's what to expect in terms of timing:
Check Probate Notice Deadlines by County
Obituary timing is often dictated by local probate court requirements for "Notice to Creditors." If you are managing an estate in one of these high-volume jurisdictions, ensure you meet the local statutory window:
| County / Metro Area | Mandatory Publication Period | Local Compliance Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County (Chicago) | 6 Months for Claims | View Cook County Requirements |
| Harris County (Houston) | 1 Month to Publish | View Harris County Requirements |
| Los Angeles County | 4 Months for Claims | View Los Angeles Requirements |
| Maricopa (Phoenix) | 4 Months for Claims | View Maricopa Requirements |
| Miami-Dade (Miami) | 3 Months for Claims | View Miami-Dade Requirements |
| Fulton County (Atlanta) | 6 Months for Claims | View Fulton County Requirements |
| Palm Beach (West Palm Beach) | 3 Months for Claims | View Palm Beach Requirements |
| Orange County (Irvine) | 4 Months for Claims | View Orange County Requirements |
| Mecklenburg (Charlotte) | 90 Days for Claims | View Mecklenburg Requirements |
| Oakland County (Detroit) | 4 Months for Claims | View Oakland County Requirements |
Don't see your county? View our full State-by-State Probate Coverage Map here
Why Obituaries Get Delayed
1. Newspaper Backlogs
Print newspapers have strict submission deadlines (usually 2-4 PM for next-day publication). Miss the cutoff and you wait another day. Weekend deaths often don't appear until Tuesday or Wednesday.
2. Family Decision-Making
Writing an obituary during grief is difficult. Families coordinate across time zones, debate wording, wait for service details, or simply need time to process. This can add days or weeks to the timeline.
3. Funeral Home Workload
Busy funeral homes prioritize arrangements over obituary submission. If they're handling multiple services, your loved one's notice may wait in queue.
Where Obituaries Appear First
If you're checking manually, here's the order to prioritize:
- Funeral home website - Often the first place, same day or next day
- Legacy.com - Major aggregator, usually within 1-2 days
- Local newspaper website - Before or same as print edition
- Print newspaper - 3-7 days after death typically
- Find A Grave / Ancestry - User-submitted, can take weeks
The Problem with Manual Checking
There are over 2,500 funeral homes, newspapers, and memorial sites in the U.S. Checking them all manually is impossible. You might check the wrong site while the obituary you're waiting for appears somewhere you haven't looked.
Why 30% of Deaths Have No Obituary
Not finding an obituary doesn't mean someone is still alive. Many deaths go unpublished because:
- Cost - Newspaper obituaries cost $200-$500+
- Privacy - Some families prefer not to publish
- Estrangement - No family to write or submit one
- Timing - Delayed memorial services mean delayed notices
For Legal & Estate Professionals
If you're a probate attorney, estate administrator, or creditor notification specialist, unpredictable obituary timing creates real liability exposure. Courts expect documented "reasonable diligence" in your search efforts.
Professional Plans for Law Firms
Our Professional plans ($249/mo) include court-ready audit logs, Negative Search Certificates, bulk CSV import, and team collaboration. Document your diligence automatically.
Learn about Professional PlansFrequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for an obituary to appear online?
Usually 24-72 hours after death, but local newspaper backlogs can extend this to 7-10 days. Funeral home websites often post same-day, while newspaper obituary sections require 1-2 business days. Our monitoring catches notices across all sources within hours of publication.
Can I get notified the moment an obituary is posted?
Yes. ObituaryMonitor scans 2,500+ obituary sources every few hours and sends instant email and SMS alerts when a matching notice is published. This eliminates the need to manually check multiple websites daily.
Why hasn't an obituary appeared after a week?
Delays beyond 7 days occur for several reasons: medical examiner investigations, family disputes over content, delayed memorial services, or the family choosing not to publish one at all. Approximately 30% of deaths never result in a published obituary.
Where do obituaries appear first?
Funeral home websites typically publish first (same day or next day), followed by online obituary platforms like Legacy.com (1-2 days), then newspaper websites and print editions (2-5 days). Monitoring all sources simultaneously is the only way to catch the earliest posting.
How can I stop manually checking for obituaries?
Set up automated monitoring with ObituaryMonitor. Enter the name once, and our system scans 2,500+ sources 24/7. You receive an alert the moment a matching obituary is published—no more daily searches or missed notices.
Do all deaths result in an obituary?
No. Approximately 30% of deaths never result in a publicly published obituary due to cost ($200-$500 for newspaper placement), privacy preferences, or lack of family involvement. The absence of an obituary does not confirm someone is alive.