We think a family member is trying to obtain credit in a dead family members name. Can they get an original copy of a death certificate without permission from the deceased's spouse?

In this state a death certificate is a public document, believe it or not. I can walk into the county bureau of vital statistics and purchase any death certificate for anyone as long as I have the cash. It will have the official seal. I do not need permission from anyone.

Since I was the executor of a deceased person's estate, I needed orders of administration, which I got from the clerk of the court. I also had to pay for those. I needed those to sell any of the deceased's property. My name was on them as the only person authorized to sell any of the deceased's property. I closed the estate as fast as possible.