How Texas Death Records Work

Texas death certificates are restricted for 25 years to immediate family and documented legal interest, then open to anyone. The index situation moved backwards: state death indexes that used to be posted online are now released only on request. No informational copies inside the window.

Local registrars and county clerks issue certificates alongside the state, and ordering runs through the official Texas.gov portal. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Where to Order

Texas Vital Statistics Section (DSHS)
Official Free
The official record holder — forms, fees, and eligibility straight from the source, without third-party markup.
🌐 dshs.texas.gov
CDC — Where to Write for Vital Records
Official Free
The federal directory of every state's vital records office — the authoritative answer to 'where do I order' for any state and any year.
🌐 www.cdc.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Texas death certificates become public?
Texas death certificates are restricted for 25 years to immediate family and documented legal interest, then open to anyone.
Can I get a copy if I'm not family?
No informational copies inside the window.
Is there a free Texas death index online?
Death indexes (1903+ on microfiche, 1965+ digital) are released by request from DSHS — roughly $10 per year-file — rather than posted for search.
What if I just need to confirm a death or find an obituary?
Skip the certificate entirely: newspaper obituaries (many are indexed by library databases), the Social Security death index carried on the big genealogy platforms, and probate case files in the county court that handled the estate all confirm a death without touching the restricted certificate.

Related Texas Records

The Texas vital records page covers the full birth-marriage-death picture; birth certificates follow their own (usually longer) privacy clock; probate lives in Texas court records; and people search shows how death records fit a full person lookup. County pages list the local offices that issue copies.