When death certificates open, who can order them now, and the free index, obituary, and probate routes.
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.
Often you don't need the certificate at all — you need proof the death happened. Death indexes (1903+ on microfiche, 1965+ digital) are released by request from DSHS — roughly $10 per year-file — rather than posted for search. Where an index exists, it answers the question for free.
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Obituaries and the SSDI
The obituary route is faster than most official channels: newspaper obituaries via library databases, funeral-home notices, and the Social Security death index carried on the big genealogy platforms together confirm most deaths within minutes.
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Let probate prove it
Probate is the overlooked confirmer: if an estate was opened, the county court file proves the death, names the parties, and often matters more than the certificate itself — run it through Texas court records.
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When only the certificate will do
When it truly must be the certificate: the rules above apply — 25 years after death in Texas — and the custodian card at the top is the direct channel. For family history at scale, pair this page with the Texas birth certificates guide, whose clock runs differently.
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.
