Free Death Records Search Services

By Claire Dowell


Texas Death Records are maintained by the state's central repository of public records which is at the Texas Vital Statistics Office, Department of State Health Services. They are also maintained at a country registrar's office because that is where they are initially recorded. The Vital Statistics Office maintains death records dating as far back as 1903. For records prior to that year, they are only available at the specific country registrar's office.

Public files can be accessed by any individual. Death files are deemed as public files 25 years after they are filed. Files that are less than 25 years of age are only given to immediate relatives of the deceased person or other parties that have the approval of immediate relatives and the court. Outside parties need to acquire a notarized statement from immediate relatives. If it has not passed 90 days after the death of a person, it is more likely than not that there is no file created yet.

If you want to request death documents, there is a request form at the Vital Statistics Office. If you cannot head to the office, you may download it from their website as well. For every request submitted, a fee of $22 will be charged to you and you can pay it through check, money order, or cash. If you want to mail your request, you may do so and you will be charged $20 for it. If you personally submit your request at the office, there is a possibility that will get the files on that same day or a few days maximum. For mailed requests, the return period is 6 to 8 weeks and will only be lessened if you pay additional fees. In addition, there are no refunds given to clients even if the files are not located.

Important fields that need to be filled-out on the request form include the name of the deceased, date and place of death, date they were born, etc. It is easier to locate the files if you can provide more details regarding the files. In cases where the year is not known, include a range of years to be searched.

Nowadays, public records can also be retrieved from private service providers. They have authorization from the court to provide them to the public. They are either for free or they render a certain amount of fee for their service. There are a number of service providers available on the Internet and it is just a matter of finding the right one that suits your search needs. However, be aware that there are fake service providers out there. Do a background check on them before deciding which one to use.

More people are performing a Death Search nowadays because of the ease of accessing them online. With just a computer, a connection to the Internet and knowledge of the full name of the dead person, a search can be performed wherever you feel comfortable. There is no need to wait for long periods of time because results are instantly displayed on your computer.




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