Thursday, August 1, 2013

Texas Public Death Records

By Claire Dowell


The Texas Vital Statistics Office of the Department of State Health Services is the office in-charge of storing public records, including Texas Death Records. Death documents since 1903 can be found at the office. They are also stored at the county registrar's office where they were originally documented. Deaths that were documented before 1903 can be found only at the registrar's office.

Death records become part of public records 25 years after they are created. Once they become part of public records, they become available to the public upon request. Any person may request for the records but will need a notarized statement from someone who has authorization over them. Death records that are less than 25 years of age are only available to the immediate family of the deceased and those that specified by the court. Deaths may not have a record yet if they occurred 90 days prior to a record request.

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.

When making a request, it is crucial to supply as much details about the document. The more details are supplied, the better the chances are of locating the right document. If the exact year of the document is unknown, an estimate of years should be included so the process does not become that long. Vital details that are required to be supplied include the name of the dead person, date and location where the person died, birth date, and more.

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.

Websites that offer a Death Search are steadily gaining popularity because the process of getting the records is easy and not time-consuming. All that is needed to begin a search are a computer, connectivity to the Web, and knowledge of the full name of the deceased. Results are provided quickly in no time at all. With this kind of method, searching for the files can be done no matter where you are.




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