Find Arlington Death Records
Arlington obituary and death records are maintained through the Tarrant County Clerk in Fort Worth, Texas. Whether you need a certified death certificate for legal purposes or want to trace a family member who died in the Arlington area, this page covers where to go, what to bring, how to request records by mail or online, and how to find historical obituaries going back to 1903.
Arlington Overview
Where to Find Arlington Obituary Records
Arlington is in Tarrant County, so the Tarrant County Clerk's office in Fort Worth handles all death certificate requests for the city. There is no separate Arlington vital records office. The same clerk's office also serves Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, and all other cities in Tarrant County, so one office handles a large volume of requests for the entire county. The Tarrant County Clerk accepts in-person and mail requests for certified death certificates, and staff can help you complete the application and confirm which documents to include with your request.
Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 193, death records less than 25 years old are restricted to qualified applicants. Records 25 years or older are open to the public. Qualified applicants include the spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the deceased, legal representatives acting on behalf of the estate, and individuals with a direct and tangible interest in the record. If you don't qualify for a restricted record, genealogical databases like FamilySearch offer free access to older records.
| Office | Tarrant County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 W. Weatherford St., 5th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76196 |
| Phone | (817) 884-1195 |
| County Page | Tarrant County Death Records |
Note: Arlington death records are filed with Tarrant County. Contact the Fort Worth office for all certified certificate requests.
Searching Arlington Death Records Online
The Texas DSHS online portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov handles certified death certificate orders for Arlington and all of Texas. You need the full name of the deceased and the approximate year of death. Payment is by credit card, and orders are mailed within a few business days. This is a convenient option if you can't visit the courthouse in person.
FamilySearch at familysearch.org has free indexed Texas death records going back many decades. The Texas death index covers Tarrant County records and includes Arlington-area deaths from statewide registration starting in 1903. Many entries include images of the original certificates, which can show cause of death, birthplace, and other details not visible in a basic index. FamilySearch is useful for genealogy research on older records.
Legacy.com at legacy.com carries obituary notices from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and other area papers. Search by name to find recent obituary postings with service dates, surviving family, and funeral home information.
How to Request Arlington Death Certificates
Mail requests to: Tarrant County Clerk, 100 W. Weatherford St., 5th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76196. Include a completed application form, a copy of your government-issued photo ID, and a check or money order for $21 (first copy). Additional copies of the same record are $4 each. You can also order online at the Texas DSHS portal or visit the Fort Worth courthouse in person.
State-level requests go through the Texas DSHS Vital Statistics Section at dshs.texas.gov/vs. Requirements are posted at dshs.texas.gov/vs/requirements.aspx. State processing takes longer than a direct county request but covers all Texas counties. For estate purposes, order multiple certified copies at once since additional copies cost only $4 each at time of order.
Historical Arlington Obituaries
Arlington was founded in the 1870s along the Texas and Pacific Railway between Fort Worth and Dallas. Tarrant County death records from the early 1900s onward are held at the Tarrant County Clerk's office and indexed in the Texas State Library microfilm collections. FamilySearch has digitized portions of the Texas death index for Tarrant County that cover the Arlington area.
The Texas State Library at tsl.texas.gov holds historical records and can assist with genealogy research for Arlington and the surrounding Tarrant County area. For deaths before 1903, cemetery records and church registers in the Fort Worth-Arlington area are the main sources. The Arlington Public Library also holds local history collections and newspaper archives that can supplement official records for genealogy research in the city.
The Tarrant County Clerk's office handles all death certificate requests for Arlington, which is entirely within Tarrant County.
The Tarrant County Clerk in Fort Worth handles certified death certificate requests for Arlington and all cities in Tarrant County.
Arlington Obituary Resources
Contact the Tarrant County Clerk at (817) 884-1195 for death certificate requests and records questions. Order online at ovra.txapps.texas.gov, or search at FamilySearch and the Texas State Library at tsl.texas.gov. Recent obituaries from the Arlington area appear on Legacy.com, where you can search by name and date range. For full county contact details, hours, and additional guidance, see the Tarrant County death records page.
Nearby Cities
These nearby cities also have death records available through their county clerk offices.