Austin Obituary Records
Austin death records and obituary information are maintained by the City of Austin Office of Vital Records, which serves as the local registrar for deaths occurring within Austin city limits from 1940 to 1956 and 1961 to the present. The Travis County Clerk holds records for deaths in unincorporated Travis County and for the period from 1903 to 1956. This page explains both offices, how to search Austin death records online, how to request certified copies, and where to find historical obituaries in the Austin area.
Austin Overview
Where to Find Austin Obituary Records
Austin has a split records structure. The City of Austin Office of Vital Records at 7201 Levander Loop, Building C, is the local registrar for deaths within the Austin city limits for the periods 1940 to 1956 and 1961 to the present. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767. This office registers deaths for the city's full-purpose boundary, which extends from Travis County into parts of Bastrop, Hays, and Williamson Counties. So a death that occurred in a part of Austin outside Travis County may still go through this office.
For deaths that occurred in Travis County outside city limits, or for county records from 1903 to 1956, the Travis County Clerk at 5501 Airport Boulevard in Austin is the right office. Their phone number is (512) 854-9188. The Travis County Clerk holds births and deaths within Travis County from 1903 through 1956. For records outside Austin city limits after 1956, contact the Justice of the Peace court where the death occurred. This layered structure can be confusing, but calling the City Office of Vital Records at austintexas.gov is usually the best starting point to determine which office has the record you need.
| City Office | City of Austin Office of Vital Records |
|---|---|
| City Address | 7201 Levander Loop, Building C, Austin, TX 78702 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767 |
| City Website | austintexas.gov |
| County Office | Travis County Clerk |
| County Address | 5501 Airport Boulevard, Austin, TX 78751 |
| County Phone | (512) 854-9188 |
| County Website | countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov |
Note: Austin city limits extend into multiple counties, so a death in Austin may be registered through the city office even if it occurred outside Travis County.
Searching Austin Death Records Online
The Texas DSHS online portal is the best starting point for ordering certified Austin death certificates online. The Texas online death certificate ordering system covers deaths statewide and can process requests for Travis County deaths through the central state index. You need the deceased's full name and approximate date of death. The state system can issue certified copies from Austin-area deaths in its database, though older pre-digital records may need to go through the county or city office directly.
The City of Austin Office of Vital Records contracts with Texas DSHS for access to the state's birth and death issuance data. This means they can issue certified abstract certificates for most Texas births statewide from 1926 onward - that statewide access also covers death records. For genealogy research, FamilySearch holds Travis County death indexes and digitized records going back to 1903. Searching by name and county is free and often returns images of original certificates.
For recent obituary notices, Legacy.com Texas obituaries covers death notices from the Austin American-Statesman and other Central Texas papers. You can search by name to find notices for people who died in Austin or the surrounding metro in recent years.
How to Request Austin Death Certificates
In-person requests for deaths within Austin city limits go to the Office of Vital Records at 7201 Levander Loop, Building C. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID and documentation showing your relationship to the deceased. The office handles requests for death certificates during normal business hours. For county records outside the city, visit the Travis County Clerk at 5501 Airport Boulevard. The county fee for a death certificate search with a certified copy is $20.
Mail requests to the Travis County Clerk should include a completed application form, a notarized signature, a photo ID copy, and a check or money order for the applicable fee. The county accepts checks, money orders, and cashier's checks - not cash or credit cards. Send mail orders to the Recording Division, Travis County Clerk, P.O. Box 149325, Austin, TX 78714. For mail requests through the state, use Texas DSHS Vital Statistics. The standard Texas death certificate fee is $21 for the first copy.
Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 193, death records less than 25 years old are restricted to qualified applicants. Records older than 25 years are open to the public. The City Office also provides technical assistance navigating the records system, referrals to other agencies, and help with multi-jurisdictional issues such as apostilles and amendments.
Historical Austin Obituaries
Travis County death records from the earliest period are held at the Travis County Clerk's office and at the Texas State Library in Austin. The State Library is particularly well-positioned for Austin-area research because it is physically located in the city and holds microfilm collections, digitized records, and reference materials covering Texas vital records from 1903 onward. Researchers can access these holdings on-site or through interlibrary loan.
FamilySearch covers Travis County deaths in their Texas Death Index and links to scanned images of early certificates. Searching by name and filtering by county gives results for Austin-area deaths across multiple decades. The Austin History Center, a division of the Austin Public Library, is another key local resource. It holds newspaper archives from the Austin American-Statesman going back decades, along with other historical materials that carry obituary notices and death records for the Austin area.
For deaths in the more recent past, Legacy.com at legacy.com/us/obituaries/texas has current and recent obituary notices from the Austin metro. The Austin American-Statesman's own archive is another source for newspaper obituary text that goes beyond what a death certificate contains.
The City of Austin Office of Vital Records at 7201 Levander Loop serves Austin residents with death certificates and vital records for events within Austin city limits.
The Austin Office of Vital Records covers the city's full-purpose limits and can refer residents to other agencies when records fall outside its jurisdiction.
Austin Obituary Resources
Primary resources for Austin death records include the City of Austin Office of Vital Records at austintexas.gov, the Travis County Clerk at countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov, and the state portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov. For historical research, the Texas State Library and FamilySearch are the most comprehensive free sources for Travis County death records.
Recent obituary notices appear on Legacy.com. For more on Travis County records and additional courthouse contact information, visit the Travis County obituary records page.
Note: The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics section at the state level can issue records not found through the city or county office, especially for statewide index records from 1903 onward.
Nearby Cities
Death records for cities near Austin are held by the county clerk or city vital records office in each location.