Find Fort Worth Death Records
Fort Worth obituary and death records are maintained by the Tarrant County Clerk, which serves as the records office for Fort Worth and all of Tarrant County. Death certificates for Tarrant County are available from 1903 to the present. The Tarrant County Clerk handles both in-person and mail requests for certified copies. This page covers where to find Fort Worth death records, how to search historical obituary archives, and what state and online resources are available for residents and researchers.
Fort Worth Overview
Where to Find Fort Worth Obituary Records
Fort Worth death records are handled by the Tarrant County Clerk at 100 W. Weatherford Street on the 5th floor in downtown Fort Worth. The phone number is (817) 884-1195. The clerk's office maintains certified copies of death certificates for deaths occurring in Tarrant County, including all Fort Worth city limits. Records go back to 1903, giving researchers access to more than a century of death registrations for the county.
Tarrant County covers Fort Worth along with Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Euless, Bedford, and dozens of other communities. If you are looking for a record from anywhere in Tarrant County, the county clerk is your source. The office handles both standard requests and requests with special circumstances, such as delayed registration or records involving court orders. Staff can pull records by name or by certificate number if you have it.
| Office | Tarrant County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 W. Weatherford Street, 5th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76196 |
| Phone | (817) 884-1195 |
| Website | tarrantcounty.com |
| Records Start | 1903 |
Note: Always confirm current hours and ID requirements before visiting, as they can change without notice.
Searching Fort Worth Death Records Online
The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov is the primary online route for ordering certified Fort Worth and Tarrant County death certificates. You can order through this state system using the deceased person's name and approximate date of death. Orders are processed in Austin and mailed to you, so plan for a longer wait than an in-person request. Payment is accepted online by credit card.
For free historical research, FamilySearch holds indexed Texas death records and digitized certificates for Tarrant County going back to 1903. Searching by name and county often returns full results with scanned images of original documents. This is especially useful for records from the early and mid-20th century that are public domain due to the 25-year access rule. The site is free and does not require a subscription for most Texas record searches.
Recent obituaries from Fort Worth and Tarrant County appear on Legacy.com Texas obituaries. The Star-Telegram has been Fort Worth's paper of record for over a century. Searching Legacy.com by the deceased's name returns results drawn from funeral home notices and newspaper listings across the Fort Worth metro area.
How to Request Fort Worth Death Certificates
In-person requests go to the Tarrant County Clerk at 100 W. Weatherford Street. Bring a government-issued photo ID and be prepared to show your relationship to the deceased. Qualified applicants include immediate family members, legal representatives, and others with a direct legal or financial interest. In-person requests are typically filled the same day during regular office hours.
Mail requests require a completed application, a notarized signature, a photocopy of your photo ID, and a check or money order for the fee. The standard Texas death certificate fee is $21 for the first certified copy and $4 for each additional copy of the same record on the same order. Make the check payable to the Tarrant County Clerk. Include a return mailing address. Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 193, records less than 25 years from the date of death require proof of eligibility. Older records are public and accessible to researchers without restrictions.
You can also use the state's portal at Texas DSHS Vital Statistics to request a state-issued certified copy. The state holds records from all Texas counties in a central index and can issue certified copies from that index. The state and county versions of a certificate are both legally valid.
Historical Fort Worth Obituaries
Tarrant County's death records start in 1903 and provide a full record trail for researchers working on family history in the Fort Worth area. The Texas State Library in Austin holds microfilm collections covering early Tarrant County vital records, available on-site or through interlibrary loan. Early death certificates typically capture name, age, cause of death, birthplace, and the name of the person who filed the report with the county.
FamilySearch has indexed a large portion of early Tarrant County deaths. Their Texas Death Index on FamilySearch covers many Fort Worth-area deaths from 1903 onward and links to scanned images where available. The Fort Worth Public Library also holds local newspaper archives and historical genealogy materials that can supplement official death records. The library's genealogy department is a good resource for families researching deaths in Tarrant County across multiple generations.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, published since 1906, is the primary historical paper for the area. Archives are available through various databases at public libraries. Obituary notices from the paper often contain details about family members, church affiliations, occupation, and service history that don't appear in official death certificates.
The Tarrant County Clerk maintains death certificates and vital records for Fort Worth and all of Tarrant County from 1903 to the present.
Texas DSHS Vital Statistics and the Tarrant County Clerk are the main sources for Fort Worth death records and obituary information.
Fort Worth Obituary Resources
Core resources for Fort Worth death records include the Tarrant County Clerk at tarrantcounty.com, the Texas DSHS ordering portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov, and the state office at dshs.texas.gov/vs. For free historical research, FamilySearch and the Texas State Library are the top starting points for Tarrant County deaths from 1903 onward.
For recent obituary notices, search Legacy.com by name. For more details on Tarrant County records and courthouse access, visit the Tarrant County obituary records page.
Note: Tarrant County records cover Fort Worth as well as Arlington, Grand Prairie, and all other communities within the county boundaries.
Nearby Cities
Death records for nearby cities in the DFW area are held by their respective county and city vital records offices.