Brazos County Obituary Records
Brazos County death records and obituaries are maintained by the County Clerk in Bryan, Texas. The county is home to both Bryan and College Station, the site of Texas A&M University. Death certificates for events in Brazos County from 1903 to the present are held at the clerk's office. Whether you need a certified copy of a death certificate, want to search obituaries for a family member, or are researching historical records in the Bryan-College Station area, this page explains where to go and how to request records.
Brazos County Overview
Brazos County Clerk Death Records
The Brazos County Clerk's office in Bryan is the local registrar for vital records in this central Texas county. Death certificates for events occurring in Brazos County from 1903 to the present are on file here. The clerk processes in-person and mail requests. For deaths within the city limits of Bryan or College Station, the county clerk typically holds the records, as neither city maintains a separate vital records office.
Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 193, Brazos County death records less than 25 years old are restricted to qualified applicants. These include immediate family members, legal agents, and anyone who can document a direct and tangible interest in the record. After 25 years, the records become public and can be requested by anyone.
| Office | Brazos County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 300 E. 26th Street, Suite 120, Bryan, TX 77803 |
| Phone | (979) 361-4130 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | brazoscountytx.gov |
Note: The Brazos County Clerk also accepts requests by mail; include a notarized application and a copy of your photo ID with your check or money order.
How to Search Brazos County Obituaries
The fastest online route for Brazos County death certificates is the Texas DSHS ordering portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov. Enter the deceased's full name and county and the system processes your request online. For genealogy research, FamilySearch at familysearch.org has indexed Texas death records including Brazos County entries. The Texas State Library at tsl.texas.gov holds early county vital records on microfilm.
The Bryan-College Station Eagle is the main local newspaper. Obituary notices from the Eagle often appear on Legacy.com at legacy.com. Texas A&M University's Cushing Memorial Library also holds historical materials relating to the Bryan-College Station area that may be useful for genealogists.
Requesting Brazos County Death Certificates
To request a certified death certificate from the Brazos County Clerk, visit the office at 300 E. 26th Street in Bryan or submit a mail request. Mail requests should include a completed application, a notarized signature, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order for $21. Each additional copy of the same record costs $4 when ordered at the same time. In-person requests are typically processed the same day.
You can also order through the state at dshs.texas.gov/vs. State processing by mail takes longer, but the state order portal online processes requests faster. The eligibility rules are the same through both the county and the state. See dshs.texas.gov/vs/requirements.aspx for documentation requirements.
Historical Brazos County Obituary Records
Brazos County death records date to 1903. Early records reflect the farming and academic community of the Bryan-College Station area. The Texas State Library holds microfilm covering early death indexes for many Texas counties. FamilySearch includes digitized Texas death collections with Brazos County entries. Researchers can also search Ancestry.com and other genealogy databases for this county.
Older newspaper obituaries from the Bryan Eagle can sometimes be found through the Brazos County library system. Historical records from the Texas A&M University community, including faculty and staff obituaries, may appear in university archives. The Library of Congress guide at loc.gov lists additional resources for central Texas research.
The Brazos County Clerk's website provides information on vital records, death certificates, and county services in Bryan, Texas.
The Brazos County Clerk in Bryan maintains death records from 1903 forward for the entire county including the Bryan and College Station communities.
Texas Law and Brazos County Death Records
Texas Health and Safety Code Section 193.003 requires death certificates to be filed within 10 days. The attending physician or funeral director is responsible for filing. Brazos County death records less than 25 years old are restricted under Chapter 193. After 25 years, the records are public. Section 193.007 covers delayed registration for deaths not reported on time, which may explain gaps in some early Brazos County records.
Brazos County Obituary Resources
Key resources: the Brazos County Clerk at (979) 361-4130, DSHS online ordering at ovra.txapps.texas.gov, the DSHS death records page at dshs.texas.gov/vs/death, FamilySearch at familysearch.org, the Texas State Library at tsl.texas.gov, and Legacy.com at legacy.com. Cities in this county include Bryan and College Station.
Nearby Counties
Brazos County is located in central Texas and borders several counties in the Brazos River valley.