Find Death Records in Leon County
Leon County obituary and death records are held by the County Clerk in Centerville, Texas, with records on file from 1903 forward. You can search these records in person at the courthouse, by mail, or through state and genealogy databases online. This page explains where to find Leon County death certificates, how to request certified copies, and what other sources are available for researching deceased individuals in this East Texas county.
Leon County Overview
Leon County Clerk Death Records
The Leon County Clerk's office in Centerville is the local registrar for vital records in the county. The clerk holds death certificates for deaths that occurred in Leon County from 1903 to the present. For deaths in the unincorporated areas of the county, the clerk is your first contact for certified copies. Requests are accepted in person at the Centerville courthouse or by mail.
Texas law restricts access to recent death certificates. To get a certified copy, you must be an immediate family member, a legal representative, or someone who can document a direct interest in the record. For genealogy work, death records older than 25 years are open to the general public without any qualification requirements. Records under 25 years fall under privacy restrictions in Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 193. This rule applies at both the county clerk's office and the Texas DSHS state office.
| Office | Leon County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | P.O. Box 98, Centerville, TX 75833 |
| Phone | (903) 536-2352 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Website | leoncountytx.net |
Note: Call ahead to confirm current hours and any identification requirements before visiting the clerk's office in Centerville.
How to Search Leon County Obituaries
The Texas DSHS online portal is a quick route for searching and ordering Leon County death records. The Texas Vital Statistics online ordering system accepts requests for certified copies from any Texas county. You need the full name of the deceased, the approximate date of death, and the county of death. Payment is handled online and the copy is mailed to you.
For older records and family history research, FamilySearch offers a useful free tool. The FamilySearch Texas death index includes many early Leon County records and links to digitized images where they have been scanned. The Texas State Library in Austin holds microfilm reels covering early Leon County vital records. You can view these on-site in Austin or request them through interlibrary loan at participating Texas public libraries.
Recent obituary notices are archived at Legacy.com Texas obituaries. You can search by name to find recent death notices from Centerville and other Leon County communities. Local newspapers serving the Centerville area have published obituaries for decades, and older issues may be held at the Centerville public library or accessible through the Texas newspaper archives program.
Requesting Leon County Death Certificates
You can request a Leon County death certificate in person at the clerk's office in Centerville or by sending a written request by mail. Either way, you need a government-issued photo ID and documentation of your relationship to the deceased. If you are not an immediate family member, include a written statement explaining your legal interest in the record.
The fee for a certified Texas death certificate is $21 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $4. You can also go through the Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office in Austin to request a copy at the state level. The fee is the same through the state. In-person requests at the county clerk tend to be faster than mail orders through the state, which can take several weeks to process.
Mail requests to the Leon County Clerk should include a completed application form, a notarized signature, a photocopy of your photo ID, and payment. Review what is required at DSHS vital records requirements before submitting your request.
Note: Make your check payable to the Leon County Clerk and include a return mailing address so the record can be sent back to you after processing.
Historical Obituaries in Leon County Texas
Leon County has historical records going back to the early 1900s. Early death certificates from 1903 onward capture names, ages, causes of death, burial places, and the names of the informants who filed the reports. The Texas State Library in Austin holds microfilm of early Leon County vital records, accessible through the Texas State Library system in person or by loan.
The FamilySearch database includes Texas death indexes with links to scanned images when available. All records older than 25 years are now open to the public without restriction. FamilySearch also maintains a county wiki page for Leon County that lists all known record collections, microfilm holdings, and external databases useful for local family research.
Newspaper obituaries from local Centerville papers provide additional detail that official death certificates do not capture, including surviving relatives, church membership, and the location of memorial services. The Centerville public library and the Texas State Library newspaper archive can help you locate older issues of local papers.
The Leon County Clerk's website provides vital records information and services for Centerville and Leon County, TX.
The Leon County Clerk in Centerville handles death certificates for the county from 1903 forward.
Texas Law and Leon County Death Records
Texas law requires death certificates to be filed within 10 days of the death under Texas Health and Safety Code Section 193.003. The physician, medical examiner, or funeral director handles the filing. The certificate includes personal data about the deceased and cause-of-death information that must be certified by a licensed physician.
Under Chapter 193, death records become public 25 years after the date of death. Before that, access is limited to qualified applicants. These include immediate family, legal representatives, and others who can document a direct interest in the record. Once a death record is more than 25 years old, anyone can request it freely at the county or state level, no explanation needed.
Section 193.007 addresses delayed registration for deaths not filed within the required window. This was more common in older decades. If you find a gap in Leon County records from the early or mid-twentieth century, a delayed certificate may have been filed under a different date or at a different office than you would expect.
Leon County Obituary Resources
Several resources can help with Leon County death records and obituary research. The Texas Vital Records portal at ovra.txapps.texas.gov is the main online tool for ordering certified copies. The DSHS death records page at dshs.texas.gov/vs/death explains what the state holds and how far back the records go.
For genealogy work, FamilySearch covers Texas death indexes with links to digitized images. The Texas State Library at tsl.texas.gov holds microfilmed early death records that predate the digital era. Both are free and useful for Leon County research.
Recent death notices can be found on Legacy.com Texas. For direct requests to the state office, the mailing address is listed at dshs.texas.gov/vs/addresses.
Note: If the county clerk does not have the record you need, the Texas DSHS statewide index may hold a copy at the state level.
Nearby Counties
Leon County is surrounded by several other East and Central Texas counties. Death records for those areas are held by their respective county clerks.