Bee County Death Index

Bee County death records are maintained at the County Clerk's office in Beeville, Texas. You can search the Bee County death index and request certified death certificates through the clerk's office in person or by mail, or order through the statewide Texas vital records system.

Bee County Clerk and Death Index Records

The Bee County Clerk in Beeville serves as the local registrar for all vital records in the county. The office is at the Bee County Courthouse in Beeville, Texas. Phone: 361-621-1557. Hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The clerk handles death certificate requests, marriage licenses, land records, and probate matters.

Bee County has an older record history than many Texas counties, with courthouse fires in 1888 and 1911 affecting early documents. Some records before 1911 were lost or damaged in those fires. However, death records from 1903 onward, which fall under the mandatory statewide registration period, are generally preserved because copies were sent to the state bureau in Austin. If a county copy is missing, the state may have a duplicate. The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office maintains statewide records and can sometimes provide copies when county records are unavailable for specific events.

The fee for a certified death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. These fees apply to in-person and mail requests. If the clerk searches and no record is found, the search fee is non-refundable. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID to any in-person request.

Note: Because of the courthouse fires in Bee County, some records from the earliest years of the 1903-1911 period may be incomplete. Researchers should check both the county and the state office if a specific record is not found locally.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office in Austin holds copies of all Texas death records, including those from Bee County, and is a backup source when local records are unavailable.

For Bee County records affected by the 1888 and 1911 courthouse fires, DSHS state copies may be the only surviving version of certain documents.

Getting Death Records from Bee County

In-person requests at the Bee County Courthouse in Beeville are the fastest way to get a certified copy. Bring your photo ID and payment. Staff will search the death index by name and date and print a certified copy if the record is on file. Most in-person requests are handled the same day.

Mail requests are accepted at the clerk's office. Use the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Fill it out completely, include a copy of your photo ID, and send a check or money order payable to Bee County Clerk. Mail the packet to the Bee County Courthouse in Beeville, TX 78102. Processing time varies based on the office's current workload.

Online ordering through the Texas vital records portal is another option. State orders go through DSHS in Austin. The state fee is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for additional copies. Processing takes 20 to 25 business days on average, not including shipping time. The Texas.gov vital records page has full instructions for online ordering.

Access Rules for Bee County Death Records

Texas law restricts death records that are less than 25 years old. Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, only an immediate family member or a legal representative can get a certified copy during that 25-year window. After 25 years, the record is public and anyone can request it.

All requesters, regardless of the record's age, must show a valid government-issued photo ID. The DSHS acceptable ID list shows what forms of ID the clerk will accept. A driver's license, state ID card, US passport, or military ID card are all acceptable under Group A on the list.

Falsifying information to obtain a death certificate is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195. Penalties include 2 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. The clerk keeps a record of every requester's identity for accountability.

Bee County Death Index for Genealogy Research

For genealogy researchers, Bee County's death records from 1903 cover over a century of south Texas families. The county was created in 1857 from several surrounding counties, and it draws families from a mix of Texas pioneer stock, ranching communities, and later settlers connected to the Corpus Christi area.

Free online indexes to start your search include the FamilySearch Texas Death Index 1903-2000 and the Ancestry Texas Death Index. Both give you name, county, date, and certificate number without charge. Use those to identify a specific certificate, then request the full document from the county or state. The FamilySearch Bee County genealogy page also describes the records available locally, including the land and marriage records that go back to 1858.

The Texas State Library and Archives holds microfilmed death indexes from 1903 to 1973 and is open for public research. For researchers outside Beeville, this is a good way to access older Bee County death index entries without a trip to the courthouse.

Cities in Bee County

Beeville is the county seat and the main city in Bee County. All death records for events in the county go through the Bee County Clerk in Beeville. There are no qualifying cities in Bee County above the population threshold for a separate city page.

Communities in Bee County include Beeville, Pettus, Skidmore, and Normanna. Death records for all of these areas are filed through the clerk's office in Beeville.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Bee County in south Texas. If a death occurred near a county boundary, verify the county of registration before submitting a request.

Goliad County • Karnes County • Live Oak County • San Patricio County • Refugio County