Brazos County Death Index

Brazos County death records are held at two offices: the Brazos County Clerk in Bryan and the City of Bryan Vital Statistics office. Knowing which office holds the specific record you need can save time. The Brazos County death index covers records from 1903, and certified copies are available in person, by mail, or through the Texas state vital records system.

Brazos County Clerk Death Records

The Brazos County Clerk in Bryan is the primary record keeper for the county. The courthouse is at 300 E. 26th Street, Suite 1430, Bryan, TX 77803. Phone: (979) 361-4128. Fax: (979) 361-4125. The clerk's office has been in existence since 1836, set out in the Texas Constitution. It holds death certificates, birth certificates, military discharges (DD214s), marriage licenses, probate filings, and land records. Deed records in Brazos County go back to 1841.

The City of Bryan also has a separate Vital Statistics office through the City Secretary's office. For deaths that occurred in Bryan after 1969, the City of Bryan office may hold the original long-form record. The City of Bryan Vital Statistics office receives, records, and issues birth and death certificates. It also handles amendments and name changes to these records. For deaths that occurred in Bryan before 1969, a fire that year destroyed some original long-form records. Pre-1969 originals, if available, would need to come from the Brazos County Clerk's Office. For abstract (short-form) records, those are available for Texas deaths after 1939.

Who qualifies to request a Brazos County death record: the person named on the vital record, immediate family members, a guardian, or a legal agent or representative. Immediate family includes a parent or guardian, brother or sister, grandparent, spouse, or adult child. This matches the statewide DSHS standard under Texas law.

Note: If you are looking for a death record from Bryan and are not sure whether to contact the county or the city, the safest approach is to call both offices first. They can tell you which one holds the record based on the date and location of the death.

The Brazos County Clerk page on the county website lists the full range of records held at the courthouse, including death certificates, land records, and probate documents.

The county clerk's page has contact information, mailing address, and links to the online records search system for Brazos County.

City of Bryan Vital Statistics Office

The City of Bryan maintains its own Vital Statistics office through the City Secretary, which is separate from the Brazos County Clerk. This office handles death certificates for events that occurred within Bryan city limits, particularly those from 1969 onward. If you need a long-form original birth or death certificate from Bryan after 1969, this is where to start. For events before 1969 within Bryan, contact the Brazos County Clerk's Office for any records that survived the fire that year.

The City of Bryan Vital Statistics page at bryantx.gov has the contact information, hours, and instructions for requesting records from the city office.

How to Get Brazos County Death Certificates

In-person requests at the Brazos County Courthouse or the City of Bryan Vital Statistics office are the fastest method. Bring your photo ID and the fee. Staff will search the index and print a certified copy while you wait. For in-person requests at the county clerk, go to 300 E. 26th Street, Suite 1430, in Bryan.

Mail requests to the county clerk are accepted. Use the VS-142 form from DSHS, include a copy of your photo ID, and send a check or money order payable to Brazos County Clerk to the courthouse address. Allow several business days for processing after delivery.

Online orders through the Texas vital records portal 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. For people in College Station or elsewhere in the county who want to avoid a trip to the Bryan courthouse, the online state system is a practical option.

Access Rules for Brazos County Death Records

Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, death records are restricted for 25 years from the date of death. Only immediate family members or legal representatives can get certified copies during that period. After 25 years, records are public. All requesters need valid government-issued photo ID.

The DSHS acceptable ID list covers what forms the clerk accepts. Providing false information to obtain a vital record is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195, with penalties of 2 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Brazos County Death Index for Historical Research

Brazos County death records from 1903 are available to genealogy researchers for events that occurred 25 or more years ago. The county is home to Texas A&M University, which has drawn people to the Bryan-College Station area for over a century. The death index reflects this history with records from farming families, university communities, and broader central Texas populations.

Free online tools include the FamilySearch Texas Death Index 1903-2000 and the Ancestry Texas Death Index. Both let you search by name and get the certificate number before requesting a copy. The Texas State Library and Archives holds microfilmed death indexes from 1903 to 1973 and is open to the public in Austin.

Cities in Brazos County

Brazos County is home to the Bryan-College Station metro area. Two qualifying cities in this county have their own dedicated pages. Death records for all events in the county go through the Brazos County Clerk in Bryan or the City of Bryan Vital Statistics office for city records.

Other communities in Brazos County include Wellborn, Kurten, and Wixon Valley. Death records for all unincorporated areas go through the county clerk's office in Bryan.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Brazos County. If a death occurred near a county line, confirm the county of registration before submitting your request.

Burleson County • Robertson County • Leon County • Madison County • Grimes County • Washington County • Bastrop County • Lee County • Milam County