Comanche County Death Records Lookup

The Comanche County Death Index covers death records filed with the County Clerk in Comanche, Texas. This central Texas county has records going back to 1903, and the county clerk is the local registrar for all death certificates registered in the county. Certified copies are available in person, by mail, or through the Texas state ordering system.

Comanche County Clerk and Death Records

The Comanche County Clerk in Comanche, Texas is the local authority for death records in the county. The office phone is 325-356-2655. Hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Comanche County was created in 1856 from Bosque and Coryell counties and has no known courthouse disasters, which means records going back to the county's formation should be largely intact.

The clerk handles death certificates, birth records, marriage licenses, and land records for the county. Death records in the statewide Texas system begin in 1903, and Comanche County records follow that same timeline. The clerk can search by name and approximate date of death and issue certified copies during your visit. Bring valid government-issued photo ID and the fee when you come in.

The fee for a certified death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $4.00. These fees are set by state law. If a search is done and the record is not found, the search fee is charged and is not refundable. The county's smaller size means requests can often be handled quickly compared to larger urban counties.

The Comanche County website provides information about county offices including the clerk's office and vital records services in the city of Comanche.

The Comanche County Clerk office handles certified death certificate requests for events registered in the county since 1903.

How to Get Comanche County Death Records

In person is the most direct way. Visit the county clerk in Comanche with photo ID and $21.00 for the first copy. The staff can search by name and date and issue certified copies on the same visit when records are available.

Mail requests are accepted. Fill out the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Send the form with a copy of your photo ID and a check or money order payable to the Comanche County Clerk. Mail the packet to the clerk's office in Comanche. Most mail requests are processed within a few business days after receipt.

You can also order through the Texas state system at txapps.texas.gov. Online state orders go through the DSHS office in Austin and are mailed to you. State fees are $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy. State processing takes 20 to 25 business days, so if you need a record quickly, ordering directly from the Comanche County Clerk is faster.

Who Can Access Comanche County Death Records

Texas law restricts access to death records that are less than 25 years old. Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, death records are confidential until the 25th anniversary of the date of death. Only immediate family can get certified copies during that period. Immediate family means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. Legal representatives with proper documentation may also request records.

After 25 years, the record is public and anyone can request a copy. All requesters must show valid ID. Check the DSHS acceptable ID list to see what forms of identification the clerk will accept. Making false statements to obtain a death certificate is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195, with penalties including prison time and fines up to $10,000.

Comanche County Death Index for Research

Comanche County records are part of the statewide Texas death index. The free FamilySearch Texas Death Index and Ancestry's Texas Death Index both cover 1903 to 2000 and include Comanche County entries. These are index-only resources. They give you names, dates, certificate numbers, and county of death, which you use to request the actual certified copy from the clerk.

Comanche County was named for the Comanche people and has a rich central Texas ranching heritage. Records here are well-preserved with no known courthouse fires or major records losses. The Texas State Library and Archives holds statewide death indexes from 1903 to 1973, which is a useful backup for older searches. For context on how the Texas records system works overall, see the Library of Congress Texas vital records research guide.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office manages the statewide death records system that Comanche County and all other Texas counties use to register and certify death records.

Every Texas county including Comanche follows the same DSHS rules and fee schedules when issuing certified copies of death certificates.

Nearby Counties

These counties are near Comanche County in central Texas. If you need to check whether a death was registered in a neighboring county, these are your options.

Brown County • Mills County • Hamilton County • Bosque County • Erath County • Eastland County