Search Ellis County Death Records

The Ellis County Death Index covers death records filed in Waxahachie since statewide registration began in 1903. If you need to find a death record tied to Ellis County, the County Clerk's office handles certified copies and searches. Records here span well over a century and include deaths from Waxahachie and the surrounding communities across the county. This page explains how to search the Ellis County death index, request certified copies, understand who can access them, and find related genealogy sources.

Ellis County Clerk and Death Records

The Ellis County Clerk's office in Waxahachie is the local custodian of death records. This office handles all vital records for the county, including death certificates filed by local registrars. The clerk is located at 101 West Main Street in Waxahachie. You can call the Ellis County Clerk at (972) 825-5070 to ask about records and confirm current hours before you visit. Most county clerk offices in Texas are open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, though hours can vary.

When you go in person, you can request a search of the Ellis County death index on the spot. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Staff will search by the name of the person who died and the approximate year. If the record is found, they issue a certified copy while you wait. For deaths that are less than 25 years old, you must be an immediate family member to get a copy. Proof of your relationship may be required. After 25 years, the record is public and anyone can request a copy.

Mail requests are also accepted. Fill out the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Send the completed form along with a copy of your photo ID and a check or money order payable to the Ellis County Clerk. Mail to the clerk's office at 101 West Main Street, Waxahachie, TX 75165. Allow extra time for mail requests to be processed and returned.

Note: If you are not certain whether a death was registered in Ellis County or a neighboring county, contact the clerk's office to confirm before submitting a request.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office sets the rules and fees that Ellis County and all other Texas county clerks follow when issuing certified death certificates.

State rules govern every death certificate request filed in Ellis County, whether you go in person, by mail, or order through the state portal.

Search Ellis County Death Records

In-person requests at the Ellis County Clerk's office in Waxahachie are the most direct way to get a death record. You bring your ID and fee, the clerk searches the index, and you get a certified copy the same day if the record is on file. This is the fastest method for most people who live in or near Waxahachie.

If you cannot get to the courthouse, you have two other options. The first is mailing a request directly to the Ellis County Clerk using the VS-142 form. The second is ordering through the state. The Texas Vital Records online system lets you order certified copies through DSHS in Austin. State orders are mailed from Austin and take longer. The Texas.gov vital records portal also links to the state ordering system. Processing times at the state level run 20 to 25 business days for online orders and 25 to 30 days for mail-in orders. If you need the record quickly, the local clerk in Waxahachie is the better choice.

For genealogy researchers, free online indexes are worth checking first. The FamilySearch Texas Death Index covers 1903 to 2000. Ancestry's Texas Death Index lists over 7 million individuals and covers the same range. Both help you find a certificate number before you request a certified copy from the county.

Ellis County Death Certificate Fees

The fee for a certified death certificate from the Ellis County Clerk is $21.00 for the first copy. Each extra copy of the same record, ordered at the same time, costs $4.00. This fee is set by Texas law and does not vary by county. Pay by check or money order made out to the Ellis County Clerk when submitting a mail request. In-person payments may vary, so call ahead to confirm what forms of payment are accepted.

If you order through the DSHS state office in Austin, the fee is slightly lower: $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy. The state issues certified copies just like the county does. The difference is that state orders take longer to arrive. For people outside of Ellis County, ordering through the state can be a convenient option. For those near Waxahachie, going to the local clerk is faster.

Note: Texas law requires a search fee equal to the copy fee when a search is performed and no record is found. That fee is not refundable even if no record exists.

Who Can Access Ellis County Death Records

Texas restricts access to death records that are less than 25 years old. Only immediate family members can get certified copies during that period. Under Texas Administrative Code, immediate family means the decedent's child, spouse, parent, sibling, or grandparent. A legal guardian or legal representative with proper paperwork can also request the record. You will need to show valid photo ID in either case. The DSHS acceptable ID list covers what forms are accepted.

After 25 years from the date of death, the record becomes public under Texas Government Code Section 552.115. At that point, any person can walk into the Ellis County Clerk's office, pay the fee, and get a copy. You still need to show ID, but you do not need to prove a family relationship. This rule applies to both the county and the state office.

Making a false statement to get a death certificate is a serious crime in Texas. Under Health and Safety Code Chapter 195, the penalty is 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. The clerk documents the identity of every person who requests a record. This applies at the Ellis County Clerk's office just as it does at any other vital records office in the state.

Historical Death Records in Ellis County

Ellis County death records go back to 1903, which is when Texas first required statewide registration of births and deaths. The index is organized alphabetically within broad time periods for the early years: 1903 to 1940, 1940 to 1945, 1946 to 1955, and then annually from 1956 onward. If you are researching a family member who died in the early twentieth century, the index at the state level and the local records at the Ellis County Clerk should both be checked. Records from the same period at the county level sometimes contain details not captured in the statewide index.

Free online databases provide a good starting point. The FamilySearch Texas Death Index is free and covers deaths from 1903 to 2000. The Ancestry Texas Death Index covers the same range and includes fields such as the death county, death date, certificate number, gender, and marital status. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide explains how the statewide system is organized for researchers. The Texas State Library and Archives in Austin also holds microfilm indexes to Texas death records from 1903 to 1973 that are open for public research.

The DSHS Order Records Locally page lists the Ellis County Clerk and all other local offices across Texas where you can get a certified death certificate in person or by mail.

This directory confirms which offices serve each Texas county and provides contact details for the Ellis County Clerk and nearby offices.

Cities in Ellis County

Ellis County includes Waxahachie and several other communities. Death records for all events in the county are handled by the Ellis County Clerk in Waxahachie, regardless of which city or town the death occurred in.

Waxahachie is the county seat and the location of the clerk's office. Other towns in the county include Ennis, Midlothian, Waxahachie, and Red Oak. None of these smaller cities reach the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site, but residents from any of them can request death records from the Ellis County Clerk.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Ellis County. If you are uncertain which county a death was registered in, check with the respective clerk's office.

Dallas County • Kaufman County • Navarro County • Hill County • Johnson County