Kimble County Death Index

Kimble County death records are filed with the County Clerk in Junction and go back to 1903. If you need to search the Kimble County death index or get a certified copy of a death certificate for an event that occurred in this county, the clerk's office in Junction is where you start. Kimble County is a rural Hill Country county in west-central Texas, and its death records cover over a century of community life in this part of the state.

Kimble County Clerk Death Certificates

The Kimble County Clerk maintains the official death index and issues certified death certificates for events within the county. The clerk's office is at the Kimble County Courthouse in Junction. You can visit in person Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Bring a valid photo ID and the $21 fee. The clerk searches the death index and can issue a certified copy the same day for records on file.

For mail requests, complete the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Include a photocopy of your government-issued ID and a check or money order payable to the Kimble County Clerk. Send the full packet to the courthouse in Junction. Small county offices may have limited staff, so call ahead if you need to know current mail processing times. Alternatively, you can order through the Texas online vital records system, though state orders take 20 to 25 business days from Austin.

Kimble County sits at the junction of the North and South Llano rivers, which is how the county seat got its name. It is a small, rural county with a stable population and a well-maintained set of death records going back to the start of statewide registration. The clerk's office handles all vital records for the county and follows state rules set by DSHS.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics unit administers the statewide rules that the Kimble County Clerk follows for all death certificate requests.

Every county in Texas, including Kimble, operates under the same state framework for vital records access and fees.

Finding Death Records in Kimble County

In-person requests at the County Clerk in Junction are the most direct approach. The clerk can search the death index and produce a certified copy the same day for records that are already processed. This method works well for both recent deaths and older historical records.

For free online searches, the FamilySearch Texas Death Index covers deaths statewide from 1903 to 2000. You can filter results by county. The Ancestry Texas Death Index covers the same years. Both show the name, death year, and certificate number and are good tools for genealogy research before ordering a certified copy. The Texas State Library holds microfilm copies of early death indexes through 1973. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide covers how the statewide index was organized and what each time period contains.

Note: If a record is not found at the county level, try ordering directly from DSHS at P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040, or call (888) 963-7111 for assistance.

Access Rules and Fees

Texas law limits access to death records younger than 25 years. Texas Government Code Section 552.115 makes those records confidential, available only to immediate family members. That means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased. Legal representatives with proper documentation can also make requests.

After 25 years from the date of death, the record is public. Anyone can request it from the Kimble County Clerk. All requesters must show valid ID. The DSHS acceptable ID page lists what forms are accepted. The fee is $21 for the first certified copy at the county level and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. State orders through DSHS are $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy. Both are equally valid certified copies.

Historical Research in Kimble County

Kimble County was organized in 1876. The county's early death records from the 1903 to 1950 era document the ranching families and Hill Country settlers who built the community around Junction. German and other European immigrant families settled parts of this region in the late 1800s, and their descendants appear in the county's earliest death records. If you are doing genealogy research in the Texas Hill Country, Kimble County records can fill in important family history gaps, especially for families that lived near the edge of the Hill Country before county boundaries were firmly established.

Verification letters through DSHS can confirm a record's existence for $20 before you commit to ordering a full certified copy. Contact DSHS at (888) 963-7111 for details on ordering a verification or a certified copy directly from the state.

The DSHS Order Records Locally page lists the Kimble County Clerk in Junction among the local offices across Texas where you can pick up a death certificate directly.

Requesting a death certificate at the Kimble County Clerk's office in Junction is the fastest way to get a certified copy without waiting for a state mail order.

Cities in Kimble County

Junction is the only incorporated city in Kimble County and serves as the county seat. All death records for events within Kimble County are filed with the County Clerk in Junction. Kimble County does not have any cities that meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Kimble County. If a death record is not found locally, a neighboring county clerk may hold it.

Kerr County • Gillespie County • Mason County • McCulloch County • Menard County • Sutton County • Edwards County