Mills County Death Index Search

Mills County death records are maintained by the County Clerk in Goldthwaite, Texas. The Mills County death index is part of the Texas statewide vital records system with coverage from 1903 to the present. You can request a certified death certificate in person at the Mills County Courthouse, by mail, or through the Texas DSHS online system. Records less than 25 years old are restricted to immediate family members and legal representatives under Texas law.

Mills County Clerk and Death Certificates

The Mills County Clerk handles all vital records for the county, including death certificates. The office is at the Mills County Courthouse in Goldthwaite, TX 76844. Mills County is a small county in the Texas Hill Country and Lampasas Cut Plain region, west of Waco and north of San Antonio. Calling ahead before visiting the courthouse is a good practice to confirm hours and current procedures. Staff can search the local death index by name and date.

Mills County follows the standard Texas fee schedule for death records. The first certified copy is $21.00. The fee includes the county search and certification charges plus the $1.00 Vital Records Archive Fee required by Health and Safety Code Section 191.0045. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $4.00 each. All requests require a valid government-issued photo ID. The clerk will not release a restricted record without proper identification.

State ordering through DSHS in Austin is also available. The state fee is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy. You can order online at txapps.texas.gov or through the Texas.gov vital records portal. State orders are processed in Austin and mailed to you. The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics page has full details on both the county and state options for getting Mills County death records.

Note: If you cannot locate a death record through the county, the Texas State Library in Austin holds death indexes for 1903 to 1973. These can help confirm a record exists before you make additional requests.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics unit manages the statewide system and sets the rules that govern every death record request in Mills County and across Texas.

Mills County death certificates are issued under the same DSHS standards and fee structure that applies to all 254 Texas counties.

How to Get a Mills County Death Record

In-person requests at the Mills County Courthouse in Goldthwaite are the fastest option. Bring valid photo ID and the fee. The clerk searches the index by name and can issue a certified copy the same day if the record is found and you qualify. Call ahead to confirm the office is open and accepting walk-in requests.

Mail is often the most practical method for people who are not near Goldthwaite. Use the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Include the completed form, a copy of your photo ID, and a money order or check payable to the Mills County Clerk. Send to the Mills County Courthouse, Goldthwaite, TX 76844. Incomplete applications will be returned, adding to your wait. Most complete requests are handled within a few business days of receipt.

State online ordering through txapps.texas.gov processes your order through DSHS and mails the certified copy to you. Standard online processing is 20 to 25 business days. Mail-in state applications take 25 to 30 days. The DSHS Order Records Locally page confirms which Texas counties have local offices that accept in-person requests.

Access Rules for Mills County Death Records

Texas law under Texas Government Code Section 552.115 restricts death records less than 25 years old. Only qualified applicants may get certified copies of these records. A qualified applicant is the deceased's child, spouse, parent, sibling, or grandparent under Texas Administrative Code Section 181.1(13). A legal guardian or authorized representative can also request records by showing proof of their authority. Records 25 years or older from the date of death are public and available to any requester with valid ID.

The DSHS acceptable ID page details what the clerk will accept. A driver's license, state-issued ID, US passport, or military ID are all primary forms of ID. If you lack primary ID, secondary and supporting documents can be used together. Falsifying information to obtain a death certificate 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. These penalties apply at both the county and state levels.

A verification letter is available as an alternative to a full certified copy. It confirms a death is on file and includes the name, date, and county. A verification costs the same as the base search fee but is not a legal substitute for a certified certificate. It can be useful to confirm a record exists before paying for the complete document.

Mills County Death Index for Genealogy Research

Mills County death records in the statewide index go back to 1903. The county has always had a small population, which means the total record count is manageable for researchers. Before 1903, no formal state registration existed, though local church and cemetery records may document some earlier deaths in the area.

Free online tools make it easy to search before ordering. The FamilySearch Texas Death Index runs from 1903 to 2000 and is free to search. Ancestry's Texas Death Index covers the same range and includes over 7 million entries. Both are index-only, giving you the certificate number and basic information to order the actual document. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide explains the structure of Texas vital records for anyone new to researching Texas families.

The Texas State Library in Austin also holds statewide death indexes from 1903 to 1973. These are available for public searches and can help fill gaps when county records are not easily accessible. The state library has microfilm copies of the statewide index in addition to digital resources.

Cities in Mills County

Mills County's county seat is Goldthwaite. The county also includes the community of Mullin. None of the cities in Mills County exceed the 100,000 population threshold. All death records for events in the county are handled by the Mills County Clerk in Goldthwaite.

Nearby Counties

Mills County is in the heart of Texas, in the Hill Country and Lampasas Cut Plain region. It borders these counties. If a record is not found in Mills County, check the neighboring clerk offices.

San Saba County • Lampasas County • Hamilton County • Comanche County • Brown County • Llano County