Search Montague County Death Index
The Montague County Death Index is maintained by the County Clerk in Montague, Texas. Death records for all events in the county go back to 1903. You can search the Montague County death index and get certified copies through the clerk's office in person, by mail, or through the Texas state online system. This page covers what you need to know about finding death records in Montague County.
Montague County Overview
Montague County Clerk and Death Records
The Montague County Clerk in Montague serves as the local registrar for death records. The clerk's office holds all death certificates for events that occurred in the county from 1903 to the present. This is where you go for certified copies of Montague County death records. The office is at the courthouse in Montague, the county seat. Office hours are generally Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
Getting a death certificate in Montague County requires you to be a qualified applicant and to show valid photo ID. For deaths within the past 25 years, Texas law limits access to immediate family members of the person on the record. A qualified applicant includes a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. Legal representatives with proper documents can also request records. Once 25 years have passed since the death, the record becomes public and anyone can obtain a copy.
The Montague County death index covers all registered deaths in the county. The clerk can search by name and date of death. If you have the certificate number from an online index, that can speed up the search. For in-person visits, the clerk issues certified copies the same day. Mail requests take longer, usually several business days after the office receives your packet.
Note: Montague is a small town and serves as the formal county seat even though Bowie is the largest city in the county. The clerk's office is in Montague, not Bowie.
The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics unit oversees all death record rules statewide, setting the standards that Montague County follows for issuing certified death certificates.
State rules cover fees, access restrictions, and required identification for all county death record requests in Texas.
How to Search Montague County Death Records
In-person requests at the Montague County Clerk's office are the most direct approach. Bring your photo ID and payment. The clerk will search the death index and issue a certified copy while you are there. If you know the approximate year of death and the full name, the search is usually quick. Walk-ins are generally welcome during regular business hours.
Mail requests are accepted as well. Use the VS-142 application form from DSHS. Fill it out, attach a copy of your photo ID, and include a money order or check payable to the Montague County Clerk. Mail the packet to the clerk's office at the courthouse in Montague, Texas. Allow extra time for the office to receive, process, and mail back the certificate. Mail requests typically take several business days on top of delivery time.
Online ordering through the Texas vital records online portal is another option. Online orders go to DSHS in Austin and are mailed to you. The state fee is $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional. These take longer than county requests because the records come from Austin. The Texas.gov vital records page has more details on using the online system.
Fees for Montague County Death Certificates
The fee for a certified death certificate from Montague County is $21 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record, ordered at the same time, costs $4. This matches the standard Texas county fee structure. The fee covers the search, the certification, and a vital records archive charge. If a search is done and the record is not found, you still owe a search fee equal to the certificate fee. That amount is not refunded.
For state-level orders through DSHS, the fee is $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy. Both county and state copies are certified. The state option costs slightly less but typically takes longer to arrive. Contact the Montague County Clerk directly to confirm accepted payment methods before sending a mail request.
The Texas Government Code Section 552.115 is the statute that governs who can access death records and when they become public, which applies to all Montague County death index records.
Under this law, death records are restricted for 25 years and then become available to the general public.
Who Can Access Montague County Death Records
Texas law under Section 552.115 of the Government Code keeps death records confidential for 25 years after the date of death. During that period, only immediate family members can get certified copies. That means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased. A legal guardian or authorized legal representative can also request records with proper documentation showing their authority to act. After 25 years, the record is public and anyone can request a copy.
All requesters must show valid government-issued photo ID, regardless of whether the record is restricted or public. The DSHS acceptable ID list explains what documents are accepted. A driver's license, state ID, military ID, or US passport are common examples. Without acceptable ID, neither the county nor the state will issue a certified copy. Making a false statement to obtain a death certificate is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195 and can result in 2 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
Historical Death Records in Montague County
Montague County death records go back to 1903, which is when Texas began mandatory statewide death registration. The county's death index covers every registered death from that year forward. For family history research, the index is a useful starting point. You can search it to find the certificate number before requesting a certified copy from the clerk.
Free online resources for Montague County deaths include the FamilySearch Texas Death Index, which covers 1903 to 2000. Ancestry's Texas Death Index covers the same range and includes details like name, death county, date, and certificate number. Both are index-only databases. They help you confirm whether a record exists before contacting the clerk. The Texas State Library and Archives holds microfilmed death indexes that cover 1903 to 1973 and are available for in-person research.
North Texas counties like Montague have generally well-preserved records from 1903 forward. If a record is not found in the county index, it may have been registered with a neighboring county or with the state office in Austin. The Library of Congress guide to Texas vital records explains the full system and how to track down records that are not immediately found at the county level.
Cities in Montague County
Montague is the county seat, while Bowie is the largest city in the county. All death records for events in Montague County are filed with the County Clerk in Montague. No cities in Montague County meet the qualifying population threshold for a separate city page on this site.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Montague County. If you are unsure which county a death was registered in, the clerk's office can help you narrow it down.