Sabine County Death Index

Sabine County death records are kept by the County Clerk in Hemphill and are included in the Texas statewide death index that begins in 1903. To search death records or get a certified copy of a death certificate for someone who died in Sabine County, you can contact the clerk directly, request through the mail, or use the state online ordering system.

Sabine County Clerk and Death Certificates

The Sabine County Clerk in Hemphill is responsible for filing and maintaining death records in the county. The office is located at the Sabine County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Hemphill, TX 75948. You can call the clerk at (409) 787-3786. Office hours are Monday through Friday. Staff can help with certified copy requests, record searches, and questions about what records are available for a specific time period.

Sabine County is a rural east Texas county bordered by the Sabine River on the east. It is a small county with a limited population, but the death records it holds are part of the same statewide Texas death index as every other county. Records go back to 1903. If you are looking for a death record from Sabine County and the county office cannot locate it, trying the DSHS state office in Austin is also an option since state records are copies of county records.

The fee for a certified copy of a death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered together is $4.00. Bring valid photo ID for in-person requests. Mail requests need a copy of your ID and the fee as a check or money order payable to the Sabine County Clerk.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office maintains the statewide framework for death record access and fees, which Sabine County follows when handling all certified copy requests.

Whether you go through the Sabine County Clerk or the state office, the same rules apply to fees, ID requirements, and who can request a record.

Searching Sabine County Death Records

In-person requests at the Sabine County Courthouse in Hemphill are the most direct way to get a certified death certificate. Bring your photo ID and $21.00. The clerk can search for the record by name and date and issue a copy the same day if available.

Mail requests work well if you cannot visit in person. Use the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Include a copy of your photo ID and the fee as a check or money order payable to the Sabine County Clerk. Mail to 1 Courthouse Square, Hemphill, TX 75948. Allow a few business days after the office receives your packet.

State online ordering is available at txapps.texas.gov. The state fee is $20.00 for the first copy. Orders go through DSHS and are mailed from Austin, taking about 20 to 25 business days. For free searches, use FamilySearch or Ancestry to look up Texas death index entries from 1903 to 2000 at no cost before you pay for a certified copy.

Access Restrictions on Sabine County Death Records

Death records less than 25 years old are restricted under Texas Government Code Section 552.115. Only an immediate family member can request a certified copy during that window. Immediate family means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the person named on the record. A legal representative can also request with proper documentation. After 25 years, the record becomes public and anyone can get a copy.

All requests require valid photo ID. See the DSHS acceptable ID list for what the clerk will accept. Providing false information to obtain a death certificate is a felony under Texas law, carrying serious penalties including prison time and fines up to $10,000. The clerk records the identity of every requester.

Note: If you need to confirm a death is on record but don't need the full certificate, a verification letter from DSHS states the name, date, and county but is not a certified copy.

Historical Records in Sabine County

Sabine County has death records in the Texas statewide index going back to 1903. For genealogy research, the county's records provide a window into families who lived in deep east Texas over the past century. Free indexes available on FamilySearch and Ancestry include Texas death index data through 2000 and can help you find a specific record without paying for a copy first.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds the statewide death index through 1973 and allows public research. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide explains how the death index is structured by time period, which matters when you are searching older records. For very early records from Sabine County, some entries may be incomplete due to gaps in rural registration from the early 1900s.

The DSHS Order Records Locally page lists all Texas county offices that issue death certificates locally, with contact information for Sabine County in Hemphill.

You can get a certified Sabine County death certificate directly from the local clerk rather than ordering through the state office in Austin.

Cities in Sabine County

Sabine County includes Hemphill and a few small communities. All death records for events in the county are processed through the Sabine County Clerk. None of the cities in Sabine County meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Sabine County. If you are not sure which county a death was registered in, check where the death occurred or contact the local clerk.

Jasper County • Newton County • San Augustine County • Shelby County