Shelby County Death Index

Shelby County death records are filed with the County Clerk in Center and are part of the Texas statewide death index going back to 1903. To search the death index or get a certified death certificate for someone who died in Shelby County, the county clerk's office in Center is your local contact for certified copies and record searches.

Shelby County Clerk Death Records

The Shelby County Clerk's office in Center handles vital records for the county, including certified death certificates. The office is at 200 San Augustine Street, Suite B, Center, TX 75935. You can call the clerk at (936) 598-6361. The office is open Monday through Friday during courthouse hours. Staff can search the death index by name and date of death and issue certified copies when records are available locally.

Shelby County is located in east Texas along the Sabine River valley, near the Louisiana border. The county is largely rural with timber and agriculture as the primary land uses. Center is the county seat and the main population center. Death records for all events in the county go through the Shelby County Clerk, and all records since 1903 are part of the statewide Texas death index maintained by DSHS. If the local clerk cannot locate a record, the state office in Austin may have the same record in its statewide database.

The fee for the first certified copy is $21.00. 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 Shelby County Clerk. The search fee is not refunded if no record is found.

Note: Shelby County borders Louisiana, and in border areas, a death may be registered in either state depending on the exact location. If you cannot find a record in Shelby County, check Louisiana vital records as well.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office sets the rules on fees, access, and ID requirements that Shelby County and all Texas counties follow when issuing certified death certificates.

All Shelby County death record requests follow state rules whether processed at the local clerk's office or through DSHS in Austin.

How to Get a Shelby County Death Certificate

In person at the clerk's office in Center is the fastest way. Bring your government-issued photo ID and the $21.00 fee. The clerk can search by name and issue a certified copy while you wait.

Mail requests are accepted using the VS-142 Death Certificate Application. Include a copy of your photo ID and the fee as a check or money order payable to the Shelby County Clerk. Send to 200 San Augustine Street, Suite B, Center, TX 75935. Processing takes a few business days after receipt.

Online ordering at txapps.texas.gov routes through DSHS for $20.00 per copy. State orders are mailed from Austin in 20 to 25 business days. Free index searches are available on FamilySearch and Ancestry for Texas deaths from 1903 to 2000.

Who Can Request Shelby County Death Records

Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, death records are restricted for 25 years after the date of death. Only an immediate family member can get a certified copy during that window. That includes a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. Legal representatives with valid documentation can also request. After 25 years, the record is public.

All requests require valid government-issued photo ID. The DSHS acceptable ID list shows what is accepted. Providing false information to obtain a death certificate is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195, carrying prison time and fines up to $10,000. The clerk logs every request.

Historical Death Records in Shelby County

Shelby County death records go back to 1903, giving over a century of records for family history researchers. East Texas counties like Shelby have a long genealogical record base tied to the 19th-century settlement of the region. Free indexes on FamilySearch and Ancestry let you search the Texas death index through 2000 at no cost before paying for a certified copy.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds the statewide death index through 1973, available for public research. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide provides context on how the statewide index is organized. For researchers working on Shelby County family histories, checking both the county records and the state archives can help fill in gaps from the earlier decades of registration.

The DSHS Order Records Locally page lists Shelby County among the Texas county offices that issue certified death certificates locally, with contact information for the Center clerk.

Shelby County residents can request a certified death certificate from the Center clerk without ordering through the DSHS state office.

Cities in Shelby County

Shelby County includes Center, Tenaha, Timpson, and several small communities. Death records for all events in the county go through the Shelby County Clerk in Center. No cities in this county meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Shelby County. Check the location of the death to determine which county holds the record.

Nacogdoches County • Panola County • Rusk County • Sabine County • San Augustine County