Death Records Wichita Falls TX

Confirm the death occurred inside the city limits

Wichita Falls Vital Records issues certified death records for deaths within Wichita Falls city limits, with records dating from 1917 to the present. Deaths in surrounding towns are directed toward county records, and applicants should verify the location with the office at 940-761-7800 before sending a request. A Wichita Falls residence or funeral location alone is not enough to establish the custodian.

Check your eligibility before applying

Death certificates remain restricted until 25 years after the date of death. For restricted certificates, qualifying relationships can include a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or grandparent when requirements are met. The office may require family relationship proof. Grandchildren are not considered proper qualifying applicants unless the record is already public. Legal representatives and other applicants must provide documented legal authority or a direct tangible interest for that route.

Prepare the deceased person's full name, date of death, and place of death. The requester should provide their relationship and reason or purpose for requesting the record, along with contact information, address, and signature. If the date, location, or entitlement is uncertain, clarify eligibility before submitting a paid order.

Online orders accept only Group A primary identification. Paper requests use one Group A primary ID, two Group B IDs, or one Group B ID with two Group C IDs. Mail, fax, and email paper requests use the Section 2 Applicant's Notarized Affidavit of Identity. Embossed notary seal requests require the original mailed application; ink stamp requests may use email or fax with identification copies. Walk-in requests use the application and valid identification in person.

Apply, pay, and receive a Wichita Falls death certificate

Wichita Falls Vital Records accepts requests in person, by mail, by email, and through the city-linked Permitium ordering route. Use that certificate-specific route rather than a general public-records request. The office is at 1700 Third St, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Mail requests are addressed to Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District, ATTN: Vital Records, 1700 Third St, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Contact options include 940-761-7800 and [email protected], and fax is available for permitted paper requests at 940-761-7693. Call the office to verify receipt when sending a paper request.

The city fee is $21 for the first death certificate per name per request and $4 for each additional copy in the same order. The city also publishes a $3.50 debit/credit card transaction convenience fee. Decide how many copies receiving organizations require before placing one order. Paper payments use the current application instructions: cash in person, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, money order, or cashier's check routes; the form identifies Wichita Falls Health Department as the payee and personal checks are not accepted.

Online Permitium orders separately list the $21 certificate fee, $4 additional copies, $5 service fee, and $1 Vital Verify fee for delivery orders. These route-specific charges should not be combined into an assumed total. Standard USPS delivery is listed at $0, while express delivery is listed separately.

Complete paper applications may take 1–2 business days, and walk-in applicants may receive documents while waiting when processing permits. Online submissions provide email status updates, may require additional information, and approved orders are prepared for pickup or mailed within one business day. The portal provides an Order Tracker. USPS standard delivery is listed at $0 with up to 7 business days for delivery, and express shipping is listed at $23 with an estimated 1–4 business days. No route guarantees total receipt time.

Paper requests follow no-refund terms, while denied online orders refund the card payment less applicable processing fees.

Copies, corrections, and alternate record routes

Wichita Falls certificates are certified copies issued on security paper with the applicable seals in the paper. The office does not use an embossed outgoing certificate seal, so a correctly issued certificate should not be rejected for lacking one.

If a death occurred outside Wichita Falls city limits or a city record cannot be located, verify the death date, actual location, and correct custodian before paying for another request. A failed city search does not establish that no death record exists. For Wichita County deaths outside the city limits, use the Wichita County Clerk route. If recorded facts are wrong, use the Texas DSHS Death Record Changes process and Form VS-172 rather than ordering another copy. Check the field-specific applicant and supporting-document requirements, submit the notarized original application with identification copy, required documents, and payment for applicable amendment fees through the official DSHS mail route. Payment for a change application is made by check or money order payable to DSHS Vital Statistics. Direct medical-information changes to the medical certifier named on the certificate. Amendment requests are separate from copy orders.