Find Death Records in Kendall County

Kendall County death records are kept by the County Clerk in Boerne and go back to 1903 when Texas began mandatory statewide death registration. Certified copies are available for deaths that occurred in the county, and you can request them in person at the courthouse, by mail, or through the Texas state online ordering system. The clerk's office serves a growing Hill Country population and processes vital record requests on a regular basis.

Kendall County Clerk Office

The Kendall County Clerk is located at 201 E. San Antonio Ave. in Boerne, just off the main square. This is the local office for vital records, including death certificates for deaths that occurred in the county. Staff are available Monday through Friday during business hours for in-person requests. Bring a valid photo ID and the name and approximate date of death for the person you're looking up.

Kendall County has seen significant growth in recent years as part of the San Antonio metro area. The clerk's office handles more requests than typical Hill Country counties, so calling ahead at (830) 249-9343 can save time. If you plan to send a mail request, use the same address and include a copy of your ID and a check or money order payable to the Kendall County Clerk.

For deaths that happened elsewhere in Texas, the local clerk cannot issue those records. You'd need to contact the clerk in the county where the death was registered, or submit a request directly to Texas DSHS in Austin.

Getting a Certified Death Certificate

Certified death certificates from Kendall County cost $21 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. These are the official legal documents required for estate proceedings, life insurance claims, social security matters, and many other purposes. The county clerk issues certified copies with the official Texas seal.

You need the full legal name of the deceased, the date or year of death, and the county where death occurred. Your own name, address, and relationship to the deceased are also required. Requests that don't include this basic identifying information may be returned or denied.

The Texas.gov vital records portal lets you order certified death certificates online from anywhere in Texas.

Online orders are processed statewide and arrive within 7 to 14 business days.

Who Can Request Death Records

Texas law limits who can get a certified death certificate for deaths that happened within the last 25 years. The eligible people include the surviving spouse, parents, adult children, and siblings of the deceased. Attorneys or legal representatives with documented authority to act for the estate also qualify. Anyone with a court order showing a legal need can request a copy as well.

Once 25 years have passed, the record is public. No special eligibility is required, and anyone can request a copy. This makes older records easier to access for family research, legal title work, and genealogical purposes.

If you have any doubt about your eligibility, call the Kendall County Clerk at (830) 249-9343 before making the trip or mailing a request. The DSHS page on acceptable IDs lists the forms of identification accepted for vital record requests throughout Texas.

Fees and Payment

The county fee is $21 for a certified death certificate, with $4 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. At the county clerk's office, you can pay by cash, check, or money order. Mail requests require a check or money order payable to the Kendall County Clerk. Do not send cash through the mail.

Texas DSHS in Austin charges $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy. If you use the VitalChek online service, a separate service fee is added on top. VitalChek accepts major credit cards. The underlying state fee is fixed by Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 191.

Fees are non-refundable whether or not a record is found. If you're not certain the record exists in Kendall County, consider calling the clerk's office first. Staff can do a quick name check before you submit payment, saving you time and money if the record isn't where you expect it to be.

Texas Law and Death Record Requirements

Death registration in Texas is governed by Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 191. All deaths must be registered within 10 days of occurrence. The attending physician or medical examiner certifies the cause of death, and the funeral director files the certificate with the local registrar. In Kendall County, that registrar is the county clerk.

When the manner or cause of death is unclear, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 49 kicks in. It requires a justice of the peace or medical examiner to conduct an inquest before a death certificate can be completed. This happens more often in unattended or unexpected deaths.

Texas uses TxEVER to electronically process death registrations. Hospitals, hospices, and funeral homes submit death records through TxEVER, making the process faster and more accurate than the old paper system. The Texas Administrative Code Title 25, Chapter 181 sets out the administrative rules for how vital statistics are handled statewide.

Historical Death Records and Genealogy

Kendall County has German immigrant heritage going back to the mid-1800s, when German settlers established communities throughout the Hill Country. Deaths before 1903 were not officially registered by the state, so records for that period require alternative sources. Church registers, cemetery records, probate files, and local newspapers are the main places to look for deaths in the county's early years.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds probate records, early vital statistics, and county history materials that can help fill the gap before statewide registration began. Some of these are digitized and searchable online.

For digitized death records from the early twentieth century, FamilySearch Texas and Ancestry.com both have indexed death records and obituary collections. Many German and Czech family histories connected to Kendall County are well documented in these databases. Local genealogical societies in Boerne also maintain historical files that may not be available elsewhere.

State-Level Death Record Requests

Texas DSHS Vital Statistics in Austin maintains the full statewide database of death records from 1903 to the present. For records that can't be obtained at the county level, or if you prefer to work directly with the state, you can contact DSHS at (888) 963-7111. The office address is 1100 W. 49th St., Austin TX 78756. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 12040, Austin TX 78711-2040.

Download request forms from the DSHS death records page. Mail-in requests take about two weeks on average. Online ordering through the Texas.gov portal is available using a credit card and typically takes 7 to 14 business days.

The state office can search all Texas counties, which is useful when you aren't sure of the exact county of death. This is often the case for older records where the person may have moved late in life or died away from home. DSHS is also the right contact if you need to amend or correct an existing death certificate.

Cities in Kendall County

Boerne is the county seat and the main city in Kendall County. Other communities include Fair Oaks Ranch, Comfort, and Bergheim. None of the smaller communities currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. All death records for Kendall County locations are handled through the county clerk in Boerne.

Nearby Counties

Bexar County, Comal County, Blanco County, Gillespie County, Kerr County, Bandera County