City of Dallas is not the county clerk

Dallas County and the City of Dallas keep different death counters. The County Clerk's own death-certificate page says: if the death occurred within the city limits of the City of Dallas, contact the City of Dallas Bureau of Vital Statistics, not the county.

What the county will issue

The Dallas County Clerk lists the suburban cities it does handle, including Addison, Balch Springs, Cedar Hill, Coppell, DeSoto, Duncanville, Farmers Branch, Garland, Irving, Lancaster, Mesquite, Rowlett, and others named on that page. Some cities are listed only from 1996 to the present (Carrollton, Grand Prairie, Richardson). Some hospitals are carved out of the county counter entirely. Read the list on dallascounty.org before you mail.

• County first copy $21, additional copies of the same record $4 when ordered together.
• Qualified requestors: spouse, immediate family by blood, legal guardian, or legal representative, with ID.
• Mail: notarized copy of government-issued ID and a money order payable to John F. Warren, Dallas County Clerk. Two to four weeks. Do not mail cash.
• In person: Records Building, 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100. Original ID. Cash is accepted. Credit cards are not accepted by mail.

City of Dallas, and the state

For a death inside Dallas city limits, start with the City of Dallas Bureau of Vital Statistics (the city lists (214) 670-3248 and a vital statistics page on dallas.gov). Confirm the current city fee on that site. Texas DSHS remains the statewide mail option, with cheap extra copies. Either way, extras on the first order beat a second wait.

Confirm the $21 / $4 county fees on dallascounty.org and the city fee on dallas.gov before you pay. This desk takes no cut from any vendor.