Start with the County Clerk in Edinburg for a typical Hidalgo death. Some deaths outside city limits in the Donna, Mercedes, Progreso, and Weslaco area are listed with JP Precinct 1. Confirm the place of death. Do not mail the county clerk a death request.
Who may request
A qualified applicant: parent, child, sibling, spouse, grandparent, legal guardian or managing conservator of the person named on the record; or a legal representative with a letter of permission and ID from that person.
What to bring
Proper identification in person. The clerk will not take a death-certificate request by mail.
Where to write or visit
Hidalgo County Courthouse, 100 North Closner, Edinburg, TX 78539. The clerk does not accept death-certificate requests by mail. Some out-of-city deaths (Donna, Mercedes, Progreso, Weslaco areas) are also listed with Justice of the Peace precincts.
Notes from the desk
The county's own application lists $21 for the first certified copy and $4 for each additional copy. You must appear in person. Texas DSHS remains the mail option if you cannot get to Edinburg. This desk takes no cut.