Texarkana Death Index Records
Searching the Texarkana Death Index requires knowing which side of the state line the death occurred on. This page covers Texarkana, Arkansas, which falls in Miller County. Deaths on the Arkansas side are recorded with the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock. The Arkansas Death Index goes back to February 1, 1914, and Miller County records from that era are part of the state collection. Local sources at the Miller County Clerk and the Miller County Health Unit add supporting records for genealogy and estate research. Read through this guide before submitting any request to make sure you are contacting the right office for your specific record.
Texarkana Death Index Overview
Texarkana Death Certificate Requests
Death certificates for Texarkana, Arkansas are issued by the Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records. The mailing and walk-in address is 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone: (501) 661-2174, or toll-free at (800) 637-9314. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you come in person, arrive before 3:00 PM for same-day service. The Miller County Health Unit in Texarkana can assist with referrals and questions, but the actual certificate is only issued from Little Rock.
Certified copies cost $10.00 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $8.00. If the search finds no record, the $10.00 fee is not refunded. Photo ID is required. Records under 50 years old are restricted to immediate family and authorized legal representatives under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305. Records more than 50 years old are open to any member of the public who submits a valid request. Online requests go through VitalChek, the state-authorized ordering platform, which adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification. Mail-in requests need a completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to "Arkansas Department of Health."
The Miller County Health Unit is at 503 E. 7th Street, Texarkana, AR 71854. Phone: (870) 773-2392. This office can provide birth and death certificate application forms and direct you to the right channels at the state office. They do not store or issue certified certificates themselves.
The Two-State Issue: Arkansas vs. Texas Records
Texarkana is one of the few cities in the United States split directly down a state line. State Line Avenue marks the boundary between Texarkana, Arkansas (Miller County) and Texarkana, Texas (Bowie County). A death that occurred on the Texas side of that line is not in the Arkansas Death Index. Texas deaths are recorded through the Texas Vital Statistics Unit in Austin, not through the Arkansas Department of Health. This distinction matters more than it might seem when you are searching the index and coming up empty.
Hospitals, medical offices, and addresses in Texarkana sometimes appear in both states depending on the facility location. If a death record is missing from the Arkansas side, check whether the facility where the death occurred was physically located in Texas. CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System is in Texarkana, Texas. Wadley Regional Medical Center is also on the Texas side. If a family member died in either of those hospitals, the death certificate is a Texas record, not an Arkansas one. The state line literally runs through the city and through some businesses. The address alone does not settle the question.
For Texas death records, the Texas Vital Statistics Unit is the correct agency. For all deaths that took place in Texarkana, Arkansas and Miller County, the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock holds the record. When in doubt, contact the Miller County Health Unit at (870) 773-2392. They can help you figure out which state has jurisdiction.
Note: Funeral homes in Texarkana frequently serve families on both sides of the line. The funeral home location does not determine which state holds the death certificate.
Miller County Clerk and Probate Records
The Miller County Clerk's office is at 400 Laurel Street, Texarkana, AR 71854. Phone: (870) 774-4501. This office maintains marriage records, probate records, and county court records for Miller County residents. When a Texarkana, Arkansas resident died and left property or an estate, a probate case was often opened in Miller County. Those files contain death dates, lists of heirs, and letters testamentary that confirm the basic facts you need for genealogy research. They are public records accessible without a specific family relationship requirement.
Marriage records at the Miller County Clerk date back to the county's formation. They are a useful research tool when you are building a family timeline around a death, particularly when the deceased spouse's name or marriage date helps narrow the search. Real estate transfers that followed a death also appear in deed records at the circuit clerk level. When property moved from a deceased owner to heirs or was sold off as part of an estate, that transaction shows up in the land records. The Miller County Clerk is the starting point for both types of records.
Court records for Miller County are searchable through the Arkansas CourtConnect portal. CourtConnect provides case-level indexes with party names and filing dates. Use it to identify probate filings before making an in-person visit to the courthouse. It saves time and helps you arrive knowing the specific case number you need.
Texarkana Death Index Historical Records
Arkansas began requiring death registration on February 1, 1914. Miller County records from that date forward are part of the state Death Index. Early compliance in Miller County was not perfect. Some deaths from the first decade of registration were missed, particularly in rural parts of the county outside Texarkana. If a record is not in the state index for the 1914 through early 1920s period, it may simply not have been filed, not that the person did not die there.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds the Death Index for 1914 through 1949. It also maintains the In Remembrance Database, which covers deaths from 1819 to 1920 and draws on obituaries, church records, and other non-registration sources. Both are relevant for Texarkana research. The Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index covers 1935 through 1961 and is free to search by name and county. Use that database to locate a certificate number for Miller County deaths before ordering a copy from the Department of Health.
FamilySearch holds Arkansas vital records collections that include Miller County data. The Arkansas Genealogical Society also offers research guides and can help connect you with local genealogy contacts in the Texarkana area. Because Texarkana straddles two states, genealogical research here sometimes benefits from searching both Arkansas and Texas historical collections in parallel.
The CDC's state-by-state vital records guide covers Arkansas and can help researchers identify which office to contact when records from Texarkana's two-state jurisdiction create confusion about where to search.
Death Registration Law and Access Rules
Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, a death must be registered within 10 days. The attending physician is required to complete the medical certification portion within 3 business days. Electronic registration is now standard across Arkansas. Older Miller County records exist only in paper or microfilm form at the state archives.
The 50-year rule under § 20-18-305 means Texarkana deaths before the mid-1970s are publicly accessible by anyone who requests them. You do not need a family relationship to order those records. More recent records require you to be an immediate family member, a legal representative, or someone with a demonstrated legal interest. The State Registrar's authority over birth-death record matching and indexing comes from § 20-18-203.
Public records requests for city-level documents in Texarkana, AR fall under Arkansas FOIA. Responses are due within 3 business days of a written request. Copies cost $0.25 per page. City Hall documents, including municipal court records, are separate from the vital records held at the state level.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society provides research guides and statewide indexes that are useful when tracing Miller County and Texarkana death records from both the Arkansas and historical collection sides.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying cities in Arkansas have dedicated Death Index pages with local contacts and search resources.