Find Birth Records in Hood County

Hood County birth records are kept by the County Clerk in Granbury. Certified birth certificates for births in this North Texas county are available from 1903 onward. Requests can be made in person at the courthouse or by mail.

Hood County Clerk Office

The Hood County Clerk's office is responsible for keeping vital records including birth certificates for the county. The office is located in Granbury, the county seat. Clerk staff can assist with record searches, certified copy requests, and questions about older records.

Hood County sits in North Texas, southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Birth records here go back to the early days of state registration. If you were born in Hood County or need a relative's birth record, the County Clerk is your first contact. For births that happened in Granbury or any other part of the county, all records funnel through this one office.

Requesting Hood County Birth Certificates

You can get a birth certificate from Hood County by going to the clerk's office in Granbury or by mailing in a written request. The state DSHS Vital Statistics office in Austin also has Hood County birth records for births after 1926 through their remote access system.

For mail requests, write to the Hood County Clerk at 100 E. Pearl Street, Granbury, TX 76048. Include your full name, date of birth, parents' names, your relationship to the person on the record, a copy of your valid ID, and a check or money order for the fee. Do not send cash. The clerk will process your request and mail the certificate to you.

If you need to order through the state, the Texas DSHS processes requests submitted with Form VS-140. You can also order online through VitalChek or the DSHS portal at dshs.texas.gov. State processing times vary by current demand.

Qualified applicants under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 192 include the registrant, parents, siblings, grandparents, spouses, and legal representatives. You must show valid photo ID.

Hood County Birth Record Fees

The standard fee for a certified birth certificate in Hood County is $22. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $3. Fees are set by state law and apply uniformly across Texas counties. Pay by check or money order for mail requests. The clerk may accept cash for in-person visits.

The state DSHS charges the same base fee for certificates ordered through Austin. Expedited processing at the state level costs extra and is available for in-person and priority mail requests. Check the DSHS website for the current fee schedule.

State Birth Records System

Texas uses a two-tier system for birth records. The county clerk keeps original records from births in that county. The state DSHS Vital Statistics office in Austin holds statewide records going back to 1926. For older records, the county clerk is the only source.

The Texas DSHS also handles corrections and amendments to birth certificates. If there is an error on a Hood County birth certificate, the process to correct it starts with Form VS-170 from the DSHS website. Some corrections need notarized statements or hospital records. Others may need a court order depending on the nature of the change.

Historical birth records from Hood County may also be found at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Their genealogy collections include early vital records indexes and some original registrations. Visit tsl.texas.gov for more on what records they hold.

Birth Records Search Tools

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics section at dshs.texas.gov is the central resource for ordering Hood County birth certificates through the state system. The page outlines ordering methods and lists qualified applicants who can request records.

Use the DSHS portal to order online, download forms, or get contact information for in-person requests at the state office in Austin.

The Texas.gov vital records page also links to ordering options and explains how birth records work across the state system.

Cities in Hood County

Hood County's main city is Granbury, which serves as the county seat. All birth records for the county are filed at the County Clerk's office in Granbury regardless of where in the county the birth occurred.

Communities in Hood County include Granbury, Lipan, Tolar, and Cresson. None currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Hood County shares borders with several neighboring counties in North Texas. If you need birth records from a nearby area, check the county where the birth took place.