Wood County Birth Records

Wood County birth records are kept by the County Clerk in Quitman, Texas. The office holds records from 1903 and can issue certified copies of birth certificates for births that occurred within this East Texas county.

Wood County Clerk Office

The Wood County Clerk is located at P.O. Box 970, Quitman, TX 75783. Phone: (903) 763-2400. Fax: (903) 763-2401. Email: lwise@mywoodcounty.com. The office handles all vital records for Wood County including birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses. Birth records go back to 1903.

Quitman is the county seat of Wood County, a rural East Texas county. The courthouse is in town. You can visit in person during regular business hours or mail your request to the clerk's P.O. Box. The clerk follows the standard Texas requirements for vital records access and issues certified copies to qualified applicants.

Requesting Wood County Birth Records

To get a certified birth certificate from Wood County, visit the courthouse in Quitman or send a mail request. For in-person visits, bring a valid photo ID and $23.00. The clerk will look up the record and issue a certified copy.

Mail requests must include a completed application form, a notarized copy of your photo ID, and a cashier's check or money order for $23.00. Send everything to P.O. Box 970, Quitman, TX 75783. Texas requires notarized identity verification for all birth certificate requests sent by mail. Personal checks are not accepted.

Qualified applicants for records under 75 years old include the person named on the certificate, their parents, siblings, children, grandparents, legal guardians, and authorized representatives. Records 75 years or older are public information under Texas law.

You can also reach the clerk by phone at (903) 763-2400 or email at lwise@mywoodcounty.com to ask questions before submitting your request. The Texas DSHS is an alternative source for Wood County birth records if you prefer the state system.

Wood County Birth Certificate Details

A certified birth certificate from Wood County contains the child's full legal name, date and place of birth, and the names of both parents as registered. This document is used for passports, Social Security applications, school enrollment, and many other official purposes.

Texas birth records are confidential for 75 years. After that, they become public. Wood County records from before 1951 are now open to any researcher. If you are researching family history in East Texas, older Wood County birth records can be requested without needing to prove family relationship.

Death certificates from Wood County are also available through the County Clerk. The fee schedule follows the standard Texas rate of $21.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Death records become public after 25 years.

Texas State Resources for Wood County

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics Unit holds copies of all Texas birth records, including those from Wood County. If you cannot visit Quitman, the state system is a reliable alternative. Order online through VitalChek or by mail to the Austin DSHS office.

Texas birth record law is found in Health and Safety Code Chapter 192. The rules for qualified applicants, the 75-year confidentiality period, and the notarized mail request requirement all apply uniformly across Texas, including Wood County. The state and county both issue equally valid certified copies to people who qualify.

The Texas Department of State Health Services at dshs.texas.gov maintains state-level copies of all Wood County birth records from 1903 and can issue certified copies to qualified applicants nationwide.

Nearby Counties

Wood County is in East Texas. These neighboring counties maintain their own birth records through county clerk offices.