Although Texas Death Records are considered as public records and access to these data are authorized by law to each individual who sees the need to do so, provided that all rules and procedures by the state are being followed. All related information such as death certificate, obituaries, death notices are put together and maintained by Texas through its Bureau of Vital Statistics so that it would be easier for the general public to go through these files, but one thing that is unique in this state is that death records do not become open public records unless they are 25 years old. What we mean here, is that for records less than 25 years old, hard copies can only be available to immediate family members and through court order.