How to Find Texas Court Records (2026)

In person. Go to the clerk of the court that heard the case: the district clerk for district-court files, the county clerk for county-court and probate files. Bring the case number if you have it; if not, the party names and an approximate year. Public terminals are usually available for searching the index at no charge. Copies are paid at the counter, and most clerks accept cash, card, or money order.

By mail. Write to the clerk with:

• the case number, or the full names of the parties and the year filed;
• exactly which documents you need (for example "the final decree of divorce" or "the judgment");
• whether you need plain or certified copies;
• a check or money order for the fee, or a request for a fee quote; and
• a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Call first to confirm the current per-page fee so your payment is correct. Turnaround is typically one to three weeks depending on the county and whether the file has to be pulled from off-site storage.

Online. If the county publishes documents through re:SearchTX or its own portal, you can download plain copies yourself. Certified copies almost always require a request to the clerk.

Records older than the online index. Many counties only have cases from the 1990s or 2000s onward online. Older files are on paper or microfilm at the clerk's office or in county archives, and the clerk may charge a search fee to locate them.

Texas court records are presumed open, but several categories will not appear in any public search:

• Expunged records. An expunction under Chapter 55A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (formerly Chapter 55) orders every agency to destroy the record. After expunction the arrest legally did not happen and the clerk will not confirm it existed.
• Orders of nondisclosure. Under Government Code Chapter 411, Subchapter E-1, a court can seal a record from the public while leaving it visible to law enforcement, licensing boards, and certain employers. Sealed cases are removed from public indexes, including the DPS conviction search.
• Juvenile records. Cases in juvenile court are confidential under the Family Code, with narrow exceptions.
• Adoption and some family matters. Adoption files are sealed. Other family cases are public but sensitive data (Social Security numbers, bank accounts, minors' names) must be redacted under the rules of civil procedure.
• Mental health and protective-order records. Access is restricted by statute.

Note that the Texas Public Information Act (Government Code Chapter 552) does not apply to the judiciary. Access to court case records is governed by court rules and the common-law right of access, and requests are made to the clerk, not through a public-information request.