Texas Public Records, Arrest Records and Jail Roster

Texas Public Records

Texas does make provisions for the sharing of its records with the residents of the state. ?Read on to learn what the public records law says and what types of records you can gain access.

The Texas Public Information Act – legally referred to as the Texas Government Code Chapter 552 – states that government records and information must be available to the public, but with some exemptions. The Act was formulated to enable the residents of Texas to have access to most public information and records that would not otherwise be easier for one to obtain. The purpose for requesting for these records is not relevant and you cannot be denied access on that basis. There is also no restriction to what the records may be used for once obtained.

The records covered by the Act include all public records generated, maintained, or kept by the government, law enforcement agencies, court, and any other body or organization that receives public funds.

Texas Criminal Records

Texas Criminal Records are maintained by Texas State Records. These records are stored online and are made available to the general public in the form of Criminal Background Reports. Generally, Criminal records in the state of Texas include such subjects as arrest records, arrest warrants, felonies, misdemeanors, serious traffic violation, sex offender listing, Texas conviction records, parole information, and jail and inmate records.

Arrest records and Jail and inmate records in Texas are maintained by the Texas Department of Corrections. They provide a searchable online database that you can use to locate an offender. The search gives the inmate’s full name, current location, incarcerated dates, convicted offenses, earliest possible release date, and a photo if available.

Texas Court Records

The best method of getting court records in the state of Texas depends on the type of case and the court that handled the case. Court records are available at county level and you can access them through the county’s official website or through a website that the government partners with. When searching any trial court case, you will be prompted to enter the case name, case number, and case type.

Texas Vital Records

Texas Vital Records are maintained by the Office of Vital Records. They include such documents as marriage licenses, divorce certificates, birth certificate, and death certificates.

• Birth records: The state of Texas did not require registration of births and deaths until 1903. However, there are counties that started registering for births as early as 183. Birth certificates issued from 1903 to date are available at the Texas Department of Public Health. You can request for birth records prior to 1903 from the clerk’s offices of the county where the birth was recorded.
• Death records: Registration deaths were not required in the state of Texas until 1903. However, there are counties that started registering for deaths in 1800s. Death certificates issued from 1903 to date are available at the Texas Department of Public Health. For death records prior to 1903, you can direct your request to the clerk’s offices of the county where the birth was recorded.
• Marriage records: Marriage records in the state of Texas are available from 1966 to present. The Bureau of Vital Statistics is responsible for maintaining these records. There are also marriage records that were recorded as early as before 1836. Such records are available at the Family History Library.
• Divorce records: Divorce records are available from 1966 to present. The Bureau of Vital Statistics is responsible for maintaining these records. Some counties had been recording divorce proceedings even before 1836. You can request for such records from the Family History Library.

This post is meant to make it easier and straightforward for you to search for and obtain public records, criminal records, court records and civil records in the state of Texas. We hope it helps you achieve just that.

Texas State Court System

Understanding how the system of Texas state court works is very important as it helps you find court records easily.

Texas Courts Overview

To make your work easier, start searching for court records in Texas by simply going to courts by county.

The trial court system of Texas State consists of Municipal Courts, Justice Courts, Statutory Probate Courts, County Courts at Law, Constitutional County Courts, Criminal District Court, and District Courts.

District Courts

Texas District Courts have general jurisdiction to handle all types of cases, but generally handle only those cases that other courts have no jurisdiction over.

A District Court serving an area with a densely populated area usually specialize in some types of cases including criminal, civil, family or juvenile.

Civil cases generally heard by these courts include election disputes, defamation, slander, title to land, and other types of civil cases.

The specific types of the civil cases that these courts handle include personal injury, habeas corpus, guardianships, mental health cases, trusts, wills, probate matters, children in need of supervision, juvenile delinquency, protection orders, voluntary legitimation, judicial consent for minors, child protection cases, termination of ?parental rights, name change, adoption, annulment, divorce, contracts, eminent domain and condemnation, tax disputes, workers compensation wrongful death or property damage, personal injury, and motor vehicle related cases including personal injury.

Criminal District Court

Criminal District Courts specialize in handling criminal cases. The criminal cases handled by these courts may be the same as those that are handled by the County Courts of Law. They include trials for many misdemeanors and preliminary hearings of all criminal cases.

Out of the 13 Texas courts named Criminal District Court, Only the Criminal District Court located in Jefferson County is the only Criminal District Court that has its jurisdiction limited to divorce, criminal, adoption, delinquent and dependent children, criminal and habeas corpus proceedings by the Texas Legislature. The remaining Criminal District Courts in Texas mostly give preference to the criminal cases.

Constitutional County Courts

These courts have original jurisdiction to handle probate matters in most counties. However, contested probate matters may sometimes be transferred to the District Court.

Criminal cases generally handle by these courts include misdemeanors with potential punishment of less than one year jail term or a fine of up to $500. Justice Courts share jurisdiction with Constitutional County Courts located in most counties over civil cases with not less than $200 and not more than $10,000 in dispute. Civil Constitutional County Courts may also handle juvenile cases in most Counties. They may also share jurisdiction with District Courts, Justice Courts, and other County Courts over some types of cases.

These courts can also handle sexual assault or domestic violence protective orders. They also handle some administrative duties through County Commissioners Court for county government.

County Courts at Law

Also called County Criminal Courts at Law, County Criminal Courts, or Statutory County Courts, Texas County Courts at Law mostly specializes mainly in some types of criminal or civil cases.

Criminal cases generally heard by these courts include misdemeanors, such as jurisdiction over certain types of misdemeanors that don’t have any possible penalty on incarceration. They may also handle felonies and violations of safety or health ordinances.

General Civil cases these courts handle include cases involving workers compensation or eminent domain, and general civil claims with more than $500 and less than $10,000 in dispute. They may also handle trusts, wills, mental health proceedings, juvenile matters, child support, child custody, sexual assault or domestic violence protective orders, divorce, and guardianships.

County Courts of Law may also share jurisdiction with Statutory Probate Courts, Constitutional County Courts, and District Courts.

Statutory Probate Courts

These courts exist only in densely populated metropolitan areas, and they have jurisdiction to handle most probate matters. In most counties, these courts have original probate jurisdiction.

Typical cases Statutory Probate Courts handle include mental health proceedings, guardianships, administration of estates, the probate of wills, and certain types of civil cases connected to the administration of estates.

Texas Justice Courts

Texas Justice Courts, also known as “Justice of the Peace Courts”, have jurisdiction to handle some types of criminal and civil cases. Typical criminal cases heard by these courts include some traffic misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, and some misdemeanors without possible penalties of incarcerations.

General civil cases Justice Courts handle include small claims, foreclosures of mortgages, forcible entry and detainer, and general civil claims with particular financial limits. Justice Courts exist in every county.

Municipal Courts

These courts have jurisdiction to handle some types of criminal and civil cases. Criminal cases they handle include some misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, municipal ordinance violations, and some cases connected to forfeiture and final judgments of personal bonds or bail bonds.

Civil cases Municipal Courts handle are limited to certain cases that involve the ownership of dangerous dogs. A Municipal Court may be a court of record if it is created by local law and it may exercise extra jurisdiction over criminal matters, civil cases, and ordinance violations.

The Official Website of Texas County

Houston Welcome to the City of Houston eGovernment Center
San Antonio The City of San Antonio – Official City Website
Dallas Welcome to the City of Dallas, Texas The City of Dallas home page has information about employment, elected officials, online services and city departments for residents and visitors.
Austin AustinTexas.gov – The Official Website of the City of Austin
Fort Worth Welcome to the City of Fort Worth, Texas Ranked the 16th largest and one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., Fort Worth is home to more than 800,000 residents.
El Paso City of El Paso
Arlington City of Arlington
Corpus Christi City of Corpus Christi
Plano Plano, TX | Official Website The official home page for the City of Plano, Texas.
Laredo Laredo Welcome to the City of Laredo webpage. Laredo has many attractions and events to offer. Come and visit. Always a reason to celebrate in Laredo.
Irving Irving, TX – Official Website The City of Irving is an economic powerhouse in North Texas and is home to the region’s largest office park, where more than 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies are headquartered or have a significant presence. Irving is the 13th largest city in the state with 237,000 residents and the most diverse ZIP code in the country. Irving is the second city in the nation and the first in the State of Texas to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2012) as well as the first municipality in Texas’ history to receive the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (2011).
Garland Garland, TX | Official Website
Amarillo City of Amarillo, TX
Grand Prairie City of Grand Prairie
Brownsville Brownsville, TX | Official Website The City of Brownsville provides our customers efficient and quality municipal services with courtesy and concern.
Harris County Harris County | Texas
Dallas County Dallas County
Tarrant County Tarrant County
Bexar County Bexar County, TX – Official Website Bexar County Government website. Commissioners Court, Elected Officials, County Offices, Jury Duty Information, Election Information, Court Information, Community Information and Information for Veterans.
Travis County Travis County
El Paso County County of El Paso Texas
Collin County Collin County
Hidalgo County Hidalgo County, TX – Official Website Hidalgo County Home Page
Denton County Denton County – Denton County, Texas
Fort Bend County Fort Bend County, TX google-site-verification
Cameron County Welcome to Cameron County
Nueces County Nueces County, TX
Brazoria County Brazoria County, TX
Bell County Bell County, TX Bell County, TX
Lubbock County Lubbock County, Texas The official government website of Lubbock County, Texas.
Webb County Official Site of Webb County
McLennan County McLennan County, TX | Official Website
Brazos County Brazos County, TX – Official Website
Hays County Hays County
Johnson County Johnson County, TX
Ellis County Ellis County, TX Official Website
Ector County Ector County, Texas
Guadalupe County Guadalupe County Guadalupe County Texas, County Government, the county seat is located in Seguin Texas.
Taylor County Taylor County, TX – Official Website
Wichita County Wichita County, TX Online Home
Gregg County Gregg County
Grayson County Grayson County
Randall County Randall County, TX | Official Website
Parker County Parker County, TX – Official Website
Tom Green County Tom Green County
Comal County Comal County, Texas
Kaufman County Kaufman County
Victoria County Victoria County Official Victoria County Website

Texas Jail Roster

Archer County, Texas Archer County Inmate Roster
Bell County Inmate Search Bell County Jail Active Inmates
Jail Activity Reports | Bexar County, TX – Official Website Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Jail Activity Reports.
publicbrazoria-county.com Brazoria County Detention Center
Brown County Inmate Listing Brown County Jail Report
Caldwell County, Texas Caldwell County Sheriffs’ Department
Calhoun County Adult Detention Center Calhoun County Inmate Locator
Callahan County Sheriff’s Department Callahan County Arrest Report
Clay County Jail Roster Clay County Jail Roster
Coleman County Government Coleman County Inmate List
Judicial Online Search Collin County Jail Inmate Search
Colorado County Sheriff’s Office Website Colorado County Jail Inmate Finder
Cooke County Inmate Listing Cooke County Inmate Listing
Dallas County Online Jail Search Dallas County Jail Lookup
Detention Center | DeWitt County Office of the Sheriff DeWitt County Detention Center Inmates
Erath County – Inmate Listing Erath County Jail Inmate Search
Fannin County Court Public Records Search – Fannin County, Texas Fannin County Criminal Records
Fayette County Jail – Fayette County, Texas Fayette County Inmate Information
Jail – Public Information Inquiry | Fort Bend County, TX Fort Bend Jail Inmate Search
Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Gregg County Jail Inmate Search
Guadalupe County Records Inquiry Guadalupe County Jail Inmates
Find Someone in Jail – Harris County Sheriff’s Office Harris County Jail Inmate List
Hill County, Texas Hill County Jail Inmate List
Bond Page | Hood County, TX – Official Website Hood County Inmate List
Hopkins County Jail Report Hopkins County Jail Roster
Howard County Judicial and Jail Record Search Howard County Jail Records
Hunt County Sheriff’s Office Hunt County Sheriff’s Inmate List
Inmate Listing – Johnson County Johnson County Jail
Lamar County, Texas Lamar County Sheriff’s Department
Jail – Lee County Sheriff TX Lee County Jail
Llano County Sheriff’s Inmates Llano County Sheriff’s Inmates
Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office | Active Jail Roster Lubbock County Sheriff’s Inmate Roster
Madison County Sheriff’s Department Madison County Sheriff’s Department
Welcome to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office Mills County Sheriff’s Records
Montgomery County Jail Division Montgomery County Inmate Search
Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office Nacogdoches County Inmate Search
Rains County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rains County Sheriff
Red River County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Red River Inmate Listing
Roster Choose – Robertson County TX Sheriff Robertson County Jail Search
Rusk County Sheriff’s Office Rusk County Jail Information
Arrest / Jail Report – Shackelford County, Texas Shackelford County Arrest Report
Starr County, Texas Starr County Jail Records
Inmate Search – Tarrant County Tarrant County Inmate Search
Inmate Roster – Current Inmates Booking Date Descending – Tom Green County TX Sheriff’s Office Tom Green Inmate Roster
Sheriff Inmate Population Reporting System Travis County Sheriff’s Inmate Search
Van Zandt County Inmate Listing Van Zandt County Inmate Locator
Inmate Roster ? Wichita County Sheriff’s Office Wichita County Inmate Search
Williamson County Records Inquiry Williamson County Inmate Inquiry
Wood County Court Records Inquiry Wood County Jail
Young County, Texas Young County Jail Listing
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search.
Criminal History Name Search Texas Background Checks
Texas Judicial Branch TAMES Search
Texas Public Sex Offender Registry Texas Public Sex Offender Registry