Start with the record you actually need
Collin County criminal records are spread across several official systems, but the county makes the first search unusually convenient through its Judicial Online Search. That system can connect public court cases, active warrants, current inmates, mugshots, bond information and related case records. Felony records are maintained by the District Clerk, Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases by the County Clerk, Class C and traffic matters can involve the Justice Courts or municipal courts, and Texas DPS maintains the separate statewide criminal-history database.
Who maintains criminal records in Collin County?
The quickest way to avoid a dead end is to send the request to the office that actually created or maintains the record.
Felony District Court records
District Court felony cases, older felony searches, official court filings, copies and certified felony court records.
Class A & B misdemeanors
County Court at Law criminal cases, misdemeanor documents, bonds and Class C appeals.
Class C / traffic cases
Justice of the Peace criminal and traffic matters within the applicable precinct.
City citations
Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen and other municipal courts can maintain their own Class C and ordinance records.
Jail, warrants & reports
Current jail custody, recent releases, active warrants and qualifying Sheriff’s Office arrest or incident reports.
State criminal history
Public Texas criminal-history information reported across the state rather than one Collin County court file.
Use Collin County Judicial Online Search first
Collin County operates a free Judicial Online Search that combines several of the county’s most-used justice-system databases.
The county says the tool can be used to:
- search felony criminal cases
- search misdemeanor cases
- search Justice Court cases
- search by name
- search by case number
- search by citation number
- find current inmates
- view mugshots where available
- check bond amounts
- see time served
- check active warrants
- link warrants or inmates back to court cases
Collin County Case Search vs Case Record Inquiry
Collin County provides more than one case-search interface, and the update timing is different.
Broad, single-screen search
Searches multiple case types through one interface. The county states that this data is updated daily at approximately 6 p.m..
Case-type-specific search
Requires choosing the case type first, but the county states that information in this system is updated in real time.
Historical coverage in the county’s main Case Search
| Record type | Online historical coverage stated by county | What to do for older cases |
|---|---|---|
| District Court criminal | 1988 to present | Use District Clerk historical record request for earlier cases. |
| County Court at Law criminal | 2000 to present | Contact County Clerk for older misdemeanor records. |
| Justice Court | 1984 to present in the main Case Search | Contact the appropriate Justice Court when online history is incomplete. |
How to search Collin County criminal records step by step
Start with Judicial Online Search
Use the county’s official combined justice-system search rather than beginning with an unofficial people-search website.
Search by case number when possible
A cause number is generally more reliable than a common name and greatly speeds up copy requests later.
If searching by name, verify the defendant carefully
Compare full name, DOB where displayed, court, filing date and case details.
Identify which court owns the case
District Court usually means District Clerk; County Court at Law means County Clerk; Justice Court cases stay with the appropriate Justice of the Peace.
Review charge and disposition
Do not stop at the offense description. Check whether the charge was dismissed, resulted in conviction, remained pending or ended another way.
Request documents from the correct clerk
Use the case number and specific document name whenever possible so the clerk does not need to perform an additional name search.
Collin County felony criminal records
Felony cases filed in Collin County District Courts are maintained by the Collin County District Clerk .
Current online case-search systems include District Court criminal cases filed or completed from 1988 to the present.
Use the District Clerk when you need:
- felony court record search
- criminal complaint or pleading copy
- judgment document
- certified court document
- historical felony search
- record search certification
- case file information
- official document from a District Court case
Collin County District Clerk
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12132
McKinney, TX 75071
Main line:
972-548-4320
Records line:
972-548-4106
Records email:
dcrecords@co.collin.tx.us
How to find Collin County felony cases before 1988
Collin County specifically states that criminal cases completed from the 1800s through 1987 are not covered by the ordinary modern online District Court criminal search.
For those cases, use the District Clerk Record Request Form .
The District Clerk says ordinary criminal record searches are normally processed within one or two days of receipt, although its current record-request form asks requesters to allow up to 10 business days for completion.
Collin County District Clerk criminal record fees
The District Clerk’s current record-request form publishes the following charges:
| Service | Published fee | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| Record search when cause number / pleading is unknown | $5 | Must be paid before the Clerk performs the search. |
| Non-certified paper copy | $1 per page | Ordinary reference copy. |
| Non-certified electronic copy | $1 up to 10 pages | Then $0.10 for each additional page or part of a page. |
| Certified paper copy | $1 per page + $5 | The $5 charge applies for certificate and seal for each document. |
| Large copy on disk, more than 100 pages | $20 per disk | Listed on the current District Clerk record-request form. |
Fees can change. Confirm the final amount with the District Clerk before sending payment.
Collin County Class A and Class B misdemeanor records
The Collin County Clerk’s County Court at Law Criminal division maintains Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases.
The office also handles Class C appeals that come to the County Courts at Law.
The County Clerk can provide information relating to:
- individual misdemeanor cases
- case documents
- bonds
- Class A misdemeanor charges
- Class B misdemeanor charges
- Class C appeals
Collin County Clerk — County Court at Law
2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12165McKinney, TX 75071
Criminal case / bond information:
972-548-6420 /
972-548-6422
The County Clerk provides a formal County Clerk Records Request form for misdemeanor documents. The office also states that eligible court documents can be acquired through re:SearchTX by creating an account.
Class A/B misdemeanor document → County Clerk.
Justice Court and Class C misdemeanor records
Collin County Justice of the Peace courts handle qualifying Class C misdemeanor, traffic and other matters within their jurisdiction.
The county’s main Case Search includes historical Justice Court cases from 1984 to the present.
The older Case Record Inquiry system has narrower historical coverage:
- Precinct 1 cases active on or after May 4, 2009
- Precincts 2, 3-1, 3-2 and 4 cases active on or after August 3, 2009
City municipal court records are separate from Collin County court records
A Class C misdemeanor or traffic citation issued inside a city can belong to that city’s municipal court instead of a Collin County Justice Court.
Plano Municipal Court
Plano provides municipal court case and warrant services for qualifying city cases.
Plano Municipal CourtFrisco Municipal Court
Handles Class C misdemeanor and city-ordinance violations occurring inside Frisco city limits.
Frisco Municipal CourtMcKinney Municipal Court
Maintains qualifying municipal citations and city court cases.
McKinney Municipal CourtCollin County jail and current inmate records
The Collin County Sheriff’s Office inmate system provides current custody information.
The county says the list includes:
- current inmates
- people released during the previous 24 hours
- related booking information
- charges where available
- bond information
- links to related court cases
Collin County Sheriff’s Office
4300 Community AvenueMcKinney, TX 75071
Recent Collin County arrests and releases
The Sheriff’s Office provides an Arrests & Releases Report covering approximately the previous week.
This is useful when:
- the arrest happened recently
- the court case has not yet been easy to locate
- you need basic booking / release information
- you are trying to identify the correct defendant or case
Collin County active warrant search
The Sheriff’s Office provides an online Active Warrants report and integrates warrant information into the county’s Judicial Online Search.
The combined search can link an active warrant to the related Collin County court case when available.
What Collin County Magistrate Court does after an arrest
Collin County Magistrate Court plays an important role immediately after certain arrests.
The county states that the Magistrate Court may:
- advise defendants of their rights
- determine probable cause
- set bond
- issue warrants
- impose or enforce qualifying bond conditions
Records and motions relating to the Magistrate Court are directed to the Collin County District Clerk.
How to request Collin County Sheriff’s Office arrest or incident records
Sheriff’s Office records are requested through its Open Records process .
HCSO’s Collin County counterpart publishes common charges including:
| Record | Current published fee |
|---|---|
| Accident report | $6 |
| Inmate mugshot photograph | $5 |
| Offense report | $5 |
| Dispatch incident log | $3 |
Collin County Sheriff’s Office
ATTN: Open Records4300 Community Avenue
McKinney, TX 75071
Email:
CCSOOpenRecords@CollinCountyTX.gov
Records assistance:
972-547-5199
Include as much identifying information as possible, such as the report or call number, names involved, date, location and type of event.
Court records and police records follow different Texas access procedures
Court cases
District Court records are obtained through the District Clerk, County Court at Law records through the County Clerk, and Justice Court records through the appropriate JP court.
Police / Sheriff records
Eligible law-enforcement agency records can be requested under the Texas Public Information Act, subject to applicable exceptions and confidentiality provisions.
Texas DPS criminal-history search for Collin County records
A Collin County court search tells you about cases filed in Collin County. A Texas Department of Public Safety public criminal-history search can provide public Texas criminal-history information reported from around the state.
Judicial Online Search
Best for the actual county court case, docket, warrant connection, jail connection and local court status.
Texas DPS
Better when your goal is public Texas criminal-history information rather than a single county case.
Current Texas DPS name-search cost
DPS currently charges $1 per search credit. Credit-card purchases currently add a 2.25% fee per credit plus a $0.25 transaction fee.
DPS states that the search credit is charged even when there is no matching record.
DPS also says its public search uses broader matching logic, including similar-sounding names, so users should review DOB and descriptive information rather than relying only on the name.
Texas prison and state correctional records
If a person has been transferred into the Texas prison system, use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search .
TDCJ supports searches by:
- name
- SID number
- current TDCJ number
- previous TDCJ number
- partial values using wildcard searching
Texas state correctional custody → TDCJ.
Collin County criminal appeals go to the Fifth Court of Appeals
The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas has appellate jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases from Collin County district and county courts, subject to Texas appellate jurisdiction rules.
The Fifth Court serves:
- Collin County
- Dallas County
- Grayson County
- Hunt County
- Kaufman County
- Rockwall County
Fifth Court of Appeals
George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building600 Commerce Street, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75202-4658
Phone: 214-712-3400
Federal criminal cases from Collin County are separate
A federal criminal prosecution is not a Collin County court case.
Collin County is within the Sherman Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
The Sherman Division includes federal courthouse operations in both Sherman and Plano. The Plano federal courthouse is:
United States Courthouse — Plano
7940 Preston Road, Room 101Plano, TX 75024
Clerk’s Office:
214-872-4800
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., except federal holidays
Public federal criminal dockets are generally searched through PACER .
Collin County expunction and orders of nondisclosure
Texas law provides more than one process for limiting public access to qualifying criminal records. The two terms most often encountered are expunction and order of nondisclosure.
Potential statutory removal of qualifying records
Eligibility depends on the arrest, charge, disposition, waiting periods and other facts required by Texas law. A dismissal alone does not automatically mean every record has already disappeared.
Limits ordinary public disclosure
Texas provides several nondisclosure pathways depending on the offense and outcome. Certain authorized entities can still access information even after nondisclosure.
Collin County’s District Clerk publishes an Expunction / 30-Day Acquittal Case Information Sheet among its court forms. The County Clerk also directs misdemeanor users to the Texas Office of Court Administration’s official nondisclosure forms.
Collin County District Clerk forms Texas nondisclosure formsWhat to do if a Collin County criminal record is wrong
First identify where the error appears.
Contact the clerk
If the error appears in a District Court felony case, contact the District Clerk. If it appears in a County Court misdemeanor case, contact the County Clerk.
Use DPS error resolution
DPS provides a criminal-history correction process and says disputed name-based results can require fingerprint-based personal review.
Contact the originating agency
An error in a Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen or Sheriff’s Office report should be addressed with the agency maintaining that record.
Collin County criminal-record offices in McKinney
Collin County District Clerk
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12132
McKinney, TX 75071
Main:
972-548-4320
Records:
972-548-4106
Collin County Clerk
County Court at Law Clerks2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12165
McKinney, TX 75071
Criminal case / bond: 972-548-6420
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building map
The primary Collin County District Clerk and County Court at Law Clerk criminal-record offices are located in the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building at 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, Texas 75071.
Map loading is deferred until needed to reduce its effect on initial page performance.
What information should you collect before searching?
- full legal first and last name
- middle name or initial
- former or maiden name
- date of birth
- Collin County case / cause number
- citation number
- arrest or booking date
- arresting agency
- court name if known
- approximate filing year
- offense / report number
- Texas SID or TDCJ number when relevant
Collin County criminal-record search tips that save time
Start with the combined search
Judicial Online Search can reveal whether your next step is a court case, jail record or warrant check.
Use Case Record Inquiry for fresh changes
Collin County says it updates in real time, while the broader Case Search updates daily.
Felony = District Clerk
Do not send a felony document request to the County Clerk.
Class A/B = County Clerk
County Court at Law criminal records are handled by the County Clerk.
Pre-1988 felony?
Use the District Clerk’s historical record-request process instead of relying on the online search.
Save the cause number
It can prevent a $5 clerk name search and makes document retrieval much easier.
Recent arrest? Check the Sheriff
Current inmate and recent-release information can appear before a court search becomes your best source.
Check the city court
Plano, Frisco, McKinney and other municipal courts maintain their own Class C cases.
Do not trust warrant absence
Collin County warns that not every warrant is publicly viewable online.
Use DPS for statewide history
A Collin County search cannot show every criminal-history event elsewhere in Texas.
Read the disposition
A charge without its outcome can create a misleading picture of the case.
Verify the identity
Compare DOB and other identifiers. Name matching alone is not proof that a record belongs to someone.
Using criminal records for employment, housing or other eligibility decisions
A public Collin County docket is not automatically the same thing as a consumer background report.
When a third-party background-screening company supplies a report for employment, housing, credit, insurance or another regulated eligibility purpose, the Fair Credit Reporting Act can impose additional accuracy, authorization, disclosure and adverse-action requirements.
Collin County criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is there a free Collin County criminal records search?
Yes. Collin County provides a free Judicial Online Search that can search public court cases, current inmates and active warrant information. Formal record searches and certified copies requested from the clerk can carry fees.
2. Where do I search a Collin County felony case?
Use Collin County Judicial Online Search or the county’s Case Search to locate the case. Felony District Court records and official felony documents are maintained by the Collin County District Clerk.
3. Where do I search a Collin County misdemeanor case?
Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases are handled through the County Courts at Law and maintained by the Collin County Clerk. The county’s Judicial Online Search can help locate the case before you request documents.
4. How far back do Collin County criminal records go online?
The county’s main Case Search includes District Court criminal cases from 1988 to the present and County Court at Law criminal cases from 2000 to the present. Its Justice Court historical coverage reaches back to 1984. Earlier felony records require a District Clerk historical search.
5. How much does a Collin County felony record search cost?
The District Clerk currently charges $5 when the office must perform a record search because the cause number or requested pleading is unknown. Ordinary non-certified paper copies are currently $1 per page, and certified paper copies are $1 per page plus $5 per document for certification and seal.
6. Can I search current Collin County jail inmates online?
Yes. The Collin County Sheriff’s Office provides inmate information through its public jail resources. The list includes current inmates and people released within the previous 24 hours.
7. Can I search Collin County warrants online?
Yes. Active warrant information can be searched through Collin County’s judicial and Sheriff’s Office resources. However, the Sheriff’s Office warns that not every warrant is necessarily viewable to the public online.
8. Is a Texas DPS criminal-history search the same as a Collin County court search?
No. Collin County court searches show local court-case information. Texas DPS provides statewide public Texas criminal-history information reported by criminal-justice agencies.
9. Where do I find a Collin County criminal appeal?
Collin County district and county criminal appeals generally fall within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas, subject to Texas appellate jurisdiction rules.
10. Where do I find a federal criminal case involving Collin County?
Collin County is within the Sherman Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Federal dockets are generally searched through PACER rather than the Collin County court system.
Official sources and search portals
- Collin County Judicial Online Search
- Collin County Case Information
- Collin County District Clerk — Criminal
- Collin County District Clerk Record Request Form
- Collin County Clerk — Criminal Misdemeanor
- Collin County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Information
- Collin County Sheriff’s Office — Public Resources
- Collin County Sheriff’s Office — Open Records
- Collin County — Public Information Requests
- Texas DPS — Public Criminal History Search
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Offender Search
- Fifth Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas — Sherman Division
- PACER — Federal Court Records
- Texas Judicial Branch — Orders of Nondisclosure