DPS Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

Q: Is the Texas DPS criminal-history search available to the public?

Yes. Texas DPS operates a Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search. The public version provides criminal-history information authorized for public release, principally qualifying conviction and deferred-adjudication information.

Q: How much does the online Texas DPS criminal record search cost?

Texas DPS currently lists online criminal-history search credits at one dollar each, with additional transaction charges for credit-card purchases.

Q: Does a DPS search cover all 254 Texas counties?

Texas DPS states that Texas has 254 counties that submit criminal data to the statewide Computerized Criminal History system. Results still depend on proper reporting and public-release rules.

Q: Does the DPS public search show every Texas arrest?

No. The public search is not unrestricted access to the full DPS Computerized Criminal History database. Public access focuses on criminal-history information related to convictions and deferred adjudications, including associated arrest information.

Q: Can I search someone else's Texas criminal history?

Yes. Qualifying public criminal-history information can be searched through the Texas DPS Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search. Name-based matches should be independently verified.

Q: How do I get my complete Texas DPS criminal-history record?

Use the Texas DPS Personal Review process. A fingerprint-based review provides stronger identity verification than a public name search.

Q: Why does DPS show an arrest but no court disposition?

The court disposition may not have been successfully reported to DPS. DPS instructs individuals to obtain a certified disposition from the court of jurisdiction and use the Error Resolution process.

Q: Does Texas DPS provide prison-release information?

Texas prison and offender information should generally be searched through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search rather than the DPS public conviction search.

Q: Can an expunction or nondisclosure affect a DPS public search?

Yes. A qualifying expunction can remove criminal-history information, while an order of nondisclosure can restrict public disclosure of qualifying records under Texas law.

Texas statewide criminal-history guide

Texas DPS is the statewide criminal-history hub — but it is not the court record itself

In this guide, DPS means the Texas Department of Public Safety. DPS operates the state’s Computerized Criminal History system and a public name-based search for qualifying Texas criminal-history information. That search can be useful for convictions and deferred adjudications, but it does not replace the county or district court file. If you need the complaint, indictment, docket, plea, disposition, sentence or certified case document, you may still need the clerk of the court where the case was filed.

Coverage: Texas statewide Agency: Texas Department of Public Safety Information checked: September 2026

Fast answer: Use the DPS Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search when you want qualifying public Texas criminal-history information on another person. Use a fingerprint-based Texas Personal Review when checking your own full DPS record. For actual trial-court documents, use the county or district clerk because Texas does not provide one Judicial Branch website that searches every trial-court criminal case.

Search a name Public DPS conviction and deferred-adjudication search.

DPS search →

Check your own record Fingerprint-based Texas Personal Review for true-identity matching.

Personal review →

Find the court case Use the county or district clerk for the actual criminal case file.

Court records →

Find an offender Use TDCJ for Texas prison, parole and correctional information.

TDCJ search →

Fix a DPS record Missing disposition, wrong identity or inaccurate CHRI.

Error resolution →

What is actually stored in Texas DPS criminal history?

Texas DPS operates the state’s Computerized Criminal History system (CCH). Under Texas criminal-history reporting law, criminal justice agencies submit qualifying arrest, prosecution and disposition information to the statewide system.

DPS explains that CCH is intended to include arrests, prosecutions and case dispositions for people arrested for qualifying Texas offenses, generally beginning at the level of a Class B misdemeanor or greater. DPS also notes that a Class C arrest may remain in CCH when an arresting agency chooses to report it, even though agencies are not generally mandated to report Class C arrests in the same way.

Arrest data

Arrest event

Identity information and arrest data submitted by participating Texas criminal-justice agencies.

Prosecution

Charging activity

Prosecutor and court-related information submitted into the criminal-history system.

Disposition

How the case ended

Court outcome information when the responsible clerk or agency reports it correctly to DPS.

Statewide does not mean perfect. Texas has 254 counties that report criminal-history information into CCH, but DPS can only display information that was properly submitted and matched to the record. A missing event or missing disposition may require correction by the reporting agency or court.

What the public Texas DPS criminal-history search actually shows

The general public can use the Texas DPS Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search.

Under Texas Government Code section 411.135, DPS public criminal-history access covers criminal-history information maintained by the Department that relates to a conviction or a grant of deferred adjudication, including associated arrest information that relates to the qualifying conviction or deferred adjudication.

Open the DPS public search

This is not the unrestricted DPS CCH database. The public website does not give ordinary users the same criminal-history access available to criminal-justice agencies or legislatively authorized organizations through DPS Secure.

What this means in practice

Record	DPS public name search	Best follow-up source
Texas conviction	Generally public when maintained in DPS CCH	Court of jurisdiction for certified documents.
Deferred adjudication	May be public, unless lawfully restricted	Trial court for the underlying case.
Arrest associated with a public conviction/deferred adjudication	May appear as part of the public CHRI	Arresting agency and court.
Complete nonpublic Texas CHRI	No	Fingerprint Personal Review for your own record or authorized access.
Texas court pleadings and docket documents	No	District clerk, county clerk, justice court or municipal court.
Federal criminal case	No	PACER / federal court.

Create a DPS public account before searching

DPS requires a CRD Public Website account for the online Criminal History Conviction Name Search. The public account is different from the restricted CRD Secure Site used by organizations that have statutory authority for broader criminal-history access.

1 Create an account Use the CRD Public Website rather than the restricted agency portal.

2 Purchase credits Online searches use prepaid search credits.

3 Enter identifiers Full name and DOB produce cleaner candidate matches.

4 Verify the result Never assume a name-based match proves identity.

Current online search-credit cost

DPS currently lists search credits at $1.00 each. When purchasing by credit card, DPS lists an additional 2.25% fee per credit plus a $0.25 transaction fee. Credits purchased by check are listed at $1 each.

A “no matching records” search still uses a credit. The search charge pays for the inquiry, not for a guaranteed positive result.

The current DPS search interface says its updated search automatically performs additional matching combinations after the initial query. Those automated expanded searches do not require an additional search charge.

How to search a Texas DPS criminal record step by step

Open the public CRD website

Make sure you are using the public DPS Crime Records site, not the restricted Secure Site intended for statutorily authorized agencies.

Create or sign into your account

A CRD Public Website account is required to run the public criminal-history name search.

Purchase enough search credits

One credit is normally used for each submitted search. Avoid repeated searches caused by misspellings by gathering the person’s identifying details first.

Enter first and last name

DPS requires first and last name. Add a middle or maiden name when known.

Add the date of birth

DPS allows a full or partial DOB. A complete birth date substantially narrows common-name matches.

Review how the system matched the name

DPS may return exact, partial or similar-sounding matches. Review the displayed match information rather than assuming the first result is automatically the correct person.

Compare identifiers before relying on the record

Check DOB, middle name, aliases, physical description, county and other available identifiers.

Verify important cases with the court

If the result matters, use the court file and final disposition to verify exactly what happened in the criminal case.

Texas DPS search tips that reduce false matches

DPS specifically recommends giving the search system as much accurate identifying information as possible.

Use the full middle name

A middle name can help separate people who share the same first and last names.

Add a maiden name

DPS recommends adding a maiden name when it is known and relevant to the search.

Use the full DOB

A complete month, day and year usually narrows the candidate list significantly.

Avoid

Nicknames

Search the person’s formal name rather than informal names such as Bob, Jim or Liz.

Avoid

Partial names

DPS advises against entering incomplete first or last names when the full name is known.

Verify

Similar-sounding names

The system uses Soundex-style matching, so differently spelled names that sound similar may appear.

A Texas DPS name match is not fingerprint identification

DPS expressly warns users that name-based criminal-history searches can return records belonging to a different person. They can also fail to identify the correct record.

DPS states that the reliable way to positively associate an individual with a criminal-history record is through fingerprint identification.

Never rely on first and last name alone. Common names, aliases, similar birth dates and Soundex matching can produce multiple possible records. A name-based result should be treated as a possible match until identifying details have been checked.

Useful identifiers to compare

full middle name
date of birth
maiden or former name
sex and race when displayed and relevant
known county or arrest location
known case dates
photograph when legitimately displayed
court file number

What “no matching records” really means

A DPS response showing no matching public record should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the person has never been arrested or involved in a criminal case.

A blank result can occur because:

the person has no qualifying DPS public criminal-history record
the name or DOB was entered incorrectly
the person used another name or identifier
the event was never properly reported to DPS
the case does not fall within public section 411.135 disclosure
the information is subject to expunction or nondisclosure
the case exists only in a local or federal court system
the event has not yet been fully reported or updated

Best follow-up: if you know the county, search or contact that county’s district clerk or county clerk. The court file can exist even when the DPS public name search does not answer the question you have.

DPS Public Site vs DPS Secure Site

One of the easiest ways to misunderstand Texas DPS criminal records is to assume that the Public Site and Secure Site contain the same information.

Feature	CRD Public Website	CRD Secure Website
Who can use it?	General public after account creation.	Only entities authorized by Texas law.
Main criminal-history access	Public conviction and deferred-adjudication information.	Broader CHRI according to the user’s statutory authority.
Employment/licensing agency access	Not a substitute for statutory agency procedures.	Available to qualifying agencies under applicable law.
FACT Clearinghouse	No ordinary public access.	Available to eligible entities and eligible fingerprinted applicants.
Public sex-offender search	Available through DPS public services.	Separate criminal-justice functionality is also available for authorized users.

Broader CHRI is not “hidden public data.” Texas law limits access to portions of criminal-history record information to specific criminal-justice and noncriminal-justice entities for authorized purposes.

You can also request public DPS criminal history by mail

DPS provides Form CR-42 — Request for Public Criminal History Data for an offline name-based request.

The current form lists a fee of $10 per search, payable by check or U.S. money order to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The form requests identifying information such as:

last name
first name
middle name
sex
race
date of birth
whether certification is requested
return mailing information

Mail the public-history request to

Texas Department of Public Safety
Crime Records Division
P.O. Box 15999
Austin, TX 78761

Certified open-record check: DPS’s current Crime Records FAQ says a qualifying open-record criminal-history check may be certified upon request without an additional certification charge, although the underlying record request fee still applies.

Open DPS Form CR-42

For your own full Texas record, use a fingerprint Personal Review

A public name search is not the best method when you need to know exactly what DPS has associated with your identity.

DPS allows an individual to obtain a copy of their own Texas criminal history through the Texas Personal Review process. This uses fingerprints so DPS can perform a true-identity search rather than relying only on names and birth dates.

1 Schedule TXiReview Use the DPS-authorized fingerprint enrollment process.

2 Bring valid ID Follow the identity-document requirements shown during enrollment.

3 Submit fingerprints Your prints are matched against the Texas criminal-history system.

4 Review the result Use Error Resolution when information appears incomplete or incorrect.

DPS’s 2026 Error Resolution training materials identify TXiReview service code 11FT12 for a certified Texas criminal-history review through the IdentoGO enrollment system.

Do not use someone else’s fingerprints or personal-review process. A personal review is intended to let the subject inspect their own Texas criminal-history record.

FAST and IdentoGO fingerprint checks explained

Texas DPS uses the Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST) program for electronic fingerprint submissions. IdentoGO operates the contracted fingerprint locations.

Fingerprint-based checks are frequently used when Texas law authorizes a background check for employment, licensing, volunteer positions and other regulated purposes.

Current DPS fee guidance

DPS’s Crime Records FAQ lists the DPS fee for a fingerprint-based criminal-history record check at $15, with an additional $10 fingerprinting fee when FAST is used. The final appointment amount can depend on the purpose, agency and services ordered, so confirm the live enrollment total before payment.

Fingerprint checks are different from the $1 public name search. Fingerprints establish identity much more reliably and may provide information according to the authority under which the request is made.

Texas DPS Fingerprinting Services

DPS does not replace the Texas criminal court file

If the user’s intent is to see the actual criminal case, DPS should usually be the starting point, not the ending point.

The Texas Judicial Branch states that it does not operate a single statewide trial-court portal where someone can enter a name and retrieve every Texas criminal court case.

For trial-court criminal records:

district-court cases → district clerk
county and county-court-at-law cases → county clerk or appropriate clerk
justice-court cases → relevant justice court
municipal cases → relevant municipal court

Texas Judicial Directory

Micro-guide: when DPS shows a conviction or deferred adjudication, note the county and any available case identifiers. Then use the Texas Judicial Directory to find the clerk for that county and ask for the corresponding case or certified disposition.

How to find the correct Texas court when DPS shows a record

Write down the county

Use the county shown in the DPS record, court entry or known arrest information.

Open the Texas Judicial Directory

Search by county and court type to find the clerk and court contact information.

Determine felony vs misdemeanor court

Felony prosecutions are commonly handled in district courts, while misdemeanor jurisdiction can involve county-level courts. Local structures vary, so verify the case court.

Use the local online case search when offered

Many larger Texas counties operate their own public case-search portals even though the state Judicial Branch does not provide one universal trial-court name search.

Request a certified disposition when accuracy matters

A certified court disposition is especially useful when correcting an incomplete DPS record.

Why DPS can show an arrest but no final disposition

This is a real Texas record problem that can confuse both applicants and employers.

DPS explains that when an arrest is present but the criminal-history record does not contain the final court disposition, the disposition may never have been reported to DPS or may have been returned to the reporting agency because of an error.

1 Find the case Locate the court that handled the charge.

2 Get certified disposition Request an official certified case outcome from the clerk.

3 Submit correction Send the required certified documentation to DPS Error Resolution.

4 Recheck the record Confirm the corrected disposition is reflected after processing.

A private website printout is not enough for DPS correction. DPS specifically instructs people with missing court dispositions to obtain a certified copy from the court of jurisdiction.

Use TDCJ — not DPS — for Texas prison and offender information

If the real question is whether someone is currently in the Texas prison system, use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, not the DPS public conviction search.

The current TDCJ Offender Search supports searches by name, SID number or TDCJ number.

Open TDCJ Offender Search

Search trick: TDCJ’s current search supports an asterisk wildcard. For example, a partial surname or partial SID can be searched using an asterisk when the exact value is unknown.

TDCJ information can help with incarceration and supervision questions, but the underlying criminal court should still be used when you need the indictment, plea or certified disposition.

Texas DPS also operates the public sex-offender registry

Texas DPS maintains a statewide sex-offender registration database using information submitted by local law-enforcement authorities.

Texas law makes most registration information available to the public, subject to specific statutory privacy exceptions.

Search the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry

This is not a general criminal-record search. Absence from the Texas sex-offender registry does not mean that a person has no criminal history. It only answers the specialized registration question.

Texas criminal appeals use a different court system

If a trial-level criminal case was appealed, search the Texas appellate courts separately. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest court for criminal cases.

Texas appellate Case Search can be searched using information such as appellate case number, trial-court case number, case style, attorney and originating court.

Texas Appellate Case Search Court of Criminal Appeals

Do not confuse appellate search with trial-court search. The statewide appellate system does not serve as one comprehensive database of every district, county, justice and municipal criminal case in Texas.

Texas Public Information Act requests to DPS

DPS also accepts requests for public information under the Texas Public Information Act. This route is useful for qualifying DPS-maintained government records, but it is not a shortcut around the statutory restrictions that govern criminal-history record information.

DPS currently accepts public-information requests:

through the DPS Public Information Center
by designated public-records email
by mail
in person at DPS headquarters

Public Information mailing address

Texas Department of Public Safety
Office of General Counsel – Public Information
Box 4087
Austin, TX 78773-0140

DPS states that if estimated charges for a public-information request exceed $40, the requester generally receives an itemized estimate and must respond within the statutory time given in the notice.

Important distinction: a Texas Public Information Act request does not convert confidential or restricted CHRI into public information. Criminal-history access remains governed by the statutes applicable to CHRI.

Expunction and orders of nondisclosure can change what DPS releases

Texas criminal-record relief is not one single process.

Expunction

Record destruction / removal under qualifying law

Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55 contains provisions governing expunction of qualifying arrest records, court records and criminal-history record information.

Nondisclosure

Restricts public disclosure

A qualifying order of nondisclosure can prohibit criminal-justice agencies from releasing specified CHRI to the general public, while authorized agencies may retain statutory access.

Deferred adjudication does not automatically mean invisible. DPS public access can include deferred adjudication unless the record is subject to an applicable nondisclosure or other restriction.

DPS’s Crime Records legal staff publishes general information about expunctions and nondisclosure, but DPS states that its attorneys cannot provide private legal advice.

DPS Criminal History Records Guidance

How to correct an inaccurate Texas DPS criminal-history record

DPS’s Error Resolution Unit handles possible errors in Texas criminal-history records.

Potential problems can include:

missing disposition
incorrect court outcome
incorrect arrest data
records attributed to the wrong person
incomplete identifying information
identity misuse

Obtain your own DPS criminal history

A fingerprint-based personal review helps confirm what DPS has associated with your identity.

Identify the inaccurate entry

Note the arrest date, agency, offense, court, case number and disposition problem.

Get certified supporting records

When the dispute concerns a court disposition, obtain certified documentation from the court that handled the case.

Send the correction to DPS Error Resolution

Follow the current DPS Error Resolution form and documentation instructions.

DPS currently lists: error.resolution@dps.texas.gov for potential criminal-history error questions.

DPS Error Resolution

Third-party website wrong? DPS states that it does not have authority to force an unrelated private criminal-history website to correct its own database. Texas law may provide separate remedies for inaccurate third-party reporting.

What if someone used your identity during an arrest?

DPS distinguishes an ordinary criminal-history error from misuse of identity, where another arrested person falsely gives someone else’s identifying information.

Texas law provides several possible procedures depending on the situation, including mechanisms for correcting or expunging falsely attributed identifying information and an Individual Identity File process.

Do not treat this as a simple spelling correction. If another arrested person used your name, DOB, driver’s-license information or other identifiers, tell DPS that the problem involves identity misuse so the correct resolution procedure is used.

DPS public search and employment background checks are not automatically the same thing

Texas DPS offers public criminal-history access, but employment, licensing and volunteer background checks can operate through different statutory channels.

Texas law authorizes fingerprint-based checks for many categories of workers and licensees. Eligible entities may use FAST and the FACT Clearinghouse to receive Texas and, when legally authorized, FBI fingerprint results.

For regulated decisions: an ordinary $1 public name search should not automatically be treated as a substitute for a statutorily required fingerprint check, employer screening process or FCRA-compliant consumer report.

What is the FACT Clearinghouse?

The Fingerprint Applicant Clearinghouse of Texas stores DPS and FBI fingerprint-based background results for eligible applicants and authorized entities. It can also provide eligible agencies with notifications when certain new criminal-history activity is reported.

Ordinary members of the public cannot simply enroll another person in FACT. Access depends on statutory eligibility and the authorized purpose.

Texas DPS Crime Records contact information

Criminal History Inquiry

Access & Dissemination Bureau

Phone: (512) 424-2474

DPS currently directs criminal-history and personal-review questions through this number, with menu options for the relevant unit.

Mail

Crime Records Service

Texas Department of Public Safety
PO Box 4143
Austin, TX 78765-4143
Attn: Criminal History Inquiry Unit

Error Resolution

CHRI Services

Email: error.resolution@dps.texas.gov

Used for Texas criminal-history errors, disposition reporting and related data-integrity matters.

Fingerprint Services

FAST / fingerprint questions

Email: fingerprint.service@dps.texas.gov

DPS also routes fingerprint and FACT-related questions through its Crime Records phone system.

Texas DPS Crime Records Service location in Austin

DPS identifies its Crime Records Service custodian for criminal-history records at 5805 North Lamar Boulevard, Building G, Austin, Texas 78752.

Need fingerprints? Do not assume you should travel to DPS headquarters for a personal fingerprint review. Use the DPS FAST/IdentoGO enrollment instructions to locate the appropriate authorized fingerprint site.

Texas DPS criminal-record search tips that save time

Tip 01

Know which DPS site you need

Ordinary users should use the CRD Public Website. The Secure Site is restricted to eligible entities.

Tip 02

Add the full DOB

A complete date of birth can dramatically reduce false matches for common names.

Tip 03

Do not use nicknames

DPS recommends formal names rather than shortened or informal versions.

Tip 04

Expect Soundex matches

Similar-sounding spellings may appear even when the name was entered differently.

Tip 05

Use the court for proof

DPS tells you about qualifying criminal history; the clerk gives you the official case documents.

Tip 06

Missing disposition?

Get a certified disposition from the court and use DPS Error Resolution.

Tip 07

No DPS result?

Search the relevant county court before deciding that no criminal case exists.

Tip 08

Your own record?

Use a fingerprint Personal Review instead of repeatedly searching your name.

Tip 09

Prison question?

Switch to TDCJ. DPS public criminal history is not an inmate locator.

Questions people commonly ask about Texas DPS criminal records

1. Is the Texas DPS criminal-history search available to the public?

Yes. Texas DPS operates a public Criminal History Conviction Name Search. The public version provides criminal-history information authorized for public release, principally qualifying conviction and deferred-adjudication information.

2. How much does the online Texas DPS criminal record search cost?

DPS currently lists online search credits at $1 each. Credit-card purchases also carry the transaction charges shown by DPS. A search that returns no matching record still uses a search credit.

3. Does a DPS search cover all 254 Texas counties?

Texas DPS states that all 254 counties submit criminal data to the statewide Computerized Criminal History system. Results still depend on whether qualifying information was properly reported to DPS and whether the information is publicly releasable.

4. Does the DPS public search show every Texas arrest?

No. The public website is not unrestricted access to the full DPS Computerized Criminal History system. Public access under Texas Government Code section 411.135 focuses on criminal-history information related to convictions and deferred adjudications, including related arrest information.

5. Can I search someone else’s Texas criminal history?

Yes, qualifying public information can be searched through the DPS Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search. A name-based match should be verified carefully because DPS warns that name searches can return the wrong person.

6. How do I get my complete Texas DPS criminal-history record?

Use the DPS Texas Personal Review process. A fingerprint-based review is preferable for your own complete identity-specific record because fingerprints establish identity more reliably than a name search.

7. Why does DPS show an arrest but no court disposition?

DPS says the court disposition may not have been reported or may have been rejected because of an error. Obtain a certified disposition from the court of jurisdiction and follow the DPS Error Resolution procedure.

8. Where do I get the actual Texas criminal court case?

Contact the court or clerk where the case was filed. The Texas Judicial Branch states that its website does not provide one universal trial-court name-search portal. District and county court records are generally maintained by local clerks.

9. Does Texas DPS provide prison-release information?

Prison, incarceration and offender information should generally be searched through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ operates an official Offender Search by name, SID or TDCJ number.

10. Can an expunction or nondisclosure affect a DPS public search?

Yes. Qualifying expunctions can remove criminal-history information, while orders of nondisclosure can restrict public disclosure of qualifying records. The legal effect depends on the order and applicable Texas law.