City records, county criminal cases and Texas criminal history are separate systems
Searching criminal records for someone connected with the City of Dallas can involve several different agencies. Dallas Municipal Court handles City ordinance violations and fine-only state misdemeanors. Dallas County maintains felony and Class A/B misdemeanor court cases. Dallas Police keeps police-created reports and related City records, while the Texas Department of Public Safety operates the statewide public criminal-history system. Knowing which agency created the record is the fastest way to find the right information.
Which Dallas agency has the criminal record?
The word “Dallas criminal record” can point to five very different systems. Searching the wrong system and getting no result does not mean the record does not exist.
Municipal Court
City ordinance cases and state-law misdemeanors punishable by fine only, including many traffic and Class C matters.
Felony court records
Maintained by the Dallas County District Clerk and criminal district courts.
Class A/B misdemeanors
Maintained by the Dallas County Clerk and County Criminal Courts.
Police-created records
Offense reports, arrest-related records and other qualifying City police records are requested through the Dallas Police / City public-record process.
County jail records
Current jail custody and booking-related information comes from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
Texas DPS history
DPS provides qualifying statewide conviction and deferred-adjudication criminal-history information.
Use Dallas Municipal Court for City citations and fine-only criminal cases
Dallas Municipal Court is the official clerk of the City of Dallas court of record. The City judiciary hears violations of Dallas ordinances and state-law misdemeanors that are punishable by fine only.
Examples can include traffic violations and other Class C misdemeanor matters.
Dallas, TX 75201-4406
Court information: City of Dallas Court & Detention Services
General citation assistance: (214) 670-0109
How to search a City of Dallas citation or municipal case
The City provides a Citation & Docket Search through its Court & Detention Services system. Depending on the record, users can search using the identifying information provided by the City system.
Open the City court website
Start from Dallas Court & Detention Services and choose the Citation & Docket Search.
Use the citation number when available
Dallas instructs users entering a citation such as C12345678 not to enter the dash.
Review citation status and balance
The online record can help show current citation information and whether the matter has reached warrant status.
Read the court disposition
A citation itself is an allegation. Review the plea, disposition, dismissal or other final result.
How to check a City of Dallas municipal warrant
Dallas Municipal Court states that citation records in warrant status are displayed accordingly within the court’s citation system.
If you have a City of Dallas ticket and believe a municipal warrant may have been issued, Court & Detention Services currently directs users to its customer-service representatives.
City citation / warrant assistance
Phone: (214) 670-0109
Dallas County criminal court records cover the cases Municipal Court does not
Dallas County provides an official Online Record Search that routes users into Dallas County and District Court case information and documents.
Public registration is not required for ordinary access to the Dallas County and District Court Case Information portal.
Search Dallas County court records| Record type | Record custodian | Typical case |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | Dallas County District Clerk | Felony criminal district-court prosecution. |
| Class A / B misdemeanor | Dallas County Clerk | County Criminal Court case. |
| Class C / City ordinance | Dallas Municipal Court | Fine-only City or state-law offense. |
| Justice-court matter | Relevant Justice of the Peace Court | Lower-court matter within JP jurisdiction. |
| Federal criminal case | U.S. District Court / PACER | Federal prosecution. |
Dallas felony criminal records belong to the District Clerk
The Dallas County District Clerk is the record custodian for Dallas County felony court cases. When searching a serious criminal prosecution, this is the most important local records office.
Dallas County District Clerk
Frank Crowley Courts Building133 N. Riverfront Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
Felony records assistance: (214) 653-5950
District Clerk general office: (214) 653-7307
Search through the official Dallas County court portal first. If the online record is incomplete or you need a certified document, contact the District Clerk’s criminal records section.
Class A and B misdemeanor records belong to the Dallas County Clerk
Dallas County’s County Criminal Courts hear Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases. The Dallas County Clerk is the custodian of those records.
Dallas County Clerk — Criminal Courts Division
Frank Crowley Courts Building133 N. Riverfront Boulevard
2nd Floor, Room A-1
Dallas, TX 75207
Phone: (214) 653-7099
Published hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., excluding approved court holidays.
Dallas County offers separate felony and misdemeanor background searches
Dallas County’s criminal court records can also be searched for background purposes. The County Clerk currently states that misdemeanor background searches can be performed through its criminal records office.
County Clerk search
Dallas County currently lists a $5 record-search fee for a misdemeanor background search.
A mail request should include the person’s full name, date of birth, required payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
District Clerk search
Felony background-search questions should be directed to the Dallas County District Clerk’s criminal records operation.
Search the online court system first when possible so you already have the correct defendant and case information.
How to get the actual Dallas criminal court documents
A search-result page is useful for finding a case, but it is not always the document you need for formal verification.
Depending on the case, useful documents can include:
- complaint or information
- indictment
- plea paperwork
- dismissal order
- judgment
- sentence
- probation order
- certified disposition
Older misdemeanor copies
Dallas County Clerk states that misdemeanor records from 2011 forward have ordinary online-document availability through the court portal when the document is eligible. Older cases may require a records request and can involve off-site retrieval.
For misdemeanor copy questions, the County Clerk publishes: dc.criminalrecords@dallascounty.org.
Use the Dallas County Sheriff for current jail custody
A City of Dallas arrest can result in custody within the Dallas County jail system. Current custody information should be checked using the Sheriff’s Jail Lookup rather than Municipal Court or Texas DPS.
Open Dallas County and select Jail LookupJail / Inmate Information
Frank Crowley Courts Building133 N. Riverfront Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
Jail/Inmate Information: (214) 761-9025
Warrant Information: (214) 761-9026
Where to look for a Dallas County booking photo
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Public Information Office says booking photographs for people who are currently in Dallas County custody can be accessed through the Jail Lookup.
If the person has already been released, the Sheriff’s office instructs requesters to provide identifying details such as the person’s name, date of birth and charges to help narrow the request.
Dallas Police reports are City records, not Dallas County court records
If Dallas Police Department created an arrest, offense or incident report, the City of Dallas public-record process is generally the correct route for requesting publicly releasable information.
The City’s Open Records page says the Police Department has a dedicated operation for handling police open-record requests.
Give enough detail to identify the record
- incident or report number if known
- person’s full name
- approximate date
- incident location
- Dallas Police as the agency
- specific document or information requested
How the Texas Public Information Act works for City of Dallas records
Dallas processes public-record requests under the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code.
The City asks requesters to make a written request and provide enough detail to identify and locate the requested existing record.
Identify the City department
If Dallas Police created the record, direct the request toward the Police Department’s records process when possible.
Describe an existing record
Ask for an identifiable existing report or record rather than asking the City to create a new summary or answer research questions.
Include contact information
Dallas asks for the requester’s name, address and telephone number with the written request.
Expect exemptions or redactions where law applies
The Public Information Act contains exceptions and confidentiality rules that can limit release of some information.
Use Texas DPS when you need statewide Texas criminal-history information
Texas DPS operates the state’s public Criminal History Conviction Name Search. This is different from Dallas Police, Dallas Municipal Court and Dallas County’s court portals.
The public DPS system primarily exposes qualifying Texas criminal-history information relating to convictions and grants of deferred adjudication, subject to Texas law.
Texas DPS Public Criminal History SearchUse TDCJ for Texas prison and supervision records
If someone was sentenced to the Texas state correctional system, search the Texas Department of Criminal Justice rather than Dallas County Jail Lookup.
TDCJ Offender SearchTDCJ offender information can help identify a state prisoner or supervised offender, but the Dallas criminal court record remains the stronger source for the actual conviction and court disposition.
Texas DPS maintains the public sex-offender registry
For sex-offender registration information, use the official Texas DPS registry rather than treating a general criminal-record search as a substitute.
Texas Public Sex Offender RegistryDallas criminal appeals can move to the Fifth Court of Appeals
Criminal cases decided in Dallas County district or county courts may generate appellate records. Dallas County is within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Court of Appeals.
Fifth Court of Appeals
George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building600 Commerce Street, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: (214) 712-3400
Use the Texas appellate case-search system when you need to know whether a conviction, order or judgment was appealed.
Search Texas appellate casesFederal criminal cases in Dallas use PACER, not Dallas County
Federal prosecutions filed in Dallas are separate from City of Dallas and Dallas County state-court records.
Dallas is served by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Federal criminal dockets and available electronic documents are accessed through PACER.
Search federal cases with PACER Northern District of TexasOlder Dallas records may require a clerk instead of an online search
Online criminal court access is much better for newer cases, but older records can require manual retrieval, archived records or help from the relevant clerk.
Expunction and nondisclosure can change public Dallas criminal records
Texas law provides different forms of criminal-record relief. They should not be treated as interchangeable.
Qualifying record removal
An eligible Texas expunction can require qualifying arrest and criminal-history records to be removed or destroyed according to the order and applicable law.
Public disclosure restriction
An order of nondisclosure can limit public disclosure of qualifying criminal-history information while some agencies retain lawful access.
Dallas County Clerk explains that a nondisclosure petition is filed with the clerk of the court where the qualifying case was filed and heard.
Dallas County’s misdemeanor FAQ currently directs expunction petitions through the District Clerk criminal operation and lists a filing fee on its current instructions. Because filing fees can change, verify the current amount before filing.
Verify the person before treating a Dallas record as theirs
Dallas is a large metropolitan area, so name-only matches are especially risky. A court result for a common name may belong to a different person.
- full first and last name
- middle name or initial
- date of birth when lawfully available
- case filing date
- court type
- known arrest location
- case number
- final disposition
Dallas criminal court locations
For serious criminal court records, the Frank Crowley Courts Building is the most useful local destination because both felony and misdemeanor record operations are located there.
Frank Crowley Courts Building
133 N. Riverfront BoulevardDallas, TX 75207
Felony District Clerk records and County Clerk misdemeanor operations are located here.
Dallas Municipal Court
2014 Main StreetDallas, TX 75201-4406
Use this location for City of Dallas municipal cases, citations and City court matters.
Dallas criminal-record search tips that prevent wasted time
City case? Stay with Municipal Court
A City of Dallas ticket should not be searched as though it were a felony district-court case.
Felony = District Clerk
Start with Dallas County District Clerk for felony records.
Misdemeanor = County Clerk
Class A and B misdemeanor court files belong to the Dallas County Clerk.
Recent arrest? Search jail first
Jail Lookup can become useful before a newly filed court case is easy to locate.
Police report? Ask the City
Dallas Police-created reports should go through the City/Police records process, not the court clerk.
Save the case number
Once the right case is located, use the case number instead of repeatedly searching a common name.
Read every charge separately
A case can include dismissed and convicted counts at the same time.
Check appeals
A later Fifth Court of Appeals decision can change the meaning of the trial-court result.
Federal agents involved?
Move to PACER instead of repeatedly searching Dallas County.
Questions people commonly have about City of Dallas criminal records
1. Where do I search City of Dallas criminal records?
For City of Dallas municipal citations and fine-only cases, use Dallas Municipal Court. Felony and Class A/B misdemeanor cases are searched through Dallas County court records rather than the City municipal system.
2. Can I search Dallas Municipal Court cases online?
Yes. Dallas Court & Detention Services provides Citation & Docket Search tools for municipal records. Citation status and warrant information may be available through that system.
3. Who maintains Dallas felony criminal records?
Dallas County District Clerk maintains felony criminal court records. Its felony records operation is located at the Frank Crowley Courts Building.
4. Who maintains Dallas misdemeanor criminal records?
Dallas County Clerk maintains records of the County Criminal Courts, including Class A and B misdemeanor cases.
5. How do I search for someone currently in Dallas County jail?
Use the Dallas County Sheriff’s Jail Lookup. The Sheriff’s office also publishes Jail/Inmate Information assistance at (214) 761-9025.
6. How do I obtain a Dallas Police report?
Use the City of Dallas public-record process. The City’s Open Records page identifies a dedicated Dallas Police open-record operation and currently lists (214) 671-3343 for police records assistance.
7. Does Dallas County offer a criminal background search?
Yes. Dallas County provides criminal court case searches. The County Clerk also currently lists a $5 misdemeanor background-record search, while felony record searches are handled by the District Clerk.
8. Is a Dallas arrest the same thing as a conviction?
No. Arrest, booking, criminal charge and conviction are different events. Review the court’s final disposition before describing someone as convicted.
9. Where do I search a federal criminal case from Dallas?
Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Federal criminal cases are not maintained by Dallas Municipal Court or Dallas County clerks.
10. Why can I find a jail record but no court case yet?
A recent booking can appear before prosecutors file a case or before the case becomes easy to locate in public court systems. Check again using the defendant name, booking information or case number when one becomes available.
Official Dallas, Texas and federal resources
- City of Dallas — Municipal Court & Court and Detention Services
- City of Dallas — Municipal Court Location
- City of Dallas Judiciary — Municipal Court Functions
- City of Dallas — Open Records
- Dallas County — Online Record Search
- Dallas County District Clerk
- Dallas County Clerk — Criminal Courts Division
- Dallas County Clerk — Criminal Records FAQs
- Dallas County Sheriff — Public Information
- Texas DPS — Public Criminal History Search
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Offender Search
- Texas DPS — Public Sex Offender Registry
- Texas Judicial Branch — Appellate Case Search
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search
- U.S. District Court — Northern District of Texas