Where to search criminal records in El Paso, Texas
Criminal records in El Paso are split between City, County, State and federal agencies. El Paso Municipal Court handles City Class C misdemeanor and parking cases; the El Paso Police Department maintains City police records; El Paso County clerks maintain felony and misdemeanor court cases; the Sheriff’s Office provides jail, warrant and locally generated arrest-record services; and Texas DPS provides statewide public criminal-history information.
City of El Paso records and El Paso County records are not the same thing
A large share of confusion comes from treating “El Paso criminal records” as one database. The correct search depends on which government body created or maintains the record.
Municipal Court
Handles City Class C misdemeanors, traffic citations, municipal violations, civil parking citations and related City-court records.
Police Department
Maintains EPPD-created police information and participates in the City’s Public Information Act records process.
District Clerk
Maintains filed adult felony criminal matters, including murder, capital murder and other district criminal cases.
County Clerk
Maintains adult misdemeanor cases handled by County Courts at Law and County Criminal Courts at Law.
Sheriff’s Office
Provides jail records, jail-bond information, sheriff-issued warrant searches and Sheriff’s Office arrest/background services.
Texas DPS
Provides public statewide Texas criminal-history information rather than only City or County records.
Search El Paso Municipal Court criminal and citation records
The El Paso Municipal Court is a court of record handling Class C misdemeanors and civil parking citations issued within City jurisdiction.
The Court provides an official Public Access Portal for court records and calendar information.
Open Municipal Court SearchEl Paso Municipal Court
810 E. Overland Ave.El Paso, TX 79901
Phone:
915-212-0215
Main office hours: Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Telephone hours: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Regional access points
Municipal Court also lists Northeast, Pebble Hills, Mission Valley, Upper East and West Side service locations with location-specific hours.
Check the official Municipal Court page before traveling because hours can differ by location.
How to use the El Paso Municipal Court Public Access Portal
Open the official portal and choose Log In
The public portal uses a login-style entry screen before public case-search options become available.
Search by party name
Go to Searches → Case Searches → By Party. The portal supports last name, first name and date of birth.
Search by citation number
Go to Searches → Citation Search, enter the citation number and run the search.
Search by case number
Go to Cases → Criminal. The Municipal Court instructs users to enter the case number without dashes.
Check the court calendar
The same public portal provides calendar information when you need a hearing or court date.
Three El Paso Municipal Court search limitations you should know
The City’s current Public Access Portal publishes several limitations that can explain why an expected case does not appear.
Allow 7–10 business days
The Court warns that tickets issued within the previous 7–10 business days may not yet have been entered into the database.
Pre-2006 records purged
The portal states that records before January 1, 2006 were purged under the Court’s retention policy.
Not displayed publicly
Citations issued to defendants who were age 16 or younger at the time are not displayed through the public portal.
The portal also warns that very recent court-office entries may not immediately appear online.
El Paso Municipal Court warrants and citation status
The Municipal Court’s official website links its public portal for citation, warrant and court-docket searching.
If a City citation develops a warrant, use the Municipal Court record rather than the El Paso County Sheriff’s general warrant portal unless you know the warrant is a County/Sheriff matter.
Municipal Court payment assistance: 915-212-0232.
El Paso Police Department arrest, incident and police records
If the record was created by the El Paso Police Department (EPPD), start with the City rather than El Paso County Sheriff.
Police Headquarters
911 N. Raynor St.El Paso, TX 79903
Headquarters:
915-212-4000
Police non-emergency:
915-832-4400
Emergency: 911
The Police Department’s official page provides a direct Open Records Request option for police-related City records.
El Paso Police DepartmentHow to request City of El Paso police records
The City of El Paso uses a centralized Public Information Center for Texas Public Information Act requests. The City Clerk states that any member of the public may submit a request for an open record kept by the City.
City of El Paso Open RecordsPolice records from an active case may be limited
Texas law permits law-enforcement agencies to withhold certain information connected with active criminal investigations while still requiring release of qualifying basic information in circumstances governed by the Public Information Act.
If a request is broad, narrowing it by incident number, date range and record type can reduce delay and potentially reduce copy or labor costs.
Felony and misdemeanor cases are El Paso County court records
City of El Paso Municipal Court does not maintain felony or ordinary County-level misdemeanor court files. El Paso County’s official criminal-search system covers court records maintained by the District Clerk and County Clerk.
El Paso County Criminal Case Search County Records Search HubDistrict Clerk
Adult felony, murder, capital-murder and related district criminal records.
County Clerk
Adult misdemeanor records from County Courts at Law and County Criminal Courts at Law.
El Paso felony criminal records: District Clerk
The El Paso County District Clerk Criminal Division is the custodian of filed pleadings in criminal matters including adult felony, murder and capital-murder cases.
El Paso County Courthouse
500 E. San Antonio Ave., Suite 103El Paso, TX 79901
Phone:
915-273-3534
Email:
districtclerk@epcounty.com
The division works with the Jail Magistrate, coordinates pre-indictment pleadings, issues warrant numbers and stores criminal case files.
It can also provide criminal background searches concerning records maintained by that office, but a County District Clerk search should not be treated as a statewide Texas criminal-history check.
District Clerk Criminal CasesEl Paso misdemeanor criminal records: County Clerk
The El Paso County Clerk Criminal Division preserves and manages records concerning adult misdemeanors and serves as clerk for the County Courts at Law and County Criminal Courts at Law.
El Paso County Courthouse
500 E. San Antonio Ave., Suite 105El Paso, TX 79901
Phone:
915-273-3532
Email:
countyclerk@epcounty.com
Criminal copy/background requests:
clkcrimmail@epcounty.com
The County Clerk provides misdemeanor copy services and background-check letters for records maintained by the office.
County Clerk Criminal DivisionEl Paso jail, bond and warrant searches
El Paso County separates current jail records, jail-bond information and sheriff-issued warrants into different online searches.
Jail Records
The County describes this search as covering current jailings only.
Search Jail RecordsJail Bond Records
Use the separate bond portal when your question concerns bond information rather than simply custody.
Search Jail BondsWarrant Search
Search warrants issued through the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Search WarrantsEl Paso County Sheriff’s background check is only a local Sheriff record check
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Records Section offers background checks and clearance letters. The current published fee is $13.
The important limitation is that the search covers arrest records generated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
- the person being checked must authorize the request
- a third party needs notarized authorization
- the service is based on Sheriff’s Office arrest records
- it is not a statewide Texas DPS history search
Search statewide Texas criminal history through DPS
For broader Texas public criminal-history information, use the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Records Division.
The public name-based system searches qualifying Texas criminal-history information and is broader than an El Paso City, County Clerk or Sheriff’s Office search.
Current online search cost
Texas DPS currently charges $1 per search credit. Credit-card orders include an additional 2.25% fee per credit plus a $0.25 transaction fee.
Create the required public account
General public users should use the CRD Public Website rather than the restricted Secure Site.
Enter the full legal name
First and last names are required. Middle or maiden name and DOB can improve accuracy.
Use a full DOB when available
DPS specifically notes that a complete birth date narrows the search.
Verify every possible match
DPS warns that name-based searches can return the wrong person or fail to identify the correct person.
Use fingerprints when you need stronger identity verification
Texas DPS states that fingerprint-based criminal-history searching is more accurate than name-based matching because fingerprints can positively associate the person with a record.
A person disputing the result of a name-based Texas criminal-history search may need a personal fingerprint-based review to determine whether the record actually belongs to them.
Texas DPS Crime RecordsTexas prison and supervision records
A person in El Paso County Jail and a person under Texas Department of Criminal Justice jurisdiction are searched through different systems.
The official TDCJ Offender Search supports searches by name, SID number, current TDCJ number and previous TDCJ number.
Partial searches are supported using an asterisk. Examples include: Rich*, *son and *123*.
El Paso criminal appeals use two different appellate paths
Municipal Court appeals
El Paso Municipal Court is a court of record and the City maintains a Municipal Court of Appeals. The City Clerk provides a Citizen’s Guide to Appeal and a subject index of Municipal Court appellate decisions.
Municipal Court Appeal ResourcesCounty felony and misdemeanor appeals
El Paso County criminal appeals can proceed to the Eighth Court of Appeals. The Court has appellate jurisdiction over qualifying criminal cases from district and county courts in its 17-county district.
El Paso appellate courthouse
500 E. San Antonio Ave., Room 1203El Paso, TX 79901
Phone:
915-273-3142
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Federal criminal records in El Paso
Federal criminal prosecutions are not City of El Paso Municipal Court or El Paso County records. El Paso and Hudspeth Counties form the El Paso Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Albert Armendariz, Sr. U.S. Courthouse
525 Magoffin Avenue, Suite 105El Paso, TX 79901
U.S. District Clerk: 915-534-6725
Federal electronic court dockets and documents are generally accessed through PACER.
Search Federal Cases with PACER Western District of TexasEl Paso expunction and nondisclosure records
Texas uses different legal procedures for criminal-record relief. Expunction and an order of nondisclosure are not the same thing.
Potential record destruction/removal
El Paso County District Clerk publishes expunction forms and processes qualifying filings.
Limits ordinary public disclosure
Qualifying records may be restricted from normal public disclosure while remaining available to authorized agencies.
The District Clerk’s current forms area includes an Expunction Form and an Order of Nondisclosure Overview.
El Paso District Clerk FormsWhat to do if an El Paso or Texas criminal record is incorrect
The correct correction route depends on which system contains the error.
City citation/case problem
Contact El Paso Municipal Court when the problem is in a City Class C case or court entry.
Felony or misdemeanor disposition
Contact the District Clerk for felony matters or County Clerk for adult misdemeanor matters.
State criminal-history error
Use DPS error-resolution procedures when statewide criminal-history information is incorrect or incomplete.
El Paso criminal-record offices and map
El Paso Municipal Court
810 E. Overland Ave.El Paso, TX 79901
915-212-0215
El Paso Police Department
911 N. Raynor St.El Paso, TX 79903
915-212-4000
El Paso County Courthouse
500 E. San Antonio Ave.El Paso, TX 79901
District Clerk: 915-273-3534
County Clerk: 915-273-3532
Albert Armendariz, Sr. U.S. Courthouse
525 Magoffin Ave.El Paso, TX 79901
915-534-6725
El Paso Municipal Court map
For City-level criminal-record questions, the Municipal Court at 810 E. Overland is the most relevant in-person starting point.
Confirm current office hours and holiday closures before making a special trip.
El Paso criminal-record search tips that save time
City citation? Stay with Municipal Court
Do not start with the County District Clerk for a City Class C traffic or municipal case.
Recent ticket? Wait for entry
Municipal Court says newly issued tickets can take 7–10 business days to appear online.
Old Municipal case?
The public portal states that records before January 1, 2006 were purged under retention policy.
EPPD report? Use City Open Records
El Paso Police records are City records, not El Paso County Sheriff’s records.
Felony? Use District Clerk
Adult felony and district criminal files belong with the El Paso County District Clerk.
Misdemeanor? Use County Clerk
Adult County-level misdemeanor records are maintained by the County Clerk Criminal Division.
Current custody? Use Jail Search
The County labels its online jail search as current jailings only.
Need all-Texas history?
Move to Texas DPS rather than treating one El Paso agency’s search as statewide.
Read the final disposition
Never treat an arrest, citation, complaint or original charge as proof of conviction.
What may be missing from an El Paso online criminal-record search?
- Municipal records before January 1, 2006
- juvenile Municipal Court citations
- new citations still inside the 7–10 business-day entry window
- federal criminal cases
- criminal cases filed in another Texas county
- out-of-state criminal records
- sealed or expunged records
- records subject to nondisclosure
- investigative material exempt from public release
- records filed under a different legal name
Using El Paso criminal records for employment or housing screening
Public court and police records can help someone research a matter, but a public-record search is not automatically the same as a legally compliant consumer background report.
Employment, housing, credit, insurance and certain licensing decisions can involve the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other federal or state requirements.
El Paso, Texas criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Where can I search City of El Paso criminal cases?
Use the El Paso Municipal Court Public Access Portal for City Class C misdemeanor, traffic, parking and related Municipal Court records.
2. How long does a new El Paso traffic citation take to appear online?
El Paso Municipal Court currently warns that tickets issued within the previous 7–10 business days may not yet appear in its public database.
3. How far back does El Paso Municipal Court’s online search go?
The current public portal states that records before January 1, 2006 were purged under the Court’s record-retention policy.
4. Are El Paso juvenile Municipal Court citations shown online?
No. The Municipal Court portal states that citations issued to defendants age 16 and younger at the time of citation are not displayed publicly.
5. Where do I request an El Paso Police Department report?
Use the City of El Paso’s Open Records/Public Information process for EPPD records. The Police Department links directly to the City’s Open Records Request service.
6. Where can I search El Paso felony and misdemeanor cases?
Use El Paso County’s official Criminal Case Search. Felony records are maintained by the District Clerk and adult misdemeanor records by the County Clerk.
7. How do I find someone currently in El Paso County Jail?
Use El Paso County’s Jail Records Search. The County describes the service as a search of current jailings only.
8. Is the El Paso County Sheriff’s background check statewide?
No. The Sheriff’s background-check service is based on arrest records generated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office directs users who need broader criminal history to Texas DPS.
9. How do I search statewide Texas criminal history?
Use the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Records Division public criminal-history service. The current online name search uses paid search credits.
10. Does an El Paso City or County search include federal criminal cases?
No. Federal cases are separate. El Paso is served by the El Paso Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and federal electronic records are generally accessed through PACER.
Official government sources used for this guide
- City of El Paso Municipal Courts
- El Paso Municipal Court Public Access Portal
- El Paso Police Department
- City of El Paso Open Records / City Clerk
- Texas Attorney General — Public Information Requests
- El Paso County Records Search
- El Paso County Criminal Case Search
- El Paso County District Clerk — Criminal Cases
- El Paso County Clerk — Criminal Division
- El Paso County Jail Records Search
- El Paso County Jail Bond Search
- El Paso County Warrant Search
- El Paso County Sheriff’s Background Checks
- Texas DPS Criminal History Search
- TDCJ Offender Search
- Eighth Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court — Western District of Texas
- PACER Federal Case Search