A Smith County criminal-record search can involve several different offices. Felony court files are kept by the District Clerk, Class A and B misdemeanor records by the County Clerk, jail information is available through the county’s public search system, Tyler Class C cases belong with Tyler Municipal Court, statewide public criminal-history information comes from Texas DPS, and state-prison information comes from TDCJ. This guide shows which official source to use first, how far online records go back, and what to do when the record you need is older than the online system.
Which Smith County office has the criminal record you need?
Smith County divides criminal records by court level and agency. Searching the wrong office can make an existing record look as though it does not exist.
Felony court records
The District Clerk states that felony case records are maintained by its office and are currently available online.
Class A and B misdemeanors
The County Clerk Criminal Division maintains Class A and B misdemeanor records arising from offenses in Smith County.
Custody and jail records
The county provides a public jail-search system for people held through the Smith County jail system.
Tyler Class C cases
Tyler Municipal Court handles Class C misdemeanors, traffic offenses, city-code violations and other municipal matters within its jurisdiction.
State criminal history
Texas DPS provides statewide public criminal-history access for qualifying convictions and deferred adjudications.
State prison records
Texas Department of Criminal Justice provides offender information for the state correctional system rather than ordinary Smith County jail custody.
Smith County Judicial Search: the best online starting point
Smith County operates a public search portal using Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey system. The county describes it as a self-service public-access tool for both court records and jail records.
Official portal: Smith County Public Search Site.
Open the official county public-search portal
Start with the county-hosted portal rather than a commercial people-search website.
Choose the judicial-record area
Search for the appropriate criminal court record using the options presented by the portal.
Use the strongest identifiers available
Full name and case number are useful. When possible, verify the court, filing year and other identifiers to avoid confusing people with similar names.
Review the entire case history
Check the charges, case events, court assignment and disposition rather than relying only on the first line of a search result.
Contact the clerk if the document itself is unavailable
Online case information and an official copy are different products. Use the District Clerk or County Clerk depending on the case type.
How far back do Smith County criminal records go online?
Smith County Records Services gives a particularly useful cutoff date: the county’s online judicial system currently includes criminal cases from 1995 to the present.
1995 to current
Smith County’s public Records Services FAQ lists criminal judicial records online beginning in 1995.
Records back to 1976
The County Clerk Criminal Division says its Class A and B misdemeanor records date back to 1976.
As far back as 1846
Smith County Records Services says the County Records Center holds records dating to the county’s founding in 1846.
Smith County felony criminal records
Smith County states clearly that felony records are kept by the District Clerk. The District Clerk is the office of record for proceedings heard in the district courts.
Smith County currently has multiple district courts that handle criminal matters, including the 7th, 114th, 241st and 475th District Courts.
Smith County District Clerk
100 N. Broadway Avenue, Room 204Tyler, TX 75702
Main phone: 903-590-1660
Felony/cashier information: 903-590-1670
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Payment cutoff: 4:30 p.m.
Smith County Class A and B misdemeanor records
Smith County’s County Clerk Criminal Division is the record keeper for Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases resulting from offenses in Smith County.
The office says it can provide information including:
- case number
- court assignment
- court date
- attorney name
- bondsman name
- misdemeanor case-copy information
Smith County’s local misdemeanor background search
This is a useful county-specific service that should not be confused with a statewide DPS criminal-history search. The County Clerk currently states that a criminal background search covering Smith County Class A and B misdemeanor cases costs $5, with printed pages charged at $1 per page.
In-person misdemeanor record service
200 E. Ferguson Street, 3rd FloorTyler, TX 75702
Phone: 903-590-4680
Copies email:
crimcopies@smith-county.com
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Smith County Courts at Law and criminal misdemeanors
Smith County has three Courts at Law. The county says these courts handle Class A and B criminal misdemeanors, along with other civil and family matters.
County Court at Law
Smith County says this court has expanded jurisdiction that includes misdemeanor criminal offenses and, in specified circumstances, third-degree and state-jail felonies.
Location: 100 N. Broadway, Room 209, Tyler.
County Court at Law No. 2
Criminal dockets are maintained through the county’s Judicial Search.
Phone: 903-590-1611
Location: 100 N. Broadway Ave., Suite 104.
County Court at Law No. 3
Handles Class A/B adult misdemeanors and is also Smith County’s designated juvenile court.
Phone: 903-590-1690
Location: 100 N. Broadway, Room 303.
Smith County jail and inmate search
The county provides a dedicated Smith County Jail Search.
Use the jail search when you are trying to determine whether someone is currently in local Smith County custody. A jail record is not the same thing as a final court disposition.
Tyler, TX 75702
This is the jail address published by Smith County in its current expunction-agency information.
Smith County arrest and police records
Smith County Records Services gives a straightforward rule for police reports: they are held by the appropriate arresting agency.
That means the correct request destination may be:
- Smith County Sheriff’s Office
- Tyler Police Department
- another city police department within Smith County
- a constable or other law-enforcement agency
Smith County Sheriff’s Office
227 N. Spring AvenueTyler, TX 75702
Main county directory phone:
903-590-2661
Non-emergency:
903-566-6600
How to make a Smith County public-information request
Smith County provides an online Public Information Request process under Texas Government Code Chapter 552.
Identify the agency and existing record
Describe the specific information you want clearly enough for the county to locate it. Government is not required to create a new record or perform research for the requester.
Submit the county’s electronic request form
Smith County routes electronic public-information requests to the appropriate parties.
Watch for clarification or a cost estimate
The county can ask the requester to clarify the type or quantity of records and may charge allowable reproduction costs.
Expect a written timing notice when necessary
Smith County states that when responsive information cannot be produced within 10 working days, the responding official will give written notice of a reasonable date and time when it will be available.
Tyler Municipal Court criminal and citation records
Because Tyler is the Smith County seat, many searches also involve the City of Tyler. Tyler Municipal Court is a criminal court of record and handles Class C misdemeanors, including traffic offenses and City-code violations.
The city says approximately 45,000 cases are filed with the Municipal Court each year. The court also provides an online records-search option.
Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: 903-531-1266
Lobby: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Phone hours: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
City-level criminal matters
Class C misdemeanors, traffic cases, city-code violations, juvenile municipal matters, and other cases within Tyler Municipal Court jurisdiction.
Texas DPS statewide criminal-history search
Smith County court searches are local. If you need qualifying public criminal-history information from across Texas, use the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Records system.
The DPS public criminal-history service provides public access to qualifying Texas conviction and deferred-adjudication information.
Current DPS name-search process
Create the appropriate public account
DPS separates the general public website from the restricted secure site used by statutorily authorized organizations.
Purchase search credits
DPS currently charges $1 per search credit. Credit-card purchases have additional published transaction charges.
Enter a complete name and DOB when possible
First and last names are required. Middle or maiden name and full date of birth can narrow possible matches.
Review the match carefully
DPS uses exact and similar-name matching, which can produce possible records for another person with a similar identity.
Fingerprint-based review of your own Texas criminal history
Texas DPS provides a personal criminal-history review procedure using fingerprints. DPS describes fingerprint-based searching as more accurate than name-based searching because the fingerprints can be matched directly to a criminal-history record.
Texas prison and state-offender records
Use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search for people associated with the Texas state correctional system.
The current TDCJ search allows:
- search by offender name
- search by SID number
- search by current TDCJ number
- lookup by previous TDCJ number
- partial searches using an asterisk
- viewing available offender details
Smith County criminal appeals
Smith County is within the jurisdiction of the Twelfth Court of Appeals in Tyler. The court hears appeals from trial courts across its 17-county district, including Smith County.
Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: 903-593-8471
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Texas also provides a statewide appellate case-search system. If a Smith County conviction was appealed, searching the appellate case can reveal opinions, orders and later procedural history not shown in the trial-court record alone.
Federal criminal cases in Tyler
Federal criminal prosecutions are not part of Smith County’s judicial-search portal. Tyler is a division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
William M. Steger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
211 West Ferguson Street, Room 106Tyler, TX 75702
Clerk / CM-ECF help desk:
903-590-1000
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., except federal holidays.
Electronic federal court records are generally accessed through PACER.
Smith County criminal-record copy fees
District Clerk felony-document copies
Smith County District Clerk currently publishes these charges for regular emailed documents:
| Copy type | Current published charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emailed regular copy, 0-15 pages | $1 per page | District Clerk published fee. |
| Emailed regular copy, 16+ pages | $15 per document | Applies under the District Clerk’s published schedule. |
| Paper copy | $1 per page | Confirm any additional service requirements before ordering. |
| Certified copy | $1 per page | Current District Clerk page lists this per-page charge. |
County Clerk misdemeanor copies
For Class A/B misdemeanor copies, the County Clerk instructs users to email crimcopies@smith-county.com or call 903-590-4680.
The office’s local Smith County misdemeanor criminal-background search is currently $5, plus $1 per printed page.
How to find Smith County criminal records older than the online system
Smith County’s current online criminal coverage begins in 1995. Its Records Services department, however, says archived county materials reach back to 1846.
Historical records held by Records Services can include:
- case files
- ledgers
- minute books
- index files
- archived documents
- other county records
Cotton Belt Building, Basement
Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: 903-590-2960
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Lunch closure: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Smith County expunction and nondisclosure records
Smith County’s Criminal District Attorney Civil Division states that it handles and responds to expunction and nondisclosure actions filed in both the district courts and County Courts at Law.
A particularly useful 2026 Smith County resource is the District Clerk’s published expunction-agency list. Following a Texas statutory change effective September 1, 2025, the District Clerk maintains a website list of law-enforcement agencies and entities that maintain criminal records for expunction-related purposes.
Smith County’s April 2026 list includes entities such as:
- Texas Office of Court Administration
- Texas DPS / FBI / NCIC / TCIC channels
- Smith County Sheriff’s Office
- Smith County Jail
- Smith County Criminal District Attorney
- other potentially relevant criminal-record holders
Smith County criminal-record offices and courthouse map
Tyler, TX 75702
Felony records and district-court files.
Tyler, TX 75702
County Clerk services; Criminal Division handles Class A/B misdemeanor records.
Tyler, TX 75702
Public legal-research resources including Texas legal materials and online research tools.
Google Map: Smith County Courthouse
The courthouse at 100 N. Broadway in Tyler is the most useful single map location for this guide because the District Clerk, district courts, County Courts at Law and Law Library are concentrated there.
The map is lazy-loaded so it does not block the article’s initial rendering.
Smith County Law Library: useful when you need more than a name search
The Smith County Law Library is open to the public at no charge and provides access to legal research materials, statutes, case law and online legal-research resources.
Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: 903-590-1750
Monday-Thursday: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Lunch closure: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Current library copy charge: $0.25 per page.
Library staff provide access to legal information but should not be treated as your attorney or the custodian of a criminal case record.
Smith County criminal-record search tips
1995 is the important online cutoff
For older criminal cases, move to the clerk or county Records Services rather than repeating online searches.
Felony means District Clerk
Smith County explicitly says felony records are maintained by the District Clerk.
Class A/B means County Clerk
The County Clerk Criminal Division keeps Smith County Class A and B misdemeanor files.
Recent custody means Jail Search
Start with the jail system if the arrest happened very recently.
Police reports follow the arresting agency
Smith County itself says police reports are kept by the appropriate arresting agency.
Tyler city case? Use Municipal Court
Do not expect a Tyler Class C municipal citation to behave like a district-court felony.
Use statewide DPS only when you need statewide data
The local County Clerk $5 background search covers local Class A/B misdemeanors, not all Texas history.
Check the disposition
A charge describes an allegation. The disposition tells you what the court ultimately did.
Federal means Eastern District
Smith County’s public portal does not replace PACER for federal criminal cases.
Using criminal-record information for employment, housing or screening
A public court search is not automatically the same as a legally compliant consumer background report. Employment, tenant, insurance, credit and other eligibility decisions may trigger federal or state rules, including Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements when a consumer report is used.
Smith County criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Where can I search Smith County criminal court records online?
Start with the Smith County Public Search Site at portal.smith-county.com/Public/. The county uses the portal for public court and jail-record access.
2. How far back do Smith County criminal records go online?
Smith County Records Services currently states that criminal judicial records are available online from 1995 to the present.
3. Who keeps Smith County felony records?
Smith County states that felony case records are maintained by the District Clerk. The District Clerk’s office is at 100 N. Broadway Avenue, Room 204, Tyler.
4. Who keeps Class A and B misdemeanor records in Smith County?
The Smith County Clerk Criminal Division maintains Class A and B misdemeanor cases resulting from offenses in Smith County. Its misdemeanor records date back to 1976.
5. Does Smith County offer a local misdemeanor criminal-background search?
Yes. The County Clerk currently lists a $5 criminal-background search for Smith County Class A/B misdemeanor cases, plus $1 per page when printed.
6. Where do I search Smith County Jail records?
Use the official Smith County Jail Search at portal.smith-county.com/app/JailSearch/.
7. Where are Smith County police reports kept?
Smith County Records Services says police reports are maintained by the appropriate arresting agency, such as the Sheriff’s Office or the city police department involved.
8. Where do I search Tyler Class C misdemeanor cases?
Use Tyler Municipal Court. It handles Class C misdemeanors, traffic offenses and City-code violations within its jurisdiction and provides an online records-search option.
9. Is the Smith County court search a statewide Texas criminal-background check?
No. Smith County records are local. Texas DPS provides statewide public criminal-history searching for qualifying conviction and deferred-adjudication information.
10. What should I do if the Smith County case is older than 1995?
Contact the appropriate clerk and, if necessary, Smith County Records Services. The county says its Records Center contains historical materials dating back to Smith County’s founding in 1846.
Official sources used for this Smith County guide
- Smith County District Clerk
- Smith County Public Search Site
- Smith County Criminal Misdemeanor Department
- Smith County Courts at Law
- Smith County Jail Search
- Smith County Public Information
- Smith County Records Services
- Smith County Law Library
- City of Tyler Municipal Court
- Texas DPS Public Crime Records
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search
- Twelfth Court of Appeals
- Texas Appellate Case Search
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- PACER Federal Court Records