Texas criminal cases are public through local courts, not one statewide trial-court portal
Texas criminal court records are decentralized. The Texas Judicial Branch does not provide one statewide website where you can enter a name and retrieve every felony, misdemeanor, justice-court and municipal criminal case. District clerks, county clerks, justice courts and municipal courts maintain their own trial-level records, while Texas appellate criminal cases use a separate statewide appellate search. DPS criminal-history records, TDCJ offender information and federal PACER records answer different questions and should not be confused with the actual trial-court file.
Texas court structure matters before you search
The Texas Office of Court Administration states that it does not maintain the individual case files of Texas trial courts and does not operate one statewide trial-court case-search portal. You must go to the court or clerk that actually maintains the case.
Felony criminal cases
Felony prosecutions are generally filed in district courts. The district clerk is usually the custodian of district-court criminal records.
Misdemeanors
County courts, statutory county courts and county courts at law commonly handle misdemeanor criminal matters, depending on local jurisdiction.
Lower-level offenses
Justice courts can handle specified fine-only criminal matters and other cases within their statutory jurisdiction.
City-level cases
Municipal courts commonly handle city ordinance cases and many fine-only state-law offenses.
How to search a Texas criminal trial-court record
The Texas Judicial Branch FAQ says there is no single statewide trial-court search portal. For district and county court cases, users should contact the district clerk or county clerk in the county where the case was filed. Justice and municipal records are obtained from the particular court.
Identify the county
Use the county where the prosecution was filed, which may be different from the person’s current residence.
Identify the likely court level
Felony usually points toward district court. Misdemeanor cases often point toward county-level courts. Fine-only cases may be in justice or municipal court.
Find the clerk
Use the Texas Judicial Directory when you do not already know the district clerk, county clerk or court contact information.
Open the county’s official online portal
Many large counties provide public online case searches, but portal coverage and document availability vary by county.
Search by case number when possible
A case or cause number is more precise than a common defendant name and helps avoid false matches.
Read the final disposition
Do not treat an arrest, indictment or charge as a conviction. Review the final outcome of each count.
Use the Texas Judicial Directory to locate the correct court or clerk
The Office of Court Administration maintains the Texas Judicial Directory. The live directory can be searched by court type, county, court, city and other fields.
The directory includes listings for:
- district courts
- county courts
- county courts at law
- justice courts
- municipal courts
- district and county clerks
- Courts of Appeals
- Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas felony criminal court records
Felony criminal cases are generally heard in Texas district courts. For copies and detailed trial-court information, the Texas Judicial Branch directs users to the district clerk in the county where the case was filed.
A felony court file may contain publicly accessible information such as:
- cause or case number
- defendant name
- indictment information
- filed charges
- court settings
- plea information
- orders
- disposition
- sentence
- appeal information
Texas misdemeanor records can be stored separately from felony cases
Misdemeanor records are often maintained by the county clerk or the clerk serving the relevant county-level criminal court. The exact structure varies by county.
A county may have constitutional county court jurisdiction, statutory county courts, county criminal courts or county courts at law.
Justice and municipal criminal records require a local court search
The Texas Judicial Branch directs users seeking justice or municipal court records to contact the individual court directly.
These courts can matter when the search involves fine-only criminal offenses, certain citations, municipal ordinance violations or other matters within their jurisdiction.
Court case search, docket search and criminal history are not the same thing
| Record type | Typical source | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Court case record | District clerk / county clerk / court | What was filed, what happened and how the case was resolved. |
| Docket | Local court system | Scheduled or chronological court activity. |
| DPS criminal history | Texas Department of Public Safety | Qualifying statewide criminal-history information submitted to DPS. |
| Offender record | TDCJ | Texas correctional custody or supervision information. |
| Appellate record | Texas appellate courts | Criminal appeal, petition, opinion and appellate docket. |
| Federal court case | PACER | Federal criminal proceeding, docket and filings. |
How to obtain criminal court documents
Online county portals vary. Some provide only a case summary or register of actions, while others provide downloadable public documents.
When an online portal does not contain the document you need, contact the clerk that maintains the case.
Useful documents to request
- indictment or information
- complaint
- plea paperwork
- judgment
- sentence
- dismissal order
- probation order
- motion or court order
- certified disposition
- appellate mandate where applicable
When to request a certified Texas criminal court record
A public online docket can help with research, but a certified copy is authenticated by the clerk and may be required for formal purposes.
Examples can include:
- correcting a missing DPS disposition
- licensing requirements
- immigration-related documentation
- legal proceedings
- expunction or nondisclosure-related documentation
- other agency requests for official case proof
How major Texas counties illustrate the statewide system
These examples show why Texas criminal court research has to follow the county’s local record system.
Felony and misdemeanor records use separate clerk responsibilities
Dallas County says the District Clerk is custodian of felony criminal records, while the County Clerk maintains county criminal court records for misdemeanor cases.
The county’s official online portal provides felony and misdemeanor case information. Dallas says criminal-case information goes back to 1975, while online documents for most felony cases are available for cases filed after 2009.
Dallas County Record SearchFelony and misdemeanor access is split by clerk
Travis County says felony case information is maintained through the District Clerk, while misdemeanor criminal records are handled through the County Clerk.
The District Clerk currently provides free online public court-record viewing for qualifying criminal records from 2008 to the present.
Travis County Criminal CourtsFelony and misdemeanor criminal courts are separate
Tarrant County currently lists 11 district courts handling felony criminal matters and 10 county criminal courts handling misdemeanor-level matters.
The county provides online criminal court resources and separate procedures for copies of felony and misdemeanor criminal records.
Tarrant County Criminal CourtsCombined criminal court search
Bexar County provides an official Criminal Court Records Search covering county and district criminal case records. The District Clerk identifies itself as custodian of felony criminal records.
Bexar also provides a Central Magistrate Search for people arrested within the last 24 hours.
Bexar County RecordsUse Texas DPS when you want statewide criminal history rather than a court docket
Texas DPS operates the state’s Computerized Criminal History system and a public criminal-history name-search service.
DPS’s public search is useful for qualifying Texas conviction and deferred-adjudication criminal-history information, but it does not replace the underlying court file.
Texas DPS Public Criminal History SearchTexas DPS criminal history vs Texas court records
| Question | DPS criminal history | Local court record |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide search? | Yes, for qualifying CHRI reported to DPS. | No single statewide trial-court portal. |
| Actual court docket? | No. | Yes. |
| Indictment / complaint? | Not the source for filed document copies. | Request from the clerk. |
| Certified disposition? | No. | Request from court clerk. |
| Good for identity screening? | Name-based public search available; fingerprint access exists for authorized purposes. | Case-specific only. |
| Missing disposition correction? | DPS may require certified court documentation. | Court is the source of the disposition. |
Texas prison and offender records are maintained by TDCJ
If the real question is whether someone is in Texas state custody or under qualifying TDCJ supervision, use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search.
The current system allows searches using name, SID number or TDCJ number. It also supports an asterisk wildcard for partial matching.
Open TDCJ Offender SearchSearch Texas criminal appeals statewide
Unlike Texas trial courts, appellate cases have a centralized statewide search system. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest court for criminal cases.
The Texas appellate Case Search allows searches across appellate courts using fields such as:
- appellate case number
- partial case number
- civil or criminal filter
- filing date
- case style
- attorney or bar number
- trial court case number
- trial court county
- originating court
Texas federal criminal cases are separate from state court records
Texas has multiple federal judicial districts. A federal prosecution will not appear as a Texas district-court criminal case simply because the offense happened inside Texas.
Use PACER for federal court records.
Search the specific federal court
PACER says a direct court search provides case information as records are filed in that court’s system.
Use PACER Case Locator
The nationwide Case Locator can be limited to Texas when you know the state but not the federal district.
Older Texas criminal court records may not be online
Local court portals differ in their historical coverage. Some counties have decades of indexed case information online; others only provide newer digital cases or limited summary data.
If an older case does not appear online:
Why some Texas criminal records are unavailable to the public
A case or document may be absent from an ordinary public portal because access is restricted by law, court order or the type of record.
Examples can include:
- expunged criminal records
- qualifying records subject to nondisclosure
- juvenile records
- sealed court filings
- protected victim information
- confidential identifying information
- other records exempted from public access
How to read a Texas criminal court result correctly
| Case item | What it means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest | Law-enforcement action. | Whether charges were later filed. |
| Complaint / indictment | Formal accusation or charging document. | Final outcome of each count. |
| Docket entry | Chronological court activity. | Whether it reflects a hearing, order, plea or final judgment. |
| Deferred adjudication | A distinct Texas disposition that is not identical to a traditional conviction. | Terms, later discharge and any nondisclosure order. |
| Dismissed | Charge was ended without conviction on that count. | Whether other counts remained. |
| Convicted / guilty | Conviction was entered. | Judgment, sentence and later appeal or record relief. |
| Appealed | Case moved to an appellate court for review. | Appellate judgment, mandate and later proceedings. |
What to do when you cannot find a Texas criminal court record
Before concluding that the case does not exist, check these possibilities:
- wrong county
- wrong court level
- name spelling or middle-name variation
- case indexed under a former or alias name
- recent case not yet visible online
- old file outside the portal’s digital coverage
- expunction or nondisclosure
- juvenile or confidential record
- federal rather than state prosecution
- DPS has CHRI but local court search was not completed
Texas criminal court search tips that save time
Start with county, not DPS
If your goal is the actual docket or case documents, go directly to the county court system.
Know felony vs misdemeanor
That distinction often tells you whether to begin with the district clerk or county clerk.
Save the cause number
Once found, keep the complete cause/case number for future searches and copy requests.
Use appellate search only for appeals
The statewide appellate search is powerful, but it does not replace county trial-court portals.
Missing DPS disposition?
Get a certified disposition from the court and follow DPS Error Resolution procedures.
Check TDCJ separately
Incarceration information belongs in the TDCJ offender system, not a county court docket alone.
Federal case?
Use PACER. A Texas state clerk will not have the federal district-court docket.
Request the final judgment
For formal proof, the judgment or certified disposition is more useful than a search-result screenshot.
Read every count
One case may contain dismissed, reduced and convicted counts at the same time.
Common questions about Texas criminal court records
1. Is there one statewide Texas criminal court case search?
No. The Texas Judicial Branch states that it does not provide a single statewide trial-court case-search portal. Trial records are obtained from district clerks, county clerks, justice courts and municipal courts depending on the case.
2. Where do I search a Texas felony criminal case?
Felony criminal cases are generally handled in district courts. Start with the district clerk in the county where the criminal case was filed.
3. Where do I search a Texas misdemeanor case?
Misdemeanor records are commonly maintained by the county clerk or the clerk serving the county-level criminal court. Local court structures differ, so verify the county’s official criminal-record system.
4. Can I search Texas criminal appeals statewide?
Yes. Texas provides a centralized appellate Case Search for the Courts of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals. It can be searched by fields including appellate case number, trial-court case number, county and case style.
5. Is Texas DPS the same as a Texas court-record search?
No. DPS provides qualifying statewide criminal-history information. The local court or clerk maintains the actual criminal case docket and court documents.
6. How do I get a certified Texas criminal court record?
Contact the clerk that maintains the case and request the specific certified document or disposition. Copy and certification fees depend on the office and record.
7. Why can’t I find an old Texas criminal case online?
Online historical coverage varies by county. The record may predate the county portal, be stored in an older index or physical file, be in another court, or be legally restricted.
8. Where can I find Texas prison records?
Use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search for state correctional information. It is separate from the criminal court record.
9. How do I find a federal criminal case filed in Texas?
Use PACER. Search the specific federal district when known or use the nationwide PACER Case Locator and limit the search to Texas when the district is unknown.
10. Does an arrest or indictment mean the person was convicted?
No. An arrest, complaint or indictment is not proof of conviction. Review the final disposition or judgment for each charge.
Official Texas and federal sources used for this guide
- Texas Judicial Branch — Frequently Asked Questions
- Texas Judicial Branch — Judicial Directory
- Texas OCA — Live Court Directory Search
- Texas Appellate Courts — Case Search
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
- Texas DPS — Public Criminal History Search
- Texas DPS Crime Records — Criminal History Information
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Offender Search
- Dallas County — Online Record Search
- Travis County — Criminal Courts
- Tarrant County — Criminal Courts
- Bexar County — Court Records
- PACER — Federal Court Records