Start with the court that actually holds the record
Travis County criminal records are split among several agencies. Felony cases are maintained through the Travis County District Clerk, Class A and B misdemeanors through the County Clerk, fine-only Class C cases may be in a Justice of the Peace or municipal court, and arrest, booking and warrant information may come from the Sheriff’s Office or the arresting police agency. Texas DPS provides a separate statewide criminal-history search.
Which Travis County office has the criminal record?
The word “criminal record” can describe several different records. Choosing the correct office is especially important in Travis County because felony and misdemeanor court records are maintained by different elected clerks.
| Record needed | Best official source | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Felony court case | Travis County District Clerk / Odyssey | Adult felony district-court case information and eligible public records. |
| Class A or B misdemeanor | Travis County Clerk | County Courts at Law misdemeanor cases, including offenses such as DWI, theft and assault. |
| Appealed Class C misdemeanor | Travis County Clerk | Class C matters appealed from municipal or Justice of the Peace courts. |
| Original Class C / traffic case | Justice of the Peace or municipal court | Fine-only misdemeanors and many traffic citations. |
| Current county jail custody | Travis County Sheriff’s Office | People currently held in Travis County jail facilities. |
| Sheriff incident/arrest report | TCSO Central Records / Open Records | Public incident information and qualifying detailed law-enforcement records. |
| Austin Police report | Austin Police Department | APD incident reports and City of Austin public-information requests. |
| Statewide Texas criminal history | Texas DPS Crime Records Division | Qualifying public Texas conviction and deferred-adjudication history. |
| Federal criminal case | PACER / Western District of Texas | Federal criminal prosecutions separate from Travis County courts. |
How to search Travis County felony criminal cases
Adult felony records are maintained by the Travis County District Clerk’s Criminal Division. Public users can search available district-court case information through the Travis County Odyssey Portal.
Open Travis County Odyssey Portal District Clerk Criminal DivisionOpen the Odyssey Portal
The general public can perform anonymous public searches without creating an elevated-access account.
Use Smart Search
Search using the person’s name or a known case/cause number. A cause number is normally the strongest way to isolate the correct case.
Open the case summary
Public users can review the available register of actions, which summarizes filings and events recorded in the case.
Check hearings separately if needed
Travis County also provides a criminal docket search for future settings using the arrested person’s name, attorney, judge/court or case number.
Request the actual document when the summary is not enough
Felony record-copy requests must go through the District Clerk’s records-request process.
Travis County cause numbers can tell you what kind of case you found
The Travis County District Attorney publishes a useful local shortcut: felony and misdemeanor case numbers follow different patterns.
D-1-DC-…
Travis County felony cause numbers begin with D-1-DC. The number also identifies the filing year.
Example: D-1-DC-23-… identifies a felony case filed in 2023.
C…
Travis County’s District Attorney guidance says misdemeanor cause numbers begin with the letter C. Those cases are generally prosecuted through the County Attorney and maintained by the County Clerk.
How to get felony copies or a certified Travis County felony search
Online case summaries are useful for research, but a government agency, attorney, immigration matter or records-correction request may require an actual copy or certified record.
District Clerk Criminal Division
Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice CenterGault Annex
501 W. 11th St., Room 2.300
Austin, TX 78701
Phone:
512-854-9420, option 3
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Travis County District Clerk
Records RequestP.O. Box 679003
Austin, TX 78767
The District Clerk also provides an online Records Request form for official, certified and authenticated copies.
| Service | Current published fee | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Records search | $5 per cause/name or item searched | Useful when you need the clerk to locate the official file. |
| Paper copy | $1 per page | Ordinary physical copy. |
| Certification | $5 per document | Added when an officially certified copy is required. |
| Exemplification | $5 plus certified-copy cost | Higher level of court authentication for specialized use. |
| Affidavit of No Record | $5 | Formal clerk document stating no qualifying record was found. |
Class A and B misdemeanor records use the Travis County Clerk
Travis County’s seven County Courts at Law — Courts 3 through 9 — hear Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases. Examples listed by the County Clerk include DWI, theft and assault.
The Travis County Clerk Misdemeanor Records Division, rather than the District Clerk, maintains these records.
Search misdemeanor recordsTravis County Clerk
Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse1000 Guadalupe St., Suite 222
Austin, TX 78701
Main phone:
512-854-9188
County Clerk hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Misdemeanor Records
Travis County ClerkP.O. Box 149325
Austin, TX 78714
For a record search, provide the person’s full name, date of birth and any additional identifiers that can separate similar names.
How far back does the misdemeanor search go?
The County Clerk’s search page lists misdemeanor records from 1981 to the present for its record-search service. The same page notes that online data and document-image coverage vary by year and format, so an older result may require clerk assistance.
Misdemeanor copy and search costs
Travis County Clerk offers several copy options depending on whether you need a quick unofficial reference copy or an authenticated record.
| Service | Published cost | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Online document printed yourself | Free | Available online copies carry an unofficial-copy watermark. |
| Electronic document emailed by clerk | $1 per page | Uncertified copy. |
| Self-service photocopy | $0.20 per page | Made by the requester at the office. |
| Self-service microfilm/computer print | $0.25 per page | For records accessed through those systems. |
| Copy made by clerk | $1 per page | May be requested by phone, email or in person. |
| Certified copy | $5 certification + $1 per page | Use when official certification is required. |
| Misdemeanor search, 1981–present | Free plus copy costs | One name may include up to three aliases. |
| Misdemeanor search before 1981 | $10 plus copy costs | Additional aliases can generate additional search charges. |
Class C misdemeanors and traffic cases may be in a Justice Court
Travis County Justices of the Peace handle fine-only Class C criminal misdemeanor complaints, including many traffic citations and other fine-only offenses.
Travis County has five Justice of the Peace precincts. The county provides a public judicial-records resource for JP cases, including hearing information and past closed criminal cases.
Travis County Justice CourtsAustin Municipal Court handles another layer of local criminal cases
If the citation or charge was filed by the City of Austin as a low-level offense, check Austin Municipal Court rather than assuming it will appear in the County Clerk’s original misdemeanor records.
Austin Municipal Court handles the lowest-level Texas criminal offenses within its jurisdiction, including traffic cases, city ordinance cases and other Class C matters.
Search Austin Municipal Court caseMain courthouse
6800 Burleson RoadBuilding 310, Suite 175
Austin, TX 78744
Phone: 512-974-4800
How to find a Travis County criminal court date
Travis County maintains a separate Criminal Court Docket Search for future settings. You can search using:
- arrested person’s name
- attorney’s name
- judge or court number
- case/cause number
How to find someone currently in a Travis County jail
Use the official Travis County Sheriff’s Office inmate search for people currently being held in Travis County custody.
TCSO inmate searchWhen an individual is arrested in Travis County, TCSO says the person is initially brought to the Central Booking Facility at the Travis County Jail.
Travis County Correctional Complex
3614 Bill Price RoadDel Valle, TX 78617
People can be moved from Central Booking to another county jail facility after intake. Always check the inmate search for the current housing location.
How to request a Travis County Sheriff’s Office arrest or incident report
Sheriff’s Office reports are separate from court records. TCSO provides both a basic public incident-report process and a more detailed open-records process.
Basic public information
TCSO says the public portion includes information such as the offense type, date/time, responding officer and items reported stolen or damaged.
The basic public report does not contain the officer’s narrative.
Published cost: $0.10 per page.
Request more detailed records
To seek additional releasable information, submit a written Public Information Act request describing the records you want.
TCSO asks for the requester’s name, address and a detailed description of the records.
Travis County Sheriff’s Office — Records
5555 Airport Blvd.Austin, TX 78751
Open-records information:
512-854-9718
In-person hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
For an Austin Police arrest or incident, search APD separately
A large portion of Travis County’s population is within Austin, so many local police records originate with the Austin Police Department, not the Sheriff’s Office.
APD public incident-report database
APD provides a free public incident-report database that is updated daily. The current system covers reports from the present date back approximately 18 months.
You can search by geographic criteria or a known APD case number.
Search APD incident reportsNeed an older or more complete APD record?
Use the City of Austin Public Records Center / Public Information Request process. APD records customer-service numbers are: 512-974-5212 and 512-974-5499.
Travis County has a public warrant-search resource
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office provides an online warrant-search page for public convenience.
Search Travis County warrantsIf the issue concerns you personally and requires action, verify the current status with the responsible court, law-enforcement agency or an attorney rather than relying on an unofficial warrant site.
Use Texas DPS for a statewide Texas criminal-history search
A Travis County court search answers a local court question. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Crime Records Division provides a different service: a statewide public criminal-history name search for qualifying Texas conviction and deferred-adjudication information.
Texas DPS Criminal History SearchCreate the required DPS account
The public search requires an account and search credits.
Purchase search credits
DPS currently prices public online search credits at $1 per search. Card purchases have an additional transaction/service charge.
Enter accurate identifiers
Use the full legal name and date of birth when known. DPS automatically tries additional name combinations to improve matching.
Verify the possible match
Texas DPS warns that name-based searches cannot positively prove identity. Fingerprint comparison is the strongest way to link an individual to a criminal-history record.
County jail and Texas state-prison records are different searches
If a person is being held locally before trial or serving certain local custody, start with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office inmate search.
If the person has been transferred into the Texas state-prison system, use the Texas Department of Criminal Justice offender-information resources instead.
Texas state inmate searchTexas sex-offender records use a separate DPS registry
Texas DPS operates the official statewide public sex-offender registry. This is a specialized statutory registry and should not be treated as a general criminal-record database.
Texas DPS sex-offender searchOlder Travis County criminal records may require an offline search
A major content gap on many criminal-record sites is the assumption that “not online” means “doesn’t exist.” That is especially risky with older cases.
Contact the District Clerk
The current free District Clerk online-record page lists criminal portal coverage from 2008 forward. Older felony records may require an archive or clerk-assisted search.
County Clerk paper / microfilm
Travis County Clerk offers searches of older misdemeanor records, including pre-1981 material that may require paid paper or microfilm research.
Expunction and nondisclosure can change what appears publicly
Texas law provides procedures that can remove qualifying records through expunction or restrict public visibility through an order of nondisclosure.
These remedies are not interchangeable:
Removal of qualifying records
Texas law allows expunction in specified circumstances. Eligibility depends on the particular arrest, charge and disposition.
Restricted public visibility
An order of nondisclosure generally restricts qualifying information from public disclosure while allowing access for certain authorized agencies.
Travis County District Clerk’s Criminal Division maintains all expunctions, including misdemeanor and felony expunctions, and felony nondisclosure records. Misdemeanor nondisclosure matters also have a County Clerk process.
Texas State Law Library guidanceFederal criminal cases involving Travis County use the Western District of Texas
Travis County is assigned to the Austin Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Federal prosecutions will not appear simply because you search Travis County Odyssey, the County Clerk or Austin Municipal Court.
Search federal cases with PACERU.S. District Court — Austin Division
501 W. 5th StreetAustin, TX 78701
PACER is the federal judiciary’s official electronic court-record system. A federal criminal case is separate from Texas state and Travis County criminal records.
Where Travis County criminal court records are centered
Most felony court activity is centered at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in downtown Austin. The building also houses several felony and County Court at Law courtrooms.
Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center
509 W. 11th StreetAustin, TX 78701
Criminal Courts Administration: 512-854-9244
Visitors should expect courthouse security screening.
District Clerk Criminal Division
Gault Annex501 W. 11th Street
Room 2.300
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512-854-9420, option 3
The map loads lazily so it does not block the initial article render.
Travis County criminal-record search tips that save time
Read the cause-number prefix
D-1-DC points to a Travis County felony case. A misdemeanor cause number generally begins with C.
Do not use one clerk for everything
Felony = District Clerk. Class A/B misdemeanor = County Clerk. Class C = JP or municipal court unless appealed.
Recent Austin police case?
APD’s public report database can be faster than filing a broad records request when the incident falls inside its approximately 18-month coverage window.
Recent arrest? Search jail first
Current custody information can help you identify whether a case is still in the booking stage and which charges were listed at intake.
Need proof of the outcome?
Ask for the disposition, judgment or certified final record rather than requesting an undefined “background check.”
Search aliases carefully
Middle names, maiden names and aliases matter, especially for older misdemeanor searches. Always use DOB when the system or clerk allows it.
Older record? Call the clerk
Online coverage has date limits. Archived, paper and microfilm records may still exist.
Do not confuse DPS with Odyssey
Odyssey shows Travis County court information. DPS is a statewide criminal-history repository search.
Check federal separately
A federal case in Austin uses PACER and the Western District of Texas, not the Travis County portals.
How to interpret the result correctly
| Record status | What it tells you | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest / booking | The person entered law-enforcement custody. | That the person was convicted. |
| Filed charge | A criminal allegation was formally filed. | That the allegation was proven. |
| Pending | The matter has not reached a final disposition. | That conviction is inevitable. |
| Dismissed | The relevant charge/case was dismissed. | That every related arrest record automatically disappeared. |
| Acquitted / not guilty | The defendant was not convicted on the relevant charge after adjudication. | That all related government records were automatically erased. |
| Convicted | A judgment of guilt was entered. | That every record remains publicly visible forever. |
| Nondisclosure / sealed | Public access may be restricted under applicable law. | That every authorized government agency loses access. |
Frequently asked questions about Travis County criminal records
1. Where do I search Travis County felony criminal records?
Use the Travis County Odyssey Portal for available public felony case information. Felony records and copies are maintained by the Travis County District Clerk’s Criminal Division.
2. Where do I search Travis County misdemeanor records?
Class A and B misdemeanor records are maintained by the Travis County Clerk’s Misdemeanor Records Division. The County Clerk provides an online search-and-copy service.
3. How can I tell whether a Travis County case is a felony?
Travis County District Attorney guidance states that felony cause numbers begin with “D-1-DC.” Misdemeanor cause numbers generally begin with the letter “C.”
4. Can I search Travis County jail inmates online?
Yes. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office provides an official inmate search for people currently held in Travis County jail facilities.
5. Does Travis County have an online warrant search?
Yes. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office provides a public warrant-search page. TCSO advises users to verify information before relying on it because warrant data can change.
6. How do I get an Austin Police report?
For many recent incidents, first search the APD Incident Reports Database, which currently provides public report information for approximately the previous 18 months. For older or more detailed records, use the City of Austin Public Information Request process.
7. How much is a Travis County District Clerk criminal-record search?
The District Clerk’s current 2026 fee schedule lists a $5 records-search fee per cause, name or item searched. Paper copies are $1 per page and certification is $5 per document.
8. Are Travis County Class C misdemeanor cases in the County Clerk search?
Original fine-only Class C cases are generally handled by a Justice of the Peace or municipal court. The County Clerk’s misdemeanor search includes qualifying Class C cases appealed from those lower courts.
9. Is Texas DPS the same as a Travis County criminal case search?
No. Travis County systems provide local court information. Texas DPS maintains a separate statewide criminal-history repository and public name-search service.
10. Where do I search a federal criminal case from Travis County?
Use PACER. Travis County is in the Austin Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Official government resources
- Travis County District Clerk — Criminal Division
- Travis County District Clerk — Case Information & Records
- Travis County District Clerk — Current Fees
- Travis County Odyssey Portal
- Travis County Clerk — Misdemeanor Division
- Travis County Clerk — Misdemeanor Search & Copies
- Travis County Criminal Courts
- Travis County Criminal Docket Search
- Travis County Justices of the Peace
- Austin Municipal Court — Case Search
- Travis County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Search
- Travis County Sheriff’s Office — Warrant Search
- Travis County Sheriff’s Office — Open Records Requests
- Austin Police Department — Incident Reports Database
- City of Austin — Public Information Requests
- Texas DPS — Criminal History Name Search
- Texas DPS — Public Sex Offender Registry
- Texas State Law Library — Expunction & Nondisclosure
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas — Jurisdiction
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search