Most Texas public records are available online. Whether it is a county court or the Supreme Court, an online search may be all you need to view records. This however will vary from county to county.
Grayson County has nearly everything online, and Cooke County has almost nothing online in the way of records. So if the records you are searching for are based in a local county court that is not technologically advanced, you may have to make a trip to the courthouse.
Counties usually allow people to view public records for free, but there is usually a fee for copies.
For Texas public records, a good place to start online is the Public Records Center. They have a list of counties with links to each that have public records for online viewing.
A second option online is Texas Public Records Search. Though geared toward Genealogists, the ordering of records is easy and straight forward. You can order Birth certificates, Death certificates, Marriage and Divorce records from this site. They also have adoption and cemetery information.
Some places to look for free public records in person are:
Judicial Records in Texas are not covered by the Texas Public Information Act.
Judicial Records that are not court case records are not considered public records. In order to gain access to these records you must petition the court in writing. Your letter must be specific about the records you need. A decision will be made whether or not to allow you to have the records, and you will be notified. If you are denied, there is an appeals process in place.
The request must be sent to:
Administrative Director
Office of Court Administration
P.O. Box 12066
Austin, Texas 78701
Another excellent source of Texas Public Records is http://www.brbpub.com/texas-public-records/
This site has a complete list of clickable counties and a huge amount of information. Many pieces of information you may be looking for are printable right from your computer.
The Texas Government Code (Ch 552) gives a legal right to anyone to access public records as it is considered free information. When you ask for the public records, the officer in charge of giving you access is not allowed to ask why you want it or what you are going to use it for.
The record must be made available to you in a timely manner and cannot be withheld.
There are many online businesses that offer to get information of any kind for you for a fee. Most of this information is free for the asking if you just do a little research and know where to look. Don't get scammed. Do your own research first and locate the records or information you seek yourself.
To lookup Texas public records information, contact:
Texas Office of the Attorney GeneralThe office of the Attorney General is the central hub to which all Texas public records search requests must be made. Official documents are available from the website in PDF format, which can be downloaded and then printed. Further information availability can be procured by contacting the office itself and making a request for the specific type and form of data you seek.
Some public records in Texas are available through an online database of records from across the state. This applies to driving records, heirloom birth certificates, marriage and divorce records. When it comes to birth and death records and other vital statistics related Texas public records you will need to contact the appropriate department directly with your requests.
Some criminal records including but not limited to registered sex offenders information is a matter of public record in Texas and both the criminal history and the sex offender database may be searched through an online database system provided by the state.
The Conviction Database is a matter of public records in Texas, containing information pulled directly from the DPS Computerized Criminal History System (CCH). The material inside this system is only released to the public if a either a conviction or a deferred adjudication is actually placed in record.
Public Records
Court Records
Criminal Records
Birth Records
Death Records
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
Genealogy Records