TEXAS PUBLIC RECORDS SEARCH



 

Texas Public Records

Public records are materials and documents stored by a government entity and made accessible to the public. These often include deeds, mortgages, property records, land records, judgments, liens, maps, photographs, meeting minutes, legal papers, letters, laws, ordinances, license information, vital records, and other types of records.

This page is devoted to providing you the most in-demand databases of statewide public records in Texas.  More resources at levels other than the state level are available via the menu in the margin.

  • Court System - The Texas court system has five levels. At the first level are Justice Courts (civil cases to $10,000, small claims) and Municipal Courts (ordinance violations, civil). Both handle magistrate functions & lesser misdemeanors. Second are county trial courts: Constitutional County Courts (civil to $10,000, probate, serious misdemeanors, juvenile, appeals); County Courts at Law (civil to $100,000, criminal & appellate actions); and Statutory Probate Courts. Third are state trial District Courts, which handle civil, divorce, land title, felony, & juvenile cases. Fourth are the Courts of Appeals, which review decisions from the lower courts. At the top is the Supreme Court (final appeals for civil & juvenile cases); and the Court of Criminal Appeals (final appeals for criminal cases).  Texas Court Records
  • Criminal Records - The Texas Department of Safety (DPS) provides an online public database called the DPS Computerized Criminal History System (CCH) and it contains convictions and deferred adjudications only. If you want to do a full statewide fingerprint-based search of all Arrests (convictions and non-convictions), it requires consent and fingerprints from the person being searched. That search is available to Authorized Entities from the DPS. In the Texas Court System, felony cases are handled by the District Courts, while the County Courts handle misdemeanors. To order an official record search, or to access other databases, go to our Texas Criminal Records page.
  • Vital Records - Vital Records are available from: Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756, (888) 963-7111 or (512) 458-7111, Fax: (512) 458-7711.  Go to our Vital Records page for historical births and christenings, county birth records; the Texas Social Security Death Index, genealogical death records, obituaries, cemetery burial databases, and county deaths; the State Department of Health marriage record download page; county marriage records; county divorce databases, and statewide divorces from 1966 to 2006.

Categories

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Most Popular

Public Records

Agency Finder

This used to be a well done state agency service from Texas. You can still find state agencies, but they make you work harder for it.

Archives | Confederate Pensions

Texas State Library and Archives Commission database of Texas Confederate Pension.

Archives | Historic Maps

Searchable database Texas State Library archives map collection.

Archives | Republic Claims

Texas Archives database of Comptroller citizen claims for payment or restitution 1835-1846.

Archives | Texas Military Organizations

Texas 1836-1935 archives of military organization, such as the Texas Rangers, Frontier Forces, Minute Men, Army and Navy of the Republic, State Police, Special Rangers, Railroad Rangers, and more.

Attorney General Opinions

Texas Attorney General Opinions index.

Attorneys

State Bar of Texas "Find a Lawyer" program.

Bankruptcies, Judgments & Tax Liens  Pay Site

Texas Statewide or nationwide search for bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens. $5 per search.

Births and Christenings 1840-1981

Index of over 400,000 Texas births and christenings recorded between 1840 and 1981.

Burials - Texas State Cemetery

Search the Texas State Cemetery records by name or map for burials of Texas notable citizens.

Cemeteries

Perpetual care cemeteries licensed by the Texas Department of Banking.

Census 1850 -1930

Search the Texas Census. Select years ranging from 1850 through 1930.

Child Support Payment Information

Custodial Parents, Non-Custodial Parents, and Attorneys may search for child support information in Texas. Requires Case Identification Number and PIN.

Code | Administrative

Texas Administrative Code by Title and Part.

Companies | Permits and Taxpayers

Find new franchise taxpayers, sales tax permits, mixed beverage tax receipts, and hotel occupancy tax receipts, or search a substantial number of other business and tax databases.

Companies | Sales Taxpayers

Statewide database of Sales Taxpayers, a free service from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, searchable by taxpayer number, EIN, zip code, business legal name, or owner or business name.

Comptroller MegaData

Texas Office of the Comptroller "Texas Transparency" records. Huge list of data sets including tax receipts, tax permits, unclaimed property, highway fines, agency expenditures, motor vehicle sales, and much much more.

Constitution

Browse the Texas Constitution by Article and Section, or search by keyword or phrase.

Court Records | Supreme Court & Court of Appeals

Texas Judicial Branch index of Supreme Court of Texas and Appeals Courts case records, document search, and case schedules.

Courts - Supreme Court Cases Set for Submission

List of cases set to be heard in oral argument before the Supreme Court of Texas.

Death Records 1890-1976

Texas death certificates recorded between 1890 and 1976. Search for and download certificate images.

Death Records 1964-1998

Search over 3.9 million 1964-1998 Texas death records by name, county, year, and/or gender. Provided by RootsWeb.

Deaths and Burials 1903-1973

Index of 270,000 Texas death and burial records filed between 1903 and 1973.

Deaths in Police Custody

Texas Attorney General Custodial Death Report database of persons who have died in Texas police custody.

Environment | Drinking Water

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality database of public water supply systems.

Environment | Petroleum Storage Tank

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality central registry of Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) and Leaking Petroleum Storage Tank (LPST) data.

Environment | Stormwater & Wastewater Applications

Permit status of storm-water and wastewater permits and design plans submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Environment | Waste Management

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality online industrial, hazardous, solid, and medical waste registry, scrap tire handlers, and solid waste applications.

Environment | Water Quality

Water quality data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Environment | Water Supply Permits

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality database of water supply system plans and permit applications.

Environment | Water Wells

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sources for finding water well reports.

Fuels Tax Permits List

Browse this Texas State Comptroller list by name for Texas Fuels Tax Permits. Provides taxpayer number, name, city, zip code, and permit type.

Inmates | County Jails

Texas County jail inmate searches from VineLink.

Inmates | Executed Offenders 1923-1973

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) list of Offenders executed between 1923 and 1973.

Inmates | Men on Death Row

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) list of men on Death Row.

Inmates | Offenders No Longer on Death Row

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) list of Offenders who are no longer on Death Row. Reasons include reversed convictions, suicides, reduced sentences, deaths from natural causes, murders, dismissed and acquitted sentences.

Inmates | Statewide

Statewide records of currently incarcerated inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Inmates | Women on Death Row

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) list of Women on Death Row.

Insurance Fraud

Browse these Texas Department of Insurance lists of monthy insurance fraud indictments and case dispositions.

Land Grants

Texas General Land Office surname index of persons issued Texas land grants. Includes Spanish and Mexican grants.

Legal Resources

Database provided by the Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA). The Legal Resource Database includes the following: seminar papers, appellate briefs, forms, selected articles from our publications, and other prosecutorial aids.

Licenses | Professional, Medical & Business

Search for and verify the status of Texas professional and business licenses in Texas, including Physicians, Dentists, CPAs, Nurses, Real Estate brokers and sales persons, Dietitians, Pharmacists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Attorneys.

Lobbyists

Texas Ethics Commission registered Lobbyists and Lobbyist Compensation.

Marriage Records

Downloadable indexes of marriage applications from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Marriages 1837-1973

Index of 1.6 million Texas marriages filed between 1837 and 1973.

Missing Children

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children search for Texas missing children.

Missing Persons

Texas Dept of Public Safety searches for missing persons, abductors, and unidentified persons.

Most Wanted Fugitives

View the Texas Department of Public Safety list of top ten most wanted persons.

Oil & Gas Production

Search this Railroad Commission of Texas database of Texas Oil & Gas Production by year, district, onshore county, offshore area, lease number, lease name, field number, or field name.

Property Tax Rates

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts posting of downloadable spreadsheets of county, city, school district, and special district tax rates.

Regional Databases

Search regional public record databases in Texas such as U.S. District Court records and regional appeals courts.

State Lands for Sale

Texas General Land Office database of state lands available for sale.

Statutes

Browse or download the Texas Statutes, or click on "Search" at the top of the page to search for Texas Statutes by keyword or phrase.

Tax Research Index

Texas State Tax Automated Research (STAR) System search for tax research documents.

Taxpayer & Vendor Account Status

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts status of sales tax permits.

Uniform Commercial Code  Pay Site

Search the Texas Secretary of State "SOSDirect" Business Registry for Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings. $1 fee per search. Use the "temporary login form" if you don't need to become a Texas SOSDirect subscriber.

Vehicle Registration

Find your Texas vehicle registration by county, plate number, and VIN, and renew online.

Workers Compensation - Covered Employers

Search this Texas Workers' Compensation Commission database "to determine if a Texas employer has workers' compensation coverage under the Texas Workers' Compensation Act." Search by employer name and optionally by city in Texas.


Texas is located in the south central United States. The Capital is Austin and the largest city is Houston.  The Official Web Site is located at http://www.texas.gov/.  Texas is the 2nd most populous state in the United States.  The 2014 population estimate is 26,956,958 and the 2010 census population was 25,146,104.  The land area is 261,231.71 square miles and there are 96.3 persons per square mile.

80.3% of the population is White, 12.4% is Black or African American, 38.4% is Hispanic or Latino, 4.3% is Asian, 1% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% is Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 1.8% are two or more races. 81.2% are a high school graduate or higher, and 26.7% have a Bachelor degree or higher.

The median home value is $128,900. There are on average 2.82 persons per household, the per capita income is $26,019, the median household income is $51,900, and 17.6% of the persons in Texas are considered below poverty level.


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  • Texas Criminal Records

    Do a comprehensive background search of over 500 million court, inmate, corrections, offender, and fugitive records.

 

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