Texas's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 254 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.
- Courts: The Supreme Court of Texas (civil) and Court of Criminal Appeals sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the District Court, County Court, Justice of the Peace, Municipal Court. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
- Criminal history: Official background checks run through the Texas DPS - Crime Records Division (CRD); the Texas criminal records page covers the current fee and request process.
- Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services and may also be available locally.
- Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
- Business filings: the Texas Secretary of State operates the official business-entity search.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)
Texas Public Records at a Glance
Texas is 254 counties and no single court portal, and its courts still handled roughly 7.9 million filings in the latest reported year — the highest volume in the country alongside California. District and county clerks each run their own systems, with the big metros searchable free; the statewide research portal fills gaps for attorneys. Start at the Texas court records page for the by-county breakdown. DPS runs a public conviction database — anyone can search Texas criminal records online for a per-search fee. Birth and death certificates come from DSHS Vital Statistics or local registrars. County clerks record deeds, and appraisal districts publish free property data in nearly every county. 742 official sources below — the largest state set in this directory.
Figures reflect sources indexed in this directory and the latest official reports. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.
Texas Guides
Step-by-step pages for the searches people actually run:
Statewide Databases
742 official Texas government databases. Click a tab to filter by record type.
Court Records
Criminal Records
Wants & Warrants
Vital Records
Voter Records
Licenses
Recorded Documents
Property Records
Texas Counties
256 Texas counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 14 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are public records organized in Texas?▼
Texas keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.
Where do I start a Texas court-case search?▼
For statewide trial-court information, start at the Texas Judicial Branch: www.txcourts.gov. Texas federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.
How do I get an official Texas background check?▼
Texas's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the Texas DPS - Crime Records Division (CRD) at crimerecords.dps.texas.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.
Where do I obtain Texas birth, death, or marriage certificates?▼
Certified Texas vital records are issued by the Official Texas Vital Records at www.dshs.texas.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.
What does it cost to access Texas public records?▼
Most online record indexes in Texas are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the Texas Judicial Branch (courts), the Official Texas Vital Records (vital records), the Official Texas Voter Records (elections), and the Official Texas Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).
