Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Harris County, Texas, has about 5.0 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Harris County District Court and the County Courts and Justice Courts, and the file of each case, kept by the District Clerk for district court cases and the County Clerk for county court cases, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Harris County public records, Harris County warrants, Harris County inmate search, Harris County criminal records, Harris County police reports, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Harris County
In Harris County, the Harris County District Court hears felonies, divorces, land title cases and civil cases without a dollar limit.
Below it, the County Courts and Justice Courts take misdemeanors in the County Court or County Court at Law; traffic tickets, evictions and small claims in the Justice Courts.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the District Clerk.
The District Clerk for district court cases and the County Clerk for county court cases keep the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Texas Public Information Act.
Looking Up a Case from Harris County
For Harris County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at jpwebsite.harriscountytx.gov/FindMyCase/search.jsp (page title: Harris County JP Public Access -- Welcome), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, the County Courts and Justice Courts, not to the Harris County District Court.
Texas has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The appellate courts' case search is at search.txcourts.gov/CaseSearch.aspx?coa=cossup.
What Reaches the Court from Harris County
The District Attorney decides which arrests in Harris County become cases in the Harris County District Court or the County Courts and Justice Courts.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dao.harriscountytx.gov (page title: District Attorney’s Office), phone 713-274-5800, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Texas Department of Public Safety, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Harris County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Harris County criminal records, Harris County divorce records, Harris County traffic tickets, Harris County DUI and Harris County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Harris County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Harris County and Texas. These court pages from its Harris County listing were opened again on October 1, 2026 and each one still answers:
- First Court of Appeals (txcourts.gov)
- Harris County Clerk's Office (cclerk.hctx.net)
- Office of Harris County District Clerk (hcdistrictclerk.com)
- Office of Harris County District Clerk (hcdistrictclerk.com)
- Real Property Records Services (cclerk.hctx.net)
Cities in Harris County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Harris County District Court or the County Courts and Justice Courts; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Harris County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population:
- Houston (2,390,125)
- Pasadena (149,617)
- Baytown (86,004)
- La Porte (38,046)
- Deer Park (34,495)
- Katy (27,741)
- Bellaire (17,439)
- Humble (16,561)
- South Houston (16,146)
- West University Place (15,149)
- Seabrook (13,976)
- Webster (12,548)
- Galena Park (10,438)
- Jacinto City (9,431)
- Jersey Village (7,791)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Harris County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at jpwebsite.harriscountytx.gov; it belongs to a lower court, the County Courts and Justice Courts, not to the Harris County District Court.
Which court hears felonies in Harris County?
The Harris County District Court, which hears felonies, divorces, land title cases and civil cases without a dollar limit. The County Courts and Justice Courts take misdemeanors in the County Court or County Court at Law; traffic tickets, evictions and small claims in the Justice Courts.
Who keeps the court records in Harris County?
The District Clerk for district court cases and the County Clerk for county court cases. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Texas?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Harris County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.