Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Carthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, with about 6,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Carthage offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Carthage, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests and Questions.
City or county record: where Carthage records are kept
- Kept by the City of Carthage: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Panola County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Panola County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Carthage police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Carthage police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Carthage police records.
- Website: carthagetexas.us/departments/police_dept/records.php (page title: Carthage, TX)
- Phone: 903.693.3866
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Panola County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Carthage City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: carthagetexas.us/how_do_i/contact_city_hall.php (page title: Carthage, TX)
- Phone: 903.693.3868
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Carthage
Texas public records law applies to the city government of Carthage. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Carthage Arrest Records
The Carthage arrest records guide covers the agency that reports Carthage's arrests to the FBI and the 126 arrests it reported for 2025. It also says where a person arrested in Carthage is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.
Carthage Records Guides
SearchSystems has nine more guides to Carthage, each written from the city's own offices and figures: Carthage warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Carthage inmate search (the jail page of the Panola County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Carthage criminal records (the court file, the Texas criminal history and the local arrest records), Carthage court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Carthage police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Texas Public Information Act requires), Carthage traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Carthage DUI (the DWI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Carthage divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Carthage property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Carthage website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Carthage offices listed above, and the city's own website is carthagetexas.us; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Carthage?
Request it from the Carthage police records unit at carthagetexas.us, phone 903.693.3866. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Carthage?
Carthage cases are heard by the courts that serve Panola County, and people arrested in Carthage are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Panola County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Carthage?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Texas public records law applies to city governments.