Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Matagorda County, Texas, has about 36,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Matagorda County depends on where the incident happened: the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Texas Public Information Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Matagorda County public records, Matagorda County arrest records, Matagorda County warrants, Matagorda County inmate search, Matagorda County criminal records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Matagorda County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Matagorda County that is the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's agency list also places seven other agencies in Matagorda County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office
The Matagorda County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 79 violent and 144 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 220 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 979-245-5526. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at matagordatx.gov/page/Sheriff (page title: Sheriff's Office | Matagorda County, Texas), phone 979-245-5526, 2308 Avenue F Bay City, TX 77414, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Matagorda County
The two cities the FBI lists in Matagorda County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Bay City: 71 violent and 296 property crimes reported for 2025; 492 arrests reported for 2025.
- Palacios: 12 violent and 46 property crimes reported for 2025; 68 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Matagorda County in 2025
The three agencies in Matagorda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 162 violent and 486 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Matagorda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 780 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Texas Public Information Act Requires
Under the Texas Public Information Act the agency must answer a request within 10 business days, and it may charge the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (979) 244-7657, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Matagorda County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
How long does an agency in Matagorda County have to answer?
Under the Texas Public Information Act, within 10 business days. It may charge the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests.
How do I get a report from the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 979-245-5526. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Matagorda 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.