Harris County, Texas Public Records: Court, Property, Sheriff & Vital Records

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Most requested Harris County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

Showing 12 official sources

Official

Court records

Harris County Criminal Judicial Records

Harris County Criminal Judicial Records, with the court location, contacts and the case records this office keeps.

hcdistrictclerk.com

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Official

Property records

Harris County Property Search

Harris County Property Search, the office that values property for tax, with parcel data, assessment records and appeal information.

hcad.org

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Official

Police & jail

Harris County Criminal Records

The Harris County Sheriff's Office offers a public district and county criminal records inquiry, searchable by name, date of birth or SPN, with custody and case details.

harriscountyso.org

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Vital records

Harris County Birth Certificates

Harris County Birth Certificates, the office that issues these certificates, with the application, identification and fee rules it publishes.

dshs.texas.gov

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Official

City records

Harris County Clerk

Harris County Clerk, the office that keeps county filings and public records, with the copies and searches it publishes.

cclerk.hctx.net

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Official

State records

Harris County Directory

Harris County Directory, the county government site, with its department pages, elected officials and contact information.

harriscountytx.gov

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Federal

Harris County U.S. Census

United States Census Bureau figures for Harris County, Texas, with population, housing, income and business counts from the latest estimates.

data.census.gov

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Official

Court records

Harris County District Clerk

Harris County District Clerk, with the court location, contacts and the case records this office keeps.

hcdistrictclerk.com

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Official

Property records

Harris County Tax Office

Harris County Tax Office, with the property tax bills, payment information and collections the office reports.

hctax.net

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Police & jail

Harris County Sheriff s Office

Harris County Sheriff s Office, the elected county law enforcement office, with incident reports, warrants and jail information as the office publishes them.

hcso.hctx.net

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Vital records

Harris County Death Certificates

Harris County Death Certificates, the office that issues these certificates, with the application, identification and fee rules it publishes.

dshs.texas.gov

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Official

City records

Harris County Auditor

Harris County Auditor, the office that keeps county filings and public records, with the copies and searches it publishes.

hctx.net

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Everything else, organized

More official Harris County record sources

37 more Harris County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in Harris County

County profile

Harris County at a glance

State: Texas
County seat: Houston
Population: 4,731,145
Area: 1,777 sq mi
Founded: 1836
Cities and towns: 28

Harris County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is one of the nation's largest sheriff's departments, with approximately 4,000 sworn deputies serving unincorporated Harris County and several contract cities. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez leads the department. HCSO operates Harris County jail system at 1200 Baker St, Houston TX 77002, with a daily population exceeding 9,400, one of the largest county jail systems in the United States.

Police Departments. Harris County is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Harris County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Houston Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, and Baytown Police Department.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), led by Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, is one of the largest sheriff's offices in the United States, serving unincorporated areas of Harris County and providing countywide law enforcement services. The HCSO headquarters is located at 1200 Baker Street, Houston, TX 77002, and can be contacted through the office’s website. The official website is www.hcso.hcdistrictclerk.com or www.harriscountyso.org. Harris County operates multiple detention facilities, with the main Harris County Jail complex located at 1200 Baker Street and 701 N. San Jacinto Street in downtown Houston. To look up inmates, the public can access the HCSO Jail Inquiry System at www.jims.hctx.net or call.

Criminal Records. Harris County District Clerk's Office maintains these records, which are accessible to the public under the Texas Public Information Act.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Harris County are maintained by Harris County Sheriff's Office and local police departments.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Harris County are taken and retained by Harris County Sheriff's Office during the booking process.

Property tax records are maintained separately by Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (Ann Harris Bennett), located at 1001 Preston Street, Houston, TX 77002 (phone: 713-274-8000; website: www.hctax.net). Harris County District Courts (numbered 11th through 507th) have general jurisdiction over felony criminal cases, divorces, contested probate matters, and civil cases exceeding $200 in controversy. Harris County Civil District Courts are located at 201 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77002 (phone: 713-755-6405), while Criminal District Courts are at 1201 Franklin Street, Houston, TX 77002 (phone: 713-755-5800). Documents can be downloaded as PDFs. Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD), located at 13013 Northwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77040 (phone: 713-957-7800; website: www.hcad.org), determines property values and maintains detailed property information including legal descriptions, improvements, ownership history, and exemptions. The Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Unit in Austin is the statewide repository and backup source for all Texas vital records (phone: 888-963-7111; website: www.dshs.texas.gov/vs).

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Harris County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Harris County

Old mine sites: 10
Sites with no status in the records: 6
Still producing: 70
Main minerals: construction sand and gravel; Halite; crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps: 98
Shafts and tunnels: 1
What they are: sand pit, gravel pit, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, clay pit
Maps surveyed: 1954 to 1995
Sources: USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 86 named mine sites inside the county, 10 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 98 holes drawn inside the county, 1 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Halite; crushed stone.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area.

Harris County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. Purple is a shaft or a tunnel. Hover a dot for its name.

Texas mine map and abandoned mine records

Named workings recorded in Harris County (86 shown, 98 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Harris County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find court records in Harris County, Texas?

Harris County has two main court records systems: the Harris County District Clerk (hcdistrictclerk.com) handles all 59 district courts, felonies, civil cases over 00K, divorces, and family law. The county Clerk (harriscountyclerk.net) handles the 16 county courts at law, misdemeanors, civil cases 00 - 00K, probate, and mental health cases. Search both portals for a complete picture. Justice of the Peace court records (Class C misdemeanors, small claims) require contacting the individual JP precinct.

How do I get a criminal background check for Harris County / Texas?

The Texas criminal history record comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Crime Records. Run an online name based search of deferred adjudication and conviction records through the DPS Criminal History Conviction Name Search, or have fingerprints taken by appointment at a DPS FAST location. Fee: $10.00 for a name based check done offline through DPS; $15.00 for a fingerprint based check, plus $10 for fingerprinting at a FAST location.

How can I look up sex offenders in Harris County, Texas?

Search the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Harris County, Texas?

Register with the county voter registrar or through the Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division. Texas has no online voter registration. Your county voter registrar must receive your application at least 30 days before an election; you can fill out the application online, but you must print, sign and mail it to the registrar.

How do I look up property records in Harris County, Texas?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Harris County are kept by the Harris County clerk. Property values are set by the county appraisal district, and tax bills come from the county tax assessor-collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Harris County, Texas?

Certified birth and death certificates for Texas come from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics. You can get vital records in the county, city or district where the event occurred, and some local offices also provide birth records from anywhere in the state. Online at Texas.gov, by mail to Texas Vital Statistics, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040, or in person at the Austin office or a local office. Fee: $22.00 for a certified birth certificate, long or short form.

How do I find business license records in Harris County, Texas?

Business entity filings are searched with the Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings. The State of Texas does not require a general business license; the Governor's Business Permit Office says local permit requirements must also be met.

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Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.