Tarrant County

Tarrant County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, one of the nation's fastest-growing economic regions. Major landmarks include the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Texas Christian University, and the Fort Worth Cultural District featuring world-class museums. Tarrant County is served by several key agencies: Tarrant County Clerk's Office at 100 W.

Weatherford Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, handles court records, marriage licenses, and official county documents; Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector, located at 100 E. Weatherford Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, manages property tax assessments and collections; and Tarrant County District Clerk at 100 N. Calhoun Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, maintains civil and criminal district court records.

What makes Tarrant County unique is its blend of Old West heritage and modern aerospace and technology innovation, housing major employers like American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and Bell Textron. Tarrant County features 38 incorporated cities and towns, including Arlington, home to the Texas Rangers baseball stadium and AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play, making it a significant sports and entertainment hub in Texas.

Tarrant County is also served by numerous municipal police departments, including the Fort Worth Police Department, Arlington Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department, Mansfield Police Department, Euless Police Department, Bedford Police Department, Hurst Police Department, Grapevine Police Department, Southlake Police Department, Colleyville Police Department, North Richland Hills Police Department, Keller Police Department, and Watauga Police Department, among others in Tarrant County's 38 municipalities. Arrest records in Tarrant County are considered public information under the Texas Public Information Act (Texas Government Code Chapter 552), and requests can be submitted to the arresting agency or the Sheriff's Office. Mugshots and booking photos are typically available through the Sheriff's Office Inmate Search portal for people currently in custody, and some historical booking photos can be requested directly from the Sheriff's Records Division at 817-884-3625.

Tarrant County jail system houses approximately 3,500-4,000 inmates daily, and the online search tool updates in real-time.

Weatherford Street. Municipal Courts in each incorporated city handle city ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors occurring within city limits. Tarrant County Probate Courts handle estates, guardianships, and mental health commitments.

Court records are accessible under Texas Government Code Chapter 552 (Public Information Act) and Rule 12 of the Texas Rules of Judicial Administration. The public can search civil and criminal cases online through Tarrant County District Clerk's website at www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/district-clerk, which offers a free case search by party name, case number, or attorney. Remote access to some court documents requires registration, and certain records such as sealed cases, juvenile matters, and expunged records are restricted from public access per Texas Family Code and other statutes.

Tarrant County offers a strong online property records search system through the County Clerk's Official Public Records Search portal at www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/county-clerk, providing free access to scanned documents from the 1980s forward, with earlier records being continuously added. Users can search by grantor/grantee name, legal description, or document number. Property tax information is managed separately by Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector at 100 E.

Weatherford Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, phone 817-884-1100. The Tax Assessor-Collector provides a free online property tax search at www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/tax where users can search by owner name, property address, or account number to view assessed values, exemptions, tax amounts, and payment history. The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD), an independent entity at 2500 Handley-Ederville Road, Fort Worth, TX 76118, establishes property valuations and maintains detailed property characteristic data.

TAD offers a full Geographic Information System (GIS) and parcel viewer with aerial imagery, property sketches, and ownership history accessible at www.tad.org, providing interactive maps and detailed property reports free to the public.

Applicants must provide valid government-issued photo identification and demonstrate direct and tangible interest as defined by Texas Health and Safety Code Section 191.0015. The Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Unit in Austin is the state repository for all Texas vital records and can be contacted at 888-963-7111 or through their website at www.dshs.texas.gov/vs for records statewide. Marriage ceremony records and certified marriage certificates are also maintained by the County Clerk.

Divorce records (decrees) are filed with Tarrant County District Clerk at 100 N. Calhoun Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196, phone 817-884-1558, as divorces are handled by the District Courts. All vital records requests must comply with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapters 191-194, which restrict access to immediate family members, legal representatives, and those with documented legal interest to protect privacy and prevent identity theft.

For full business entity information including corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and professional associations, the Texas Secretary of State maintains the statewide SOSDirect database at www.sos.state.tx.us/corp, offering free searches by entity name, registered agent, or file number, displaying formation dates, status, registered addresses, and officer information. Sales tax permits are issued by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and searchable through their website. Professional licenses (medical, legal, real estate, contracting, cosmetology, etc.) are regulated by their respective state boards, with databases accessible through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation at www.tdlr.texas.gov.

Building permits, zoning records, and certificates of occupancy are managed at the municipal level by each city's development services or building inspection department, with Fort Worth's Development Services Department located at 1000 Throckmorton Street and Arlington's Planning & Development Services at 201 W. Main Street. Tarrant County itself does not issue general business licenses, as Texas does not require a general county-level business license, though specific activities may require county permits.

The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce at 777 Taylor Street, Suite 900, Fort Worth, TX 76102, www.fortworthchamber.com, and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at 505 E. Border Street, Arlington, TX 76010, www.arlingtontx.com, provide business resources, networking, and economic development support throughout Tarrant County.

Voter registration in Texas requires submission of an application to Tarrant County voter registrar at least 30 days before an election; applications can be requested by calling 817-831-8683 or downloaded from the Texas Secretary of State website at www.texas.gov. Texas does not currently offer online voter registration, but applications can be completed and mailed or submitted in person. Election records available to the public under Texas Election Code include voter registration lists (with restrictions on use per Section 18.066), campaign finance reports filed with Tarrant County (for county-level races) and accessible through the Texas Ethics Commission for state races, candidate filing documents, precinct-level election results, early voting statistics, and election orders.

The next major election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, featuring U.S. House of Representatives races, one U.S. Senate seat, Texas gubernatorial and other statewide offices, state legislative seats, and county-level positions.

Texas has restrictive mail-in ballot eligibility limited to voters 65 and older, those with disabilities, those confined in jail but otherwise eligible, and those absent from Tarrant County during the entire early voting period and on election day; applications are available from Tarrant County Elections Administration and must be submitted according to statutory deadlines outlined in Texas Election Code Chapter 84. Tarrant County provides transparency through public testing of voting equipment, live election night results reporting on its website, detailed canvass reports, and compliance with open meetings requirements for Tarrant County Commissioners Court when canvassing election results, making sure of citizens can monitor and verify the electoral process under provisions of the Texas Election Code and Public Information Act.

The healthcare sector is substantial, with Texas Health Resources, JPS Health Network, and Cook Children's Health Care System collectively employing tens of thousands. The median household income in Tarrant County is approximately $67,000, slightly above the state median, though this varies significantly across municipalities from affluent Westlake and Southlake to more economically diverse areas. Key economic sectors include aviation and aerospace, healthcare and biotechnology, financial services (with firms like BNSF Railway, Charles Schwab, and TD Ameritrade maintaining significant operations), logistics and distribution (handled by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Alliance Airport), higher education (Texas Christian University, University of North Texas Health Science Center), and tourism driven by the Fort Worth Stockyards, cultural attractions, and major sporting venues.

General Motors operates an assembly plant in Arlington producing SUVs. The unemployment rate typically ranges from 3.5% to 5.5%, tracking with state and national trends. Notable economic development projects include redevelopment of downtown Fort Worth, expansion of the medical district, continuing development around Alliance Airport's industrial corridor, and significant residential growth in northern communities.

Tarrant County benefits from no state income tax, business-friendly regulations, and strategic location within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, consistently ranking among the fastest-growing large counties in the United States.