Texas People Search

Texas has 254 counties and no free statewide court search, so a search usually starts with these state offices to find the county where a person lived, then goes to that county clerk, district clerk and appraisal district.

• TDCJ Offender SearchPeople in Texas state prisons and state jails
• Texas Public Sex Offender Registry, DPSSearch by name, address or college
• Texas Secretary of State, SOSDirectBusiness entity, corporate and UCC records; account and small fees
• Texas Comptroller franchise tax account status searchFree status of Texas businesses, with officers and addresses
• Texas Judicial BranchCourts in all 254 counties and the 15 courts of appeals
• DSHS Vital StatisticsBirth and death certificates, marriage and divorce verifications

Texas public records are governed by the Public Information Act (Government Code Chapter 552), and most are open. But records are spread over 254 counties, and the courts of appeals are organized in 14 regional districts plus the statewide Fifteenth Court of Appeals, created in 2023, so you usually need to know where a person lived.

State agencies keep business and prison records, while counties keep property, court and local vital records. The Attorney General issues rulings on what records must be released.

The state business, prison and court offices are linked in Where to Look.

The Comptroller and the Secretary of State keep records of corporate officers, LLC members and taxable entities. The Comptroller also runs the state unclaimed property search, which can show a name with a past address.

• ClaimItTexas, Texas ComptrollerStatewide unclaimed property search by name

Texas courts overlap: District Courts hear felonies and large civil cases, County Courts hear misdemeanors and probate, and Justice of the Peace Courts hear small claims and evictions. There is no free, unified statewide case search.

re:SearchTX, run for the Texas courts, lets registered users search civil case records of participating courts in many counties, with a free plan. For criminal cases, go to the online search or courthouse of the county. The Texas Judicial Branch site, linked in Where to Look, lists every court.

• re:SearchTXCivil case records from participating Texas courts; free account

Researcher Tip: in Texas the district clerk handles felony and major civil cases, while the county clerk handles misdemeanors, probate and property deeds. Search both offices in a county.

Property research in Texas is split between two distinct entities: County Clerks and Central Appraisal Districts (CADs). County Clerks are the official recorders of property deeds, mortgages, liens, and land titles. If you need to prove legal ownership or review a deed history, the County Clerk's office is the correct venue.

Central appraisal districts (CADs) value property for taxes; there is about one for each county. Their free online searches show current owners, past values and mailing addresses.

Professional licenses in Texas are issued by many state boards. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the largest, covers dozens of professions, from electricians and cosmetologists to tow truck operators.

Other professions have their own boards: the Texas Medical Board has a physician lookup, and the State Bar of Texas lists every licensed lawyer with discipline and practice location.

• Texas Medical BoardPhysician license lookup and discipline
• State Bar of TexasFind a lawyer and check bar status

• TDLR license searchLicenses of trades and professions regulated by TDLR

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) runs one of the largest state prison systems. Its offender search, linked in Where to Look, shows facility, projected release date and parole status.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) keeps the sex offender registry, linked in Where to Look. People held in county jails awaiting trial or serving short sentences are not in the TDCJ database; check the roster of the county sheriff.

Texas birth records are closed for 75 years and death records for 25 years. The Vital Statistics Section of the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), linked in Where to Look, also keeps public indexes.

Researchers can access public verification letters for marriages and divorces, which confirm the date and county of the event. To obtain certified copies of actual certificates, you must be an immediate family member or establish a direct, tangible legal interest.

Basic voter information is public under the Public Information Act and can show a residential address, birth year and voting history.

The Secretary of State's VoteTexas.gov site helps voters check their own registration. Bulk voter lists are requested from the county voter registrar or the state, and participants in the Address Confidentiality Program are kept off public lists.

• VoteTexas.gov, Texas Secretary of StateCheck your registration and polling place

For historical research, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) holds state archives, manuscripts and genealogy records, including Confederate pension records, Republic of Texas documents and early county records.

• Texas State Library and Archives CommissionState archives and genealogy collections

The Portal to Texas History of the University of North Texas has digitized newspapers, maps and photographs back to the 1800s, useful for finding old obituaries.

• The Portal to Texas HistoryDigitized Texas newspapers and documents from UNT

Most Texans live in a few large counties. Harris County (Houston) has the largest District Clerk office, with an online case search, and Dallas County has an online records search of its courts.

• Harris County District ClerkHouston felony and civil case records
• Dallas CountyDallas courts and county clerk
• Tarrant CountyFort Worth
• Bexar CountySan Antonio
• Travis CountyAustin, the state capital

Fast growing suburban counties such as Collin, Denton, Fort Bend and Williamson have online record searches, and border counties such as El Paso, Webb (Laredo) and Cameron (Brownsville) matter for cross-border research.

Know the difference between the district clerk and the county clerk. A felony is filed with the district clerk, so a search of the county clerk alone will miss it; search both.

Texas also has thousands of special purpose districts, such as municipal utility and water districts, whose public records, tax rolls and meeting minutes can name property developers and board members.

Article I, Section 30 of the Texas Constitution, adopted in 1989, gives crime victims rights such as fair treatment with respect for their dignity and privacy and protection from the accused. Texas has not adopted Marsy's Law.

The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), in force since July 1, 2024, gives consumers rights over personal data held by businesses; it does not cover government public records. Texas has no state income tax, so property tax liens matter more in asset searches than state tax liens.

Privacy Note: the Attorney General runs the Address Confidentiality Program, which gives victims of family violence, sexual assault, stalking and trafficking a substitute post office box to use with state and local agencies. Participants are kept off public voter lists.

• Address Confidentiality Program, Texas Attorney GeneralWho can apply and how the substitute address works