Texas split-court county. District Clerk runs publicrecords.lubbockcounty.gov/Portal (account required) covering 6 District Courts (felony, family, civil, juvenile). County Clerk handles County Courts at Law (misdemeanor, probate). 4 JP precincts handle evictions. Recorded land records via erecord.lubbockcounty.gov.
Court-clerk note Texas
¶ 01Texas has 254 counties — the most of any state. Each county runs its own District Court (felonies, civil over $200, family) and County Court (misdemeanors, civil under $200K, probate). Some metro counties have multiple criminal/civil district courts.
¶ 02re:SearchTX (research.txcourts.gov) is the closest thing to a statewide aggregator. Coverage varies by county; most metro counties participate, but smaller counties may require visiting the local district clerk site directly.
¶ 03Texas Public Information Act (Gov. Code Ch. 552) lets you request records without stating a reason. Agencies must respond within 10 business days; if they want to withhold, they must seek an Attorney General opinion.
¶ 04Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is for STATE prison inmates only. County jails are separate — for those, search the county sheriff's site (HCSO for Harris, DCSO for Dallas, etc.).
¶ 05Texas Sex Offender Registry is run by DPS; search by name, ZIP, or city. Includes physical description and offense; cross-check against federal NSOPW for cross-state.
¶ 06Marriage records are filed at the County Clerk level, not statewide. For genealogy or older marriages there is a state index, but current licenses live with the county.
Guided record check
Run this in order.
Start with the systems most likely to change your read of a person. Then cross-check custody, registries, and paper-trail sources before you go wider.
Case file · 48303
0 of 13 essentials reviewed
0% open
Deeper directory: 0/14 reviewed
01 · The docket layer
Start with courts
3 sources
Run county and statewide court portals first. Civil, criminal, family, and lower-court systems are often separate, so this is where most missed records happen.
Lubbock County District + County court records covering 6 District Courts (felony, family, civil, juvenile, adoption) and County Courts at Law (misdemeanor, probate). Account creation required. Search by name, case number, attorney.
Court records portal requires creating an account first — slight friction compared to free open-access portals. Once in, search covers felony, divorce, custody, misdemeanor, and probate. Daily court dockets also accessible.
Online access to court records and Lubbock County daily court dockets. Portal supports District Court (felony, civil, family), County Court at Law (misdemeanor, probate), and Justice Courts. Account creation required.
Free for portal access (account required); copy fees apply
Lubbock requires creating an account before searching court records — a friction step most Texas counties do not have. Worth it: covers felony, divorce, eviction, probate. Daily court dockets also accessible.
The closest thing TX has to a statewide search. Coverage varies county-by-county — most metros participate, smaller counties may not. Search by name; click into a case for the docket. If a county is missing, go to that county's District Clerk site directly.
02 · Current risk signals
Check custody and registries
3 sources
Use jail, corrections, and registry systems to catch records that do not show up in a normal court search.
Live roster — searchable by name. Lubbock PD runs city jail for short-term holds; Class A/B and felony transfer to county custody at Holly Ave detention center.
Type a last name and first initial — every Lubbock County parcel surfaces. Useful for confirming holdings near Texas Tech and across the West Texas plains.
Recorded documents — deeds, deeds of trust, liens, marriage licenses — for Lubbock County. Access is by document number or volume/page only — name searches are NOT supported. TX law does not require name-based searching by this clerk. For name lookups use the Public Records Portal for court records, or a title company for deed research.
Free index search; certified copies $5 per document
Important correction: Lubbock County Clerk does NOT conduct name-based record searches — only document number or volume/page lookups are accepted. For name-based research in Lubbock, use the public records portal for court cases or a commercial title search firm. This is an unusual restriction among TX county clerks. The erecord portal at erecord.lubbockcounty.gov does provide electronic access to recorded documents, but you need the document number to pull them.
10-business-day response requirement. See the Email Scripts page for TX-specific framing language. If the agency wants to withhold, they must seek an AG opinion.
Critical for finding businesses someone owns or operates. Free public search returns name, status, registered agent. SOSDirect (paid account, $1 per search) returns full filings including officers and history.
04 · Outside the county
Run the federal backstop
3 sources
Federal court and incarceration systems sit outside local portals. Run them before you decide the search is clean.
Federal District, Appeals, and Bankruptcy courts. Over 1 billion documents filed. $0.10/page (capped at $3.00/document); free if quarterly charges under $30. Account required for search. Confirmed live 2026-05-03.
PACER catches federal cases the state DOC and state courts will not. Account required, small per-search fees. Worth using for white-collar, federal drug, immigration, and bankruptcy.
All federal prison inmates, current and historical from 1982. Search by name (with race/sex/age filters) or inmate number. Note: search backend showed intermittent error during 2026-05-03 verification — likely temporary. If main tool is down, try https://www.bop.gov/mobile/find_inmate/byname.jsp as fallback.
All 50 states aggregated, plus DC, US territories, and tribal nations. Search by name or location. DOJ-operated. Named after Dru Sjodin. Also links to abuse reporting resources. Confirmed live 2026-05-03.
Cross-state coverage in one search. Run after the state-level registry to catch out-of-state moves.
Statute · Texas public records law
Texas runs the Public Information Act (Gov. Code Chapter 552) — strong on paper, generally responsive in practice (10 business days for most agencies). The state-court system is fragmented: Texas has 254 counties (the most of any state) and each runs its own District and County courts. The Office of Court Administration runs re:SearchTX as a statewide aggregator, but coverage varies by county and full-document access often costs money.
Typical response · 10 business days for most records requests under Public Information Act; instant for online court and registry lookups