Texas split-court county on Gulf Coast. District Clerk uses re:SearchTX statewide platform plus a Records Search Portal for Civil/Family/Criminal register of actions. County Clerk handles misdemeanor, probate, civil under $250K via PublicSearch. JP courts in 5 precincts. Recorded land records via nueces.tx.publicsearch.us.
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.
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01 · The docket layer
Start with courts
2 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.
Nueces County District Court records (felony, family, civil, juvenile) via Records Search Portal — register of actions for case party. Also accessible via re:SearchTX with document images for $0.10/page.
Free register of actions; $0.10 per page for documents on re:SearchTX
District Clerk integrates with re:SearchTX statewide for civil/family — meaning documents appear within minutes of filing and are downloadable for ten cents a page. The Records Search Portal handles case lookups by party name. Felony, divorce, and protective orders all here.
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. Corpus Christi PD, Robstown PD, Portland PD, and Ingleside PD run city jails for short-term holds. Felonies and Class A/B transfer to county custody at 901 Leopard St.
Type a last name and first initial — every Nueces County parcel surfaces. Useful for confirming holdings in Corpus Christi, Robstown, and the coastal communities.
Recorded documents — deeds, deeds of trust, liens, marriage licenses, assumed names — plus County Court at Law misdemeanor and probate records for Nueces County. Searchable by name.
Free index search; certified copies $5 per document
Deed and lien history searchable by name. Marriage licenses also at the County Clerk. Watch for foreclosure notices, recent quitclaims, and DBAs filed by a partner. Probate cases also live here.
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