Route a Tarrant County Case to the Right Clerk Before You Search
Tarrant County does not keep every court record in one office or one search system. Felony, family and district civil records are maintained by the District Clerk. Misdemeanor, County Court at Law, probate and many Justice of the Peace records are maintained by the County Clerk. City citations and municipal cases stay with the individual city court.
This guide helps you identify the correct clerk first, search by party name or case number, understand why a case may be missing online, locate the right courthouse and request a plain or certified copy without contacting the wrong department.
Start With the Record You Need
Select the route that matches your case. The most common mistake is searching the County Clerk portal for a District Clerk case—or assuming a city citation belongs to Tarrant County.
Search County Courts at Law, probate courts and Justice of the Peace case records and calendars.
Follow the County Clerk routeDistrict-court files may require a public terminal or the District Clerk’s paid web-access service.
Follow the District Clerk routeMisdemeanor court records are kept on the second floor of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center.
Find criminal recordsFort Worth, Arlington and other city cases are not automatically included in the county court-record system.
Find the correct city courtWhich Tarrant County Office Holds the Case?
Tarrant County’s record system is divided by court level and case type. Identify the clerk before entering a name. The same person can have separate cases in multiple systems.
Felony-level criminal cases heard in Criminal District Courts are maintained by the District Clerk.
Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases in County Criminal Courts are maintained by the County Clerk Criminal Division.
Divorce, custody, child-support and other district family records are maintained by the District Clerk.
Higher-level civil lawsuits, tax suits and related district-court files are maintained by the District Clerk.
County Courts at Law, statutory probate courts and guardianship records are maintained by the County Clerk.
JP records use the county search system; municipal tickets and city ordinance cases stay with the individual city court.
Collect These Details Before You Search
The portal will produce better results when you know the approximate court level and filing period. Do not add uncertain information simply to complete every field.
Legal name, former surname, middle initial, business name and common punctuation variations.
Approximate filing year, case type, arrest date, lawsuit date, divorce date or probate decedent’s name.
County court, district court, Justice of the Peace precinct or municipal court city.
- Full party name and possible middle initial
- Former or alternate surname
- Business or organization name
- Approximate year the case was filed
- Whether the matter is felony, misdemeanor, civil, family, probate, JP or municipal
- Any case number shown on a citation, order, notice or attorney letter
Search County Clerk, Probate and Justice Court Records
The Tarrant County Records Search portal covers County Courts at Law, Probate Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts. It is the correct first stop for county-level civil, probate, guardianship and many JP matters.
- Open the official County Clerk search page. Use the county page first so you can confirm that the portal and instructions are current.
- Continue to Tarrant County Records Search. The current public-access system is hosted through Tyler Technologies.
- Select the appropriate court location or record category. Choose County Court at Law, Probate or the relevant Justice of the Peace location.
- Choose a case-record or criminal-record search. Portal wording can differ depending on the court location selected.
- Search the party name. Begin with the last and first name. Try a middle initial, former surname or business-name variation when needed.
- Open the case details. Confirm the case number, court, filing date, party role, case status and scheduled events.
- Write down the full case number. You will need it when calling the Central Library, criminal clerk or assigned court for copies.
Search District Civil, Family and Felony Records
The District Clerk maintains district-court civil, delinquent-tax, family, felony and related records. Public access is different from the County Clerk portal: complete district files may require an onsite terminal or the District Clerk’s subscription web-access service.
Onsite self-service lookup: designated District Clerk public-access terminals offer free document lookup.
Clerk research: a basic records search performed by the clerk may carry a $5 research fee.
Remote file access: the District Clerk advertises a paid Web Based Access Service for civil, tax, family, felony and misdemeanor records.
Case number matters: finding the complete case number before requesting copies avoids the separate $5 research charge.
Use this District Clerk workflow
- Identify whether the case is district civil, family, felony, tax or juvenile.
- Check the District Clerk’s current online services and dockets.
- Use the case number whenever it appears on a notice, order or court calendar.
- Use a public-access terminal when you need a free onsite document lookup.
- Use the paid web-access service only when ongoing remote access is worth the subscription cost.
- Request the exact document from the correct District Clerk division.
How to Search Tarrant County Court Records by Name
A party-name search is most reliable when it is broad enough to catch spelling differences but narrow enough to avoid hundreds of unrelated results.
- Choose the correct clerk system first. Search the County Clerk portal for county civil, probate and JP matters. Use District Clerk services for district civil, family and felony matters.
- Enter the legal last and first name. Do not start with every possible date or case filter.
- Repeat without the middle name. Court records may show a full middle name, an initial or no middle name.
- Try former names and spelling variations. This is especially important for divorce records, older civil cases and business names.
- Narrow by filing year. Use a reasonable date range rather than one exact date unless it is confirmed.
- Review the party role. Confirm whether the person is the plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, decedent, executor or another participant.
- Verify the court and case type. A matching name in a probate matter is not the same as a criminal or family case.
- Save the complete case number. Use it for dockets, copies, payments and clerk communications.
Find Felony and Misdemeanor Criminal Records
Tarrant County criminal records are divided by offense level. Searching the wrong clerk is a common reason a criminal case appears to be missing.
| Record needed | Record keeper | Location and contact | Best next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felony criminal case | District Clerk | Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap, 3rd Floor 817-884-1342 |
Use the District Clerk criminal section or onsite document lookup. |
| Class A or B misdemeanor | County Clerk | Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap, 2nd Floor 817-884-1066 |
Call or email the County Clerk Criminal Division for copies and case-status help. |
| Class C or city citation | Municipal or JP court | Depends on the agency and court shown on the citation. | Read the court name printed on the ticket before searching. |
| Criminal background search | Depends on scope | County Clerk offers a $5 Class A and B misdemeanor search; broader checks require another source. | Do not treat one court-name search as a complete criminal-history report. |
Find Divorce, Custody and Family Court Records
Tarrant County divorce and family cases are district-court records maintained by the District Clerk—not the County Clerk civil/probate portal.
What to prepare
- Names of both spouses or parties
- Approximate filing or divorce year
- Complete case number, if available
- Exact document needed, such as the final decree, order or docket sheet
- Whether the receiving agency requires certification
How to request a divorce decree
- Locate the case number through District Clerk resources or a public-access terminal.
- Confirm that a final judgment or decree was entered.
- Ask the receiving organization whether it needs a plain or certified decree.
- Contact Family Court Records at the Family Law Center.
- Include party names when emailing the District Clerk records team.
200 E. Weatherford Street, 3rd Floor
Fort Worth, TX 76196
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
817-884-1265Include the party names and case number when known.
Certified mail requests require a self-addressed stamped envelope.
TCDCRecords@tarrantcountytx.govSearch Probate, Guardianship and Justice Court Cases
Probate and guardianship
The County Clerk maintains probate estates, guardianships, mental-health matters, wills and related statutory probate-court records. Public case information is available through Tarrant County Records Search.
- Search using the decedent, ward or party name.
- Confirm the probate court number and full case number.
- Call the County Clerk Central Library at 817-884-1069 for probate or guardianship copies.
- Do not confuse a probate court file with a real-property Affidavit of Heirship recorded in Official Public Records.
Justice of the Peace cases
Tarrant County has eight Justice Courts. The county records portal includes JP case records, but the user must select the correct court location. JP courts handle matters such as small civil claims, evictions and certain misdemeanor cases.
Do Not Search a City Citation in the Wrong County Portal
A municipal case is maintained by the city court named on the citation. Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Hurst, Bedford, Grapevine and other Tarrant County cities operate separate municipal-court systems.
City police citation
Use the municipal court printed on the ticket. Do not assume the case belongs to the Tarrant County Clerk.
Sheriff or constable citation
The matter may belong to a Justice of the Peace court. Check the court and precinct printed on the citation.
Class A or B misdemeanor
These county criminal cases are maintained by the County Clerk Criminal Division.
Felony charge
Felony court records are maintained by the District Clerk Criminal Section.
How to Read a Tarrant County Case Result
A search result is a case summary, not proof that every allegation was established. Open the complete case details and review the latest entries.
| Result field | What it tells you | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Identifies the specific court file. | Use the complete number for copies, payments and clerk calls. |
| Court or location | Shows which judge, court level or precinct handles the matter. | Confirm whether it is county, district, JP or municipal. |
| Party role | Shows whether the person is a plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent or another party. | Do not treat every name appearing in a case as an accused person. |
| Case type | Identifies criminal, civil, family, probate, eviction or another category. | Make sure the category matches the record you intended to find. |
| Filing date | Shows when the clerk opened the case. | Compare it with the event, arrest, divorce or dispute being researched. |
| Status or disposition | May show whether the case is open, closed, dismissed, disposed or pending. | Read later entries before relying on the original allegation or filing. |
| Events and hearings | Shows docket activity and scheduled settings. | Confirm an important hearing directly with the court because schedules can change. |
Use the site’s plain-English court records glossary when terms such as disposition, docket, judgment, indictment, probate or sealed record are unclear.
What to Do When No Tarrant County Case Appears
You searched the wrong clerk
Move felony, family and district civil searches to the District Clerk. Move misdemeanor, probate and county civil searches to the County Clerk.
The case is municipal
Search the city court printed on the citation instead of the Tarrant County court portals.
The name is indexed differently
Try no middle name, a middle initial, a former surname, business-name variations and punctuation changes.
The record is older
Older paper or archived files may require an onsite public-access terminal or clerk-assisted search.
The document is not remotely available
The case summary may appear even when individual filings require a copy request or onsite inspection.
The record is restricted
Juvenile, sealed, expunged, adoption and other sensitive records may be unavailable to the general public.
Run this recovery sequence
- Confirm whether the matter is county, district, JP or municipal.
- Remove optional name and date filters.
- Search the first and last name only.
- Try a middle initial, former surname or alternate business name.
- Search using the complete case or citation number.
- Check the other clerk system when the case type is uncertain.
- Use an onsite public-access terminal for district-court files.
- Call the relevant clerk with the filing year and party names.
Request Plain or Certified Tarrant County Court Copies
Copy rules depend on the record keeper. Do not assume the District Clerk fee schedule applies to a County Clerk, probate, misdemeanor or JP request.
District Clerk copy fees
| District Clerk copy type | Published fee | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Non-certified paper | $1 per page | Personal reference when certification is not required. |
| Non-certified electronic | $1 for 1–10 pages, then $0.10 per page for page 11 and above | Lower-cost email delivery for longer records. |
| Certified paper | $1 per page plus $5 certification/seal fee | Official paper proof with clerk certification. |
| Certified electronic | Electronic copy charge plus $5 certification/seal fee | Official electronic record when accepted by the receiving organization. |
| Research without case number | $5 records-research fee | Clerk-assisted lookup when the complete case number is unknown. |
County Clerk copy routes
| Record type | Who to contact | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| County Court at Law civil | County Clerk Central Library — 817-884-1069 | Case number, document name, page estimate and certification requirement. |
| Probate or guardianship | County Clerk Central Library — 817-884-1069 | Decedent or ward name, case number and exact filing needed. |
| Class A or B misdemeanor | County Clerk Criminal Division — 817-884-1066 | Defendant name, case number and whether a certified copy is required. |
| Justice of the Peace | The assigned JP precinct | Court precinct, case number and document description. |
Before placing an order
- Ask the receiving organization which exact document it needs.
- Confirm whether a plain or certified copy is required.
- Find the complete case number to avoid research charges.
- Confirm the number of pages and delivery format.
- Check accepted payment methods before mailing a request.
- Include a self-addressed stamped envelope when the clerk requires one for certified paper copies.
Use the site’s court record types guide to compare a docket sheet, order, judgment, decree and certified copy before paying.
Use the Correct Downtown Fort Worth Court Building
Several major Tarrant County court offices are located within a few blocks of one another. Going to the wrong building can still mean waiting in a second line.
100 W. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX 76196
County Clerk general: 817-884-1195
Central Library copies: 817-884-1069
401 W. Belknap Street
Fort Worth, TX 76196
Felony District Clerk: 3rd Floor
Misdemeanor County Clerk: 2nd Floor
100 N. Calhoun Street, 2nd Floor
Fort Worth, TX 76196
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
817-884-1574
200 E. Weatherford Street, 3rd Floor
Fort Worth, TX 76196
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
817-884-1265
Records That May Be Restricted or Maintained Elsewhere
| Record needed | Why it may not appear | Better next step |
|---|---|---|
| Juvenile case | Juvenile records have special confidentiality and access rules. | Contact the District Clerk or Scott D. Moore Juvenile Justice Center about lawful access. |
| Sealed or expunged record | The court has restricted public access. | Contact the record-holding clerk about the applicable legal procedure. |
| Adoption record | Adoption files are generally not ordinary public court records. | Seek court guidance or legal advice regarding authorized access. |
| Police report or body-camera record | These are law-enforcement records, not ordinary clerk-filed court documents. | Contact the investigating police department, sheriff or appropriate public-information office. |
| Current jail custody | A court docket does not show live detention status. | Use the Tarrant County jail or sheriff information system. |
| Federal court record | Federal cases are not maintained by Tarrant County. | Use PACER and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. |
Use Tarrant County Court Information Carefully
A court search can display allegations, dismissed cases, amended charges, duplicate names and incomplete online files. It should not be treated as a complete or verified background report.
- Do not assume a criminal charge resulted in conviction.
- Do not assume a civil filing resulted in a judgment.
- Do not assume a same-name case belongs to the intended person.
- Do not assume a missing document means the case is sealed.
- Do not use this website as a consumer-reporting or screening service.
Read the site’s FCRA and consumer-reporting notice before using public-record information in employment, housing, credit or another eligibility decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tarrant County Court Records
Can I search every Tarrant County court in one portal?
No. The County Clerk Records Search covers County Courts at Law, Probate Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts. District-court civil, family and felony records are maintained by the District Clerk. Municipal cases remain with the individual city court.
Can I search Tarrant County court records by name?
Yes, the County Clerk public portal supports party-name searching. Begin with the legal first and last name, then try a middle initial, former surname or business-name variation. District Clerk access depends on the record type and service used.
Where do I search a Tarrant County felony case?
Felony cases are District Clerk records. The Criminal Section is located on the third floor of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center at 401 W. Belknap Street in Fort Worth.
Where do I search a Class A or B misdemeanor?
Class A and B misdemeanor records are maintained by the County Clerk Criminal Division on the second floor of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. Call 817-884-1066 for case-status or copy assistance.
How do I obtain a certified Tarrant County divorce decree?
Locate the District Clerk family case number, confirm the exact decree needed and contact Family Court Records at 817-884-1265. Certified paper copies generally cost $1 per page plus a $5 certification and seal fee.
How do I request a probate or guardianship document?
Search the County Clerk portal using the decedent, ward or party name. After locating the case number, contact the County Clerk Central Library at 817-884-1069 for copy instructions.
Why can I see a case but not the filed documents?
The online system may display case information without making every document remotely available. Contact the record-holding clerk or use a courthouse public-access terminal to determine whether the document is public and available for inspection or copying.
Why can’t I find a Fort Worth or Arlington traffic ticket?
A city traffic or ordinance case usually belongs to the municipal court printed on the citation. Search the city court rather than assuming the ticket is in the Tarrant County Clerk portal.
How much does a District Clerk certified copy cost?
Certified paper copies are generally $1 per page plus a $5 certification and seal fee. Certified electronic copies use the electronic copy charge plus the $5 certification fee. Confirm the current total before paying.
Can I use a Tarrant County name search as a background check?
No. A court-name search is not fingerprint verified, may not cover every court system and can return people with the same name. Do not use this website or a single portal result as a consumer report.
How This Tarrant County Guide Was Verified
Read the site’s source verification and manual checking policy for details about how official portals, fees, addresses and record-access rules are reviewed.
County Clerk and District Clerk responsibilities, public-search routes, copy fees, courthouse locations, office hours and contact numbers were checked against current Tarrant County government sources.
Court portals, fees, judges, office locations and access rules can change. The current Tarrant County clerk or record-holding court controls when its instructions differ from this guide.