This page helps you find Court Records in Dallas County, Texas and understand which official county portal or clerk office handles the case type you need. It covers online lookup, document access limits, copy requests, and the main public contacts.

For most searches, users start with the Dallas County, Texas Courts Portal or the County Clerk’s online record search tools. This site is independent, offers no legal advice, and cannot guarantee record availability, so use official county resources for final confirmation.

Dallas County Courts Portal

Start with the county’s main court search system for case information, hearings, and some payments. The portal requires JavaScript and cookies, and it works best in a current supported browser.

If you are ready to search, use the search portal for Dallas County court records.

You can use the portal’s Smart Search for court records, Search Hearings for hearing dates in a selected range, and Make Payments for criminal and traffic cases. Public access does not require portal registration, although defense attorneys and Dallas County employees have separate registration instructions and approval steps.

Important: the portal notes that card payments are subject to a 2.39% convenience fee and currently accepts full payments only.

Choose the right record office

Dallas County splits court records across different clerk offices and court types, so the right office depends on the case.

  • District civil courts: civil district court information is available online back to 1975, with many files available for cases filed after 2008.
  • Family district courts: online family court record access is suspended for the public, so requests usually go through the Civil & Family Records Desk.
  • Felony district courts: criminal case information goes back to 1975, with many felony documents available online for cases filed after 2009.
  • Juvenile courts: records are not available online and are not open to the general public without court approval.
  • County courts at law, county criminal courts, and probate courts: use the County Clerk’s online search tools and office divisions for those records.

For a broader county search page that routes users by court type, use the Dallas County online record search. That page points users to county civil courts, county criminal courts, probate courts, civil district courts, family district courts, and felony and misdemeanor case information.

Criminal and document access limits

Dallas County provides a separate public criminal document portal for criminal and protective order documents only. That system uses case number search and instructs users to enter the case number without dashes or spaces.

You can use PublicAccess for criminal court documents when you already have the case number. Civil documents are routed elsewhere through the county courts system.

Some records will not appear online even when a case exists. Sealed files, records restricted by state or federal law, records with sensitive information, many family court records, and juvenile records have separate access rules or in-person requirements.

Copies, certifications, and in-person access

If the document you need is not online, or if you need a certified copy, the next step is usually the clerk counter or a records request by email, depending on the case type. Civil and family records are handled through the George Allen Courts Building, while felony records are handled through the Frank Crowley Courts Building.

Dallas County also notes that online public search copies are non-certified. The County Clerk offers electronic certified official public record and court documents through its website, while District Clerk records requests may require staff to give you the exact amount due before payment.

The table below summarizes the District Clerk records fees listed for record services.

Service Fee Notes
Certification of record $5.00 per certified document Certified copies include the entire document with all attachments.
Paper copies $1.00 per page Applies to copies printed on paper.
Exemplification $5.00 per document Charged in addition to certification fees.
Name change certification $10.00 per document Divorce only.
Digital case records sent electronically $1.00 per page for first 10 pages, then $0.10 per page Applies to digital records sent by email.
Search fee $5.00 per search Applies when no case number is provided.
Warehouse retrieval $5.00 Applies to off-site records center retrieval.

Note: older records may be kept on paper or microfilm, which can affect access and copy method.

Dallas County court records contacts

Use the contact that matches the court and record type you need.

Common questions

Start with the county’s main online tools based on case type. The main court portal handles general case search, hearings, and some payments, while the County Clerk’s record search page routes users to county civil, county criminal, probate, and district court options. If you already know you need criminal or protective order documents, the separate criminal document portal is more direct.

Can I view Dallas County family court records online?

Public online access to family court records is currently suspended. Dallas County says users should contact the Civil & Family Records Desk for access, copies, certifications, or record searches. Attorneys may have separate access through re:SearchTX using their eFile Texas credentials.

What if my court record is not available online?

The record may be sealed, restricted by law, too old to be fully digitized, or handled by a different clerk office. Civil and family records may require a request through the George Allen Courts Building, and felony records may require the Frank Crowley Courts Building. If you do not have a case number, a search fee may apply.

Are juvenile court records public in Dallas County?

No, juvenile court records are not open to the general public without approval of the juvenile district court. Dallas County says attorneys of record or litigants must appear at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center and show photo identification to review records. The juvenile section does not provide online access at this time.

Do Dallas County online court records count as official certified copies?

No. Dallas County states that online public search documents are non-certified. If you need a certified copy, contact the correct clerk office for your case type and follow that office’s payment and request process.