Searching Texas public records allows employers to learn about potential and current employees legally. Texas criminal records, Texas court records and other information in the Texas public records database are free game for anyone who wants to do some searching.

It is important to keep an employee’s privacy in mind while accessing Texas public records. Because of this, you should determine what records you truly need to access. Consider these suggestions to help you during your search:

1. Start your search by accessing a Texas public records database.

2. Verify employee vital statistics to control benefit costs.

3. Check the validity of licenses, including driver’s licenses and professional licenses.

Action Steps
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Check for basic records in the Texas public records database

Unless your business is dealing with people's personal information or other privileged information, a basic background check is usually sufficient. There are numerous ways to access Texas public data. It is important to remember that you must only use the information you find in ways that are ethical. For example, you should keep the information private and only distribute it on a need to know basis.

I recommend: StateRecords.org offers free and paid services. You can search for a varied selection of Texas public court records, including Texas felony records and Texas misdemeanor records on this website. The Texas Department of Public Safety website has an online public search, which allows you to check for any criminal records classified as a Class B misdemeanor or above, including felonies.

Access Texas public records to verify information

Verifying certain information, such as an employee marriage or a child's birth, is necessary for some companies. This information is usually available via the Internet. Verifying Texas birth, death, marriage and divorce records can help you to lessen false claims, including insurance claims, by your employees.

I recommend: Texas Vital Statistics offers verification letters for any Texas birth records, death records or marriage records filed after 1903. Vital Check offers vital records of all kinds from the State of Texas. State officials certify the records you order from this company. In some cases, ordering records from this company is faster than ordering them straight from the state if you opt for rush processing.

Verify licenses using a Texas public records search

If your employees need to have a certain type of license, such as a commercial drivers license, or a professional license, such as a nursing or physician license, you can check the validity of the license presented by checking Texas public records.

I recommend: Texas Medical Board offers licensure verification via mail or fax. This website has information concerning self-verification certificates as well as employer verification certificates for medical professionals. DMV.org offers certified and standard driving records for Texas residents.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure that you have a signed consent form from the person on whom you are searching the Texas public records database. In some cases, this consent is at the end of an employment application. This consent enables you to search freely without having to worry about legal action taken against your for performing a wrongful search against a current or prospective employee.

Making the most of Texas public records will require you to have a guide or referral. You can conduct Internet searches of many government agencies for free but you will spend a lot of time looking at irrelevant links and websites if you have no idea where to start.

You will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual or property for which you are seeking Texas public data. For example, if you are seeking information about an individual, it will be helpful to know some addresses where that person has previously lived.

There are three general types of public records in Texas:

1. Texas criminal records that include files on registered sex offenders, past convictions or information on current inmates in a particular prison. These records can help you perform a Texas background check on prospective employees.
2. Texas vital records such as census records, consumer protection information or legislation minutes. You may find these records helpful when researching a product or political candidate.
3. Real estate records like property appraisals, ownership and taxes. These types of records can be useful when buying or selling a home.

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Find Texas court records from local government agencies

City and county clerks in Texas can frequently provide a great deal of current information on an individual when you know their name and address.

I recommend: The Texas Association of Counties has links to all of the county websites in Texas in addition to other links for Texas counties. The Texas Secretary of State has the specific contact information for each county clerk in Texas.

Learn more about the laws regarding Texas public court records

The records that are publicly available vary widely by state. You will want to have at least a general idea of what information you can expect to find before conducting your search.

I recommend: The Official Portal of Texas has links to a variety of public records including birth, death, marriage and divorce records. The Attorney General of Texas has a FAQ on the Freedom of Information Act and other resources related to obtaining public records in Texas.

Perform a specific Texas public records search

Many cities and counties in Texas maintain a variety of records on individuals and property that are freely available to the general public.

I recommend: The Denton County Clerk has extensive information on obtaining a variety of public records in the county. The County Clerk of Tarrant County provides public records such as deeds, plats and marriage licenses.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Exhaust free sources of information before you consider paying for Texas public divorce records. Sites that charge a fee may only provide information you could obtain elsewhere for free. Fortunately, libraries frequently subscribe to services that you would normally need to pay a fee to access. You should also bear in mind that many public records are simply not available online.

Texas public records laws and regulations control the access that the public has to records on individuals such as criminal background, immigration status and vital records. These laws also apply to government records such as meeting minutes and voting records.

Texas public data laws may be grouped according to the aspect of public records that they address. These include the following three general areas:

1. TX public records that regulate the manner in which public information may be accessed. These laws may specify issues such as the length of time the state has to respond to information requests, any fees an agency is allowed to charge and whether the requestor must provide a reason for wanting the information.
2. Laws that define what information on an individual may be considered public. These laws control the personal information that may be accessed by an individual or party designated by the individual.
3. Laws that specify what government records may be accessible to the public. These laws are usually intended to permit journalists to perform a Texas court case search or to allow private citizens to provide input on government decisions.
   

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Review the procedures for accessing Texas public records

Access to Texas court records are covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in Texas and is typically handled by the Attorney General. County and municipal courts may also provide access to Texas criminal records.

I recommend: The Attorney General of Texas provides an overview of the laws on open government in Texas. Texas Watchdog publishes regular articles on public records laws in Texas.

Learn about the laws regulating access of Texas public records for individuals

Public records for individuals typically include vital records such as Texas birth records, Texas public marriage records and Texas public death records. Individuals may only be able to access their own personal records.

I recommend: The Texas Department of State Health Services provides the regulations that control the release of vital records in Texas. Kerr County allows the release of a variety of records on individuals under Texas law.

Look for Texas public records laws on government records

Government records may include meeting minutes, budget reports and real estate sales. Some government departments provide many different types of government records, while others may be dedicated to a specific type of record.

I recommend: The Texas Secretary of State summarizes the laws that control the release of records on government meetings in Texas. The Office of the City Clerk for the City of Austin provides government records such as meeting minutes as required by Texas law.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Texas public records law is generally guided by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This federal legislation was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966. The FOIA was amended by the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments in 1996 which controls the electronic access the public has to these records.

Conducting a Texas public records search is an easy way to find useful information for a number of circumstances including a Texas background check for potential employees, family vital statistic information or even real estate property information for potential realty purchases. You can get public records for a number of items like court records, marriage and divorce decrees, birth and death certificates and others.

Learning a thing or two about Texas public records basics can save you countless hours in your search for information. Finding court documents, driver's records and other helpful information is easy if you know where to look. Start your TX public records search by:

1. Conducting Texas court records searches online.

2. Finding driving records through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

3. Looking for other Texas public data like birth and death certificates.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find Texas criminal records through the online database

Texas public court records are available online through the state's Department of Public Safety Crime Record's Safety division. Find criminal history reports, links to commercial equipment recovery information, sex offender searches and more.

I recommend: The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Record's Safety Division website provides links to the following search engines: criminal history conviction search, sex offender search and others. The Computerized Criminal History (CCH) database is provided by the state government to give easy access to public conviction records.

Use the Texas public records database to find driving information

Driving records are available for personal use or as background check information for companies and other organizations. In order to obtain a driving record, you must either be requesting your personal record or have a signed permission from the record holder.

I recommend: Request a copy of your own driver record at Texas Online Department of Public Safety Driver's Licensee Driver Records. Fees range from roughly $5 to $25 for record copies. For employers or others wanting to search someone else's public driving record, a Form SR-36 at the Texas Department of Public Safety must be filled out and signed by the licensee before records are released.

Look for vital statistic information in Texas public records

Vital records such as birth and death certificates are available to immediate family members if the birth was in the last 75 years and death within the last 25 years. If you are not an immediate family member, a notarized authorization by an immediate family member is required. Marriage certificates or divorce certificates can only be obtained from the county in which they were filed. A letter of decree for either is available online through the state's public record request website, but these letters are not always accepted as proof of either.

I recommend: Birth or death certificates can be ordered through the Texas Department of State Health Services if the birth or death took place in the state. For out of state births or deaths, request information from the National Center For Health Statistics. Get marriage or divorce verification letters from the Texas Online website, or find a link to the county you need at the Texas Department of State Health Services.