Texas Public Records Basics

Find Texas public records to use in background checks, family research or other circumstances

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.

 

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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.

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