Purchasing Resources for Texas Public Records

Making the Most of Texas Public Records

Find information on individuals or property with TX public records
By Emmet McMahan

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.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

• 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.