Texas Felony Records

Choose public history, a felony case file or custody information

Texas DPS public criminal-history access concerns reported convictions and deferred adjudications, including associated arrest information eligible for public release. It is not a complete collection of every arrest or every nationwide criminal record. For the wording of a felony judgment, sentence or dismissal, start with the District Clerk in the county where the prosecution was filed. A jail or prison entry concerns custody and does not replace the judgment.

Gather the county, court and case number from existing papers before trying a statewide name search. If the case was filed in federal court, a Texas state DPS search or county portal cannot supply the federal court file. Keep the original charge and the final disposition separate: a felony allegation is not itself a felony conviction, and deferred adjudication should be described by its actual outcome.

Enter through the DPS public conviction-search link

Use the Criminal History Conviction Name Search link on the DPS FAQ. DPS also operates a Secure Site for legally authorized organizations; its $1 credits and organizational eligibility rules are not a public-consumer price quote. The public site could not be inspected sufficiently to verify its current checkout price in this review. Confirm the public service’s credit price and payment surcharge before buying, or use the verified CR-42 mail option below.

Prepare full first and last names and a reliable birth date, with middle or maiden names where the public form permits them. DPS guidance cautions against nicknames, initials and partial names. Review any descriptive preview and match indicators before attributing a result. Similar-sounding names may be returned; a fingerprint comparison is the stronger identity link. Do not buy a series of records solely because the names resemble the person you mean.

Check the charge for a no-match or additional record

DPS’s Secure Site pages do not consistently describe extra-record charging: one guidance page says opening additional records consumes more credits, while the updated Secure Site landing page says multiple rap sheets within the search are included. These instructions are not a verified rule for the public site. Read the public screen’s charge notice before opening more candidates, and keep a receipt and the submitted identifiers.

The support guidance treats a no-match as a valid search rather than an automatic refund and limits credit refunds to unused credits. A no-match is also limited to the identifiers and public data searched. Where a known county case already exists, use its case number to get the court record instead of paying again to vary uncertain names.

Order the $10 public-history search by mail

CR-42, revised October 2025, requests the subject’s last, first and middle names, sex, race and birth date, plus the address for results. Mark whether a certified copy is needed. Enclose $10 for each search by check or U.S. money order payable to Texas Department of Public Safety, and mail it to Crime Records Division, P.O. Box 15999, Austin, TX 78761. Questions: 512-424-2474, option 2.

DPS says an open-record check can be certified on request without an additional certification charge. Its FAQ estimates approximately ten business days after receiving the information, plus postal time. CR-42 warns that matched records are name-based and a no-record result does not rule out records under different identifiers. If the request matches too many records, DPS may require more specific information.

Obtain the felony document from its filing county

Dallas County illustrates the difference between case information and document access. Its portal offers criminal case information back to 1975, while documents for most felony cases are available for filings after 2009. Those dates apply to Dallas, not every Texas county. Sealed or confidential material is excluded, and some otherwise public material must be requested in person.

For a Dallas certified copy or an unavailable document, use the Criminal Records Request Form linked by the District Clerk and email it to [email protected], or visit the Felony Records Desk at 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas. The desk’s phone is 214-653-5950. Obtain the exact quoted cost before paying; Dallas warns that overpayments are generally not refunded and underpayments delay the order. For another county, use that county’s District Clerk instead.

Use fingerprint review for your own disputed match

The DPS FAQ links personal criminal-history review through FAST/IdentoGo. It lists a $15 fingerprint-based record-check fee plus a $10 FAST collection fee, and requires a current fingerprint submission; cards older than six months are not accepted. An employment or licensing request may require the requesting agency’s service code and prescribed route, so a personal review should not be substituted without the agency’s direction.

Resolve missing dispositions before relying on the report

A court disposition missing from DPS may not have been reported or may have been returned for an error. Ask the court holding the case about reporting the outcome, and keep the certified judgment or disposition with the request. DPS lists 512-424-7256 for missing or incorrect record information. Expunction or nondisclosure is a separate legal process; completing probation does not by itself remove the arrest and deferred-probation entry from the repository.