Texas DPS Criminal Records: Criminal Records Guide
Texas DPS Criminal Records: Public Search, Fees & Background Check Guide
To search Texas DPS criminal records, use the official Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal History Conviction Name Search. It provides public access to qualifying Texas convictions and deferred adjudications reported to the state’s Computerized Criminal History system.
The public DPS search costs $3 per search credit, plus applicable payment charges. If you only need a criminal court case, you may be able to search the county District Clerk or County Clerk’s public records for free.
Official Texas government resources reviewed October 17, 2026.
Where Can You Search Texas DPS Criminal Records?
Texas has several kinds of criminal record systems. The DPS criminal-history repository is different from county court dockets, jail inmate lists and federal criminal court records.
DPS Conviction Name Search
Search qualifying reported Texas convictions and deferred adjudications by name. The public service requires an account and prepaid search credits.
Cost: $3 per credit, plus payment charges.
Open Official DPS Search ↗Texas DPS Fingerprint Review
Request your own fingerprint-associated Texas criminal-history record, including information that may not be publicly released through a standard name search.
Published FAST cost: $25 total.
Open Personal Review Guidance ↗Texas County Criminal Courts
Search a county’s District Clerk for felony records or the appropriate County Clerk for many misdemeanor records. Some courts provide free public case lookup.
Find Texas Court Records ↗Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Use the official TDCJ offender search for qualifying current correctional information, including custody status and facility details.
Search Texas Offenders ↗How to Search Texas DPS Criminal Records Online
The DPS Criminal History Conviction Name Search retrieves public information from the Texas Computerized Criminal History (CCH) database. A search account is required, but ordinary individuals can register without qualifying for a restricted agency account.
Step-by-step: Run a Texas DPS background search
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Open the official public search website.
Visit publicsite.dps.texas.gov/ConvictionNameSearch. Make sure the page identifies the service as the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal History Conviction Name Search.
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Create a public account.
Select Create Account or New User Sign Up. Complete the required contact details, email address, mailing information and account security fields.
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Sign in and purchase search credits.
Use the Purchase Credits option. Each public search credit costs $3. Credit-card payments include a convenience fee; mailed-check purchases are credited after payment processing.
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Choose Search Database.
Open the name-search form after credits are available in your account.
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Enter the subject’s name.
The search requires Last Name and First Name. You can also enter a middle or maiden name and all or part of the date of birth.
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Review the identifiers.
Use the full legal name and accurate date of birth when available. DPS advises avoiding nicknames, initials and partial names because they can produce less reliable matches.
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Submit the search.
DPS compares the submitted identifiers against records and may expand the search to similar-sounding name variations.
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Preview possible matches.
Review the identifying details before selecting a complete record. Opening additional individuals’ records from a result list may use additional credits.
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Read and save the response.
Review the arrest, prosecution and disposition information released for the matching record. Save the result for reference and verify consequential findings with the originating court.
How does the DPS name-matching system work?
DPS uses a Soundex matching process to identify names that sound similar even if spelled differently. For example, a search can produce different spellings of a given name.
Providing a complete birth date can help narrow the matches, but the result is still a name-based comparison rather than positive identity confirmation.
Texas DPS Criminal Record Search Fees in 2026
An important distinction is the difference between fees on the public DPS Conviction Name Search and the restricted DPS Secure Site.
| DPS service | Published cost | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Public Conviction Name Search | $3 per credit | For ordinary public users. Requires account registration and prepaid credits. |
| Public-site credit-card convenience fee | 2.25% + $0.25 per purchase | Added to the total order when buying credits by card. |
| Public-site mailed-check credit purchase | $3 per credit | Credits become available after DPS receives and processes the payment. |
| CRD Secure Site electronic name search | $1 per credit | Restricted to organizations and agencies with qualifying legal authorization; not the general public search. |
| DPS offline name-based inquiry | $10 | A different request channel, not the public online credit price. |
| Texas Personal Review through FAST | $25 total | $15 DPS criminal-history processing plus $10 fingerprinting under published personal-review instructions. |
| Public county court search | Varies; often free | County court searches and certified copies are separate from the DPS repository. |
How much will one public online search cost?
For one $3 public search credit purchased by credit card, the 2.25% fee is approximately $0.07. Adding the $0.25 transaction charge makes the total approximately $3.32.
If you purchase multiple credits together, the $0.25 transaction charge applies to the purchase rather than being repeated for every credit.
Always review the amount displayed during official DPS checkout before submitting payment.
What Criminal Records Are Included in the Texas DPS Database?
The DPS public Conviction Name Search is drawn from the Texas Computerized Criminal History (CCH) system.
Its public records are available when qualifying conviction or deferred-adjudication information has been reported to the department.
Records that may appear
- Reported Texas felony convictions
- Reported Class A and Class B misdemeanor convictions
- Qualifying deferred adjudications
- Associated reported arrests and prosecutions
- Available court disposition information
- Some reported Class C convictions
Records that may be absent
- Federal criminal cases
- Criminal-history records from other states
- Arrests never reported to Texas DPS
- Nonpublic or legally restricted records
- Qualifying expunged or nondisclosed information
- Local citations outside CCH reporting coverage
Does Texas DPS show every arrest?
No. The repository depends on information submitted by Texas criminal justice agencies. An arrest may be missing because it was never reported, was rejected because of a reporting error, or is not publicly releasable.
DPS also explains that reporting a Class C arrest is optional for arresting agencies. That is one reason a Class C citation may be present in a court record but absent from the statewide DPS search.
Does a deferred adjudication appear?
It can. Texas Government Code § 411.135 permits public access to qualifying criminal-history information concerning convictions and grants of deferred adjudication.
A deferred adjudication is not identical to an ordinary conviction, and later eligibility for an order of nondisclosure may affect public access.
Texas DPS Personal Criminal History Review: Fingerprints & Service Code
If you need to review your own complete Texas criminal-history record, rather than only the publicly releasable conviction database, Texas DPS provides a fingerprint-based Personal Review procedure.
This is especially helpful when a name-based search returns an uncertain match or a person needs to investigate an arrest or disposition that is not publicly shown.
Texas Personal Review through IdentoGO
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Read the DPS Personal Review instructions.
Download DPS Form CR-63, Procedure for Review of Personal Criminal History Record Information.
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Use the correct fingerprint service code.
The published Texas Personal Review service code is 11FT12. Do not substitute an employer’s licensing or FBI background-check code.
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Schedule fingerprinting.
Visit the official IdentoGO service-code page or call the fingerprint scheduling line.
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Bring acceptable identification.
Provide the identity documents required for your appointment.
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Pay the applicable personal-review charges.
The published CR-63 instructions list $10 for fingerprinting plus $15 for Texas criminal-history processing.
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Receive and review your results.
DPS states that personal-review results will be mailed or emailed to the contact information provided by the applicant.
For applicants outside Texas, use the instructions supplied by DPS for an approved out-of-state fingerprint submission instead of assuming the same in-person appointment process applies.
Austin, TX 78765-4143
Phone: (512) 424-2474
Email: ncju@dps.texas.gov
Fingerprint services: fingerprint.service@dps.texas.gov
How to Find Texas Criminal Court Cases for Free
Texas does not operate one free public database containing every criminal trial-court record from all 254 counties.
The Texas State Law Library explains that each court maintains its own records, and online availability differs by county and court.
Which Texas court handles which criminal cases?
| Court type | Typical criminal jurisdiction | Records custodian |
|---|---|---|
| District Court | Felony criminal prosecutions | District Clerk |
| County Court / County Court at Law | Class A and B misdemeanors and qualifying other cases | County Clerk or designated court clerk |
| Justice of the Peace Court | Qualifying Class C misdemeanors and other limited-jurisdiction matters | Justice Court office |
| Municipal Court | City ordinance violations and qualifying Class C misdemeanors | Municipal Court clerk |
| Texas appellate courts | Qualifying criminal appeals and appellate proceedings | Applicable appellate clerk |
How to find the correct criminal docket
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Identify the filing county.
Start with the county shown on the charging document, court notice or arrest-related paperwork.
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Identify the court level.
Felony cases generally belong in District Court; Class A and B misdemeanors commonly belong in county-level criminal courts.
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Open the county’s official court records page.
Find the District Clerk or County Clerk’s online search. Look for Criminal Case Search, Court Records Search or Case Information.
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Search by case number or defendant.
Use the exact cause number when available. Otherwise, enter the person’s full name and reliable additional details.
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Review the case and disposition.
Confirm the charge, court events, judgment and any later case activity.
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Request certified records if needed.
Contact the clerk for a certified final judgment, disposition or other official document.
Examples of official Texas county criminal record searches
Dallas Criminal Court Records
The Dallas County District Clerk maintains felony records, while the County Clerk maintains misdemeanor records.
The county offers public online criminal case information dating back to 1975. Document availability varies by filing date and court.
Open Dallas County Record Search ↗Travis County Criminal Cases
The Travis County District Clerk offers free online public court records for qualifying criminal cases from 2008 onward.
Its criminal division maintains adult felony cases. Misdemeanor records are handled through the County Clerk.
Open Travis County Court Records ↗Find the District or County Clerk
Bexar, Harris, Tarrant and other Texas counties have their own criminal records procedures.
Use the Texas State Law Library’s court records directory to locate the original court.
Find County Court Search Resources ↗Texas Appellate Case Records
The Texas appellate courts provide a separate case-information system for appeals.
Do not confuse appellate filings with a complete statewide trial-court criminal-history database.
Search Texas Appellate Cases ↗How to Correct or Remove Information from Texas DPS Criminal Records
A reported arrest or prosecution may have an incorrect disposition, a missing court result or an inaccurate identifying detail.
Texas DPS maintains a Criminal History Error Resolution Unit to review and correct qualifying criminal-history errors.
If your DPS record contains an error
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Identify the disputed information.
Compare the DPS entry with the police record, court docket and available final judgment.
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Contact the original reporting agency.
Depending on the error, this may be the arresting law-enforcement agency, prosecutor or court clerk.
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Obtain certified supporting documents.
DPS asks requesters to provide certified documents when seeking corrections to the criminal-history repository.
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Contact DPS Error Resolution.
Follow the official Error Resolution instructions and submit the supporting information.
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Review the corrected record.
Once the reporting error is resolved, check that the record reflects the proper charge and disposition.
Phone: (512) 424-2590
Expunction vs. order of nondisclosure
Texas provides different procedures for qualifying criminal record relief.
Expunction
An eligible person may seek an order requiring qualifying arrest and criminal-history records to be expunged under Texas law.
Eligibility depends on the case circumstances, disposition and applicable statute.
Order of nondisclosure
A qualifying nondisclosure order restricts public release of specified criminal-history information.
Authorized criminal justice and other qualifying agencies may retain legal access to certain restricted information.
A deferred adjudication or dismissed case does not automatically disappear from every public search. The availability of record relief depends on the precise legal outcome and eligibility requirements.
Texas DPS Expunction and Nondisclosure Guidance ↗Other Official Texas Public Criminal Records Search Tools
TDCJ Offender Search
Search by offender name, State Identification number (SID) or current Texas Department of Criminal Justice number.
The search supports partial-name matches using an asterisk, such as Rich*.
Texas Sex Offender Registry
DPS provides public information about qualifying registered sex offenders through its official registry website.
Registry results are not a complete listing of all criminal convictions.
Search Texas Sex Offender Registry ↗DPS Violent Offender Database
The DPS public website also offers a free Violent Offender Name Search for qualifying reported family-violence and stalking-related offenders.
It does not cover every violent offense or replace the complete conviction database.
Find the Violent Offender Search ↗FBI and Federal Court Records
Texas DPS public criminal-history searches do not include every federal or out-of-state criminal matter.
Individuals can request an FBI Identity History Summary for their own records, while federal court filings are searched through PACER.
FBI Personal Record Review ↗Texas DPS Criminal Records Search FAQs
Is the Texas DPS criminal records search free?
How do I search Texas DPS criminal records by name?
Why does one Texas DPS website charge $1 and another charge $3?
Does Texas DPS criminal history include deferred adjudication?
Does a Texas DPS name search include every arrest?
How do I request my own complete Texas criminal-history record?
Why does Texas DPS say “No Matching Records” when a court case exists?
Where can I get a certified Texas criminal court disposition?
Official Texas DPS Criminal Records and Court Search Links
Use these government resources for the current search website, account instructions, criminal-history requests, court records and corrections information.
- Texas DPS — Public Criminal History Conviction Name Search
- Texas DPS — Public Search Credits, Fees and Instructions
- Texas DPS — Create a Public Search Account
- Texas DPS — Crime Records Services FAQs
- Texas DPS — Personal Criminal History Review Instructions, Form CR-63
- Texas DPS — Fingerprinting Services
- Texas DPS — Criminal History Error Resolution
- Texas DPS — Expunctions and Orders of Nondisclosure
- Texas State Law Library — Court Records Search Guide
- Texas State Law Library — Criminal History and Background Checks
- Texas Judicial Branch — Trial Court Jurisdiction
- Dallas County — Public Criminal Court Case Search
- Travis County — Free Court Records Search
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Offender Search
- Texas DPS — Public Sex Offender Registry