Dallas County Criminal Court Records Search: Cases & Dockets

Where to Find Dallas County Criminal Court Records

The right Dallas County system depends on whether you need a criminal case history, today’s docket, a certified judgment, a municipal citation, current inmate information or a broader Texas criminal-history check.

How to Search Dallas County Criminal Cases Using Smart Search

The Dallas County Courts Portal is an official county system hosted at courtsportal.dallascounty.org. It supports public searches of eligible District Court and County Court criminal cases.

The portal provides Smart Search for court records and a separate Search Hearings feature for proceedings scheduled within a specified date range.

Step-by-step criminal case search

1. Open the Dallas County Courts Portal.

   Use the official county link. The public case-search feature does not require registration. Registration is reserved for specific authorized users, including defense attorneys and county employees.

2. Select Smart Search.

   Choose the portal’s Smart Search option rather than the payment screen or the upcoming-hearings tool.

3. Enter the case number or party name.

   The portal accepts a record number or a name in Last, First Middle Suffix format.

4. Use Advanced Filtering Options.

   Expand the filters to narrow by court location, case type, filing date, case status or other available criteria.

5. Try an appropriate wildcard if needed.

   The portal’s official instructions permit an asterisk for partial name searches. Use at least three characters for the last name before the wildcard and at least one for the first name.

6. Review matching criminal cases.

   Check the case number, court, filing date and available defendant information. Do not assume that a matching name belongs to the person you intended to research.

7. Open the case history.

   Read the register of actions and available filings or event entries to identify criminal charges, hearings, orders and dispositions.

8. Find the final disposition.

   Check whether the charges resulted in conviction, dismissal, acquittal, another court resolution or remain pending.

9. Request the original record if necessary.

   If the document is missing, confidential or certification is required, contact the District Clerk for felony matters or County Clerk for misdemeanor matters.

Dallas Courts Portal search options

The official Smart Search interface provides advanced fields that can include:

• Party name and nickname.
• Case number or another record identifier.
• Court location.
• Case type and case status.
• Filing date range.
• Judicial officer.
• Sounds-like name searching.
• Available booking-related identifiers.

Only use legally available identifying details. A public court search should not involve accessing another person’s account or confidential information.

What if you receive too many results?

Start by narrowing to the relevant District Criminal or County Criminal court category. Add a filing year or a full cause number if you know one.

The Dallas portal’s help also describes wildcard searches for case numbers requiring at least four characters. Avoid entering a broad search repeatedly when a narrower identifier is available.

Dallas County Criminal Background Search: Felony and Misdemeanor Cases

Dallas County maintains a separate public tool titled Dallas County Felony and Misdemeanor Courts Case Information.

Despite the term “background search,” it is a county criminal court case lookup—not a complete Texas, FBI or nationwide criminal-history report.

The District Clerk’s guidance describes criminal case information dating back to 1975, including qualifying current felony and misdemeanor proceedings.

How to search by defendant name

1. Open the official criminal background search page.

   Use Dallas County’s government-operated application.

2. Enter the last name.

   The last-name field is required for the name search.

3. Add the first and middle names where known.

   Additional name information can help narrow common-name results.

4. Use optional identifying filters.

   The interface provides fields such as date of birth, name type, sex and other available criteria.

5. Review results and record the cause number.

   Compare the available case information rather than assuming a name match establishes identity.

6. Check the corresponding court case.

   Open the official court records portal to examine the case history and disposition where available.

Can you search by case number instead?

Yes. The same criminal case-information page includes a separate Case Number search.

If you already have the cause number from court paperwork, an attorney or a prior docket search, use that number to reduce unrelated results.

How to Find Dallas County Felony Criminal Court Records

The Dallas County District Clerk is the official custodian of felony criminal court records. The office also maintains records for the Magistrate Court associated with the Lew Sterrett Justice Center.

The District Clerk supports Dallas County’s felony District Courts, which handle qualifying cases received through the Grand Jury and other proceedings within their jurisdiction.

What felony case information is available?

According to the District Clerk, its public online services provide:

• Criminal court case information dating back to 1975.
• Status of qualifying current felony cases.
• Case history and public court event information.
• Documents for most felony cases filed after 2009.
• Publicly accessible judgments and other eligible records.

The online availability of a case does not guarantee that every charging document, judgment, exhibit or confidential filing can be downloaded.

Where to get a certified Dallas County felony record

How to request an original felony court document

1. Find the felony case number.

   Use the Courts Portal or the free felony and misdemeanor case search.

2. Open the official felony records page.

   Download the District Clerk’s Criminal Records Request Form.

3. Identify the document needed.

   For example, request the final judgment, dismissal order, sentencing order or another accessible document.

4. Specify certification.

   Indicate whether an ordinary copy is sufficient or an official certified copy is required.

5. Submit the request.

   The District Clerk permits felony records requests in person, by mail or by email using the designated form.

6. Obtain the exact fee before payment.

   The office instructs requesters to contact the Criminal Records staff before making an online payment and to pay only the confirmed amount.

What about felony cases filed before 2009?

Many older felony files are stored outside the current electronic case document system. The District Clerk’s request form notes that cases before 2009 may be kept offsite and can require at least three to five business days for retrieval.

When requesting an older file, provide the case number and approximate year. Contact the records desk before visiting to confirm whether the file must be retrieved.

Dallas County Misdemeanor Court Records: Class A and Class B Cases

The Dallas County Clerk maintains criminal records for the county-level misdemeanor courts.

Dallas County has 11 County Criminal Courts handling Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases, along with two County Courts of Criminal Appeals that handle qualifying appeals from justice and municipal courts.

For a misdemeanor conviction or dismissal, search the relevant County Criminal Court rather than requesting a felony record from the District Clerk.

How to search Dallas County misdemeanor cases

1. Open the official Courts Portal.

   Select Smart Search or use the county’s separate felony and misdemeanor case-information search.

2. Enter a defendant name or cause number.

   Use the available search fields and narrow by County Criminal Court when possible.

3. Review the case history.

   Check the charge, hearing dates and final disposition.

4. Locate the available document.

   The County Clerk says plain copies of qualifying misdemeanor court documents from 2011 to the present can be viewed online without charge.

5. Request certification if needed.

   An ordinary online copy is not necessarily certified. Follow the County Clerk’s current records instructions for official certification.

What about misdemeanor records before 2011?

The County Clerk’s Criminal Courts FAQ explains that misdemeanor files dated before 2011 are generally maintained in offsite storage.

Older files may take up to 72 hours to retrieve. Some historical records require additional research, and availability may depend on the particular case.

If a pre-2011 case is not online, identify the cause number and ask about the current archived-record procedure before traveling to a courthouse.

Dallas County Criminal Records Requests: April 2026 Temporary Changes

The Dallas County Clerk’s Central Records Division has posted a temporary service notice effective April 6, 2026, associated with a move to another facility.

This notice is important because some older County Clerk FAQ pages still describe email requests and normal telephone assistance.

Where to obtain County Clerk certified copies during the notice

The County Clerk also advertises electronic certification for certain court documents. However, because the newer Central Records notice specifically directs certified criminal copy requests to in-person locations, confirm which service is currently available for your particular misdemeanor case before paying for an electronic certification.

How to Find Dallas County Criminal Court Dockets and Hearing Dates

Dallas County publishes daily criminal court docket information separately from its historical criminal case-search system.

This is the better tool when the question is what time a case is scheduled or which courtroom is assigned.

How to use a Dallas criminal daily docket

1. Choose the right criminal docket.

   Use the criminal district docket for a felony case and the County Criminal docket for a qualifying misdemeanor.

2. Enter the name when the search field is available.

   If you know the assigned court, its individual daily docket may provide a more focused result.

3. Review the listing.

   Check the court, party, case number, date, time, courtroom and floor.

4. Compare the case number.

   Do not assume a docket listing belongs to the correct defendant merely because the name matches.

5. Confirm a required appearance.

   Follow the latest official court notice and attorney’s instructions. Online schedules may be updated or corrected.

Dallas County individual criminal court dockets

Dallas County’s Courts Live Streaming directory includes separate County Criminal Court No. 1 through No. 11 entries, criminal district courts and the county criminal appellate courts.

Each available court entry provides links to its docket and, where offered, a livestream.

What if you cannot find your name on today’s docket?

For a first appearance in a County Criminal Court, the County Clerk instructs visitors to check the digital docket on the second floor of the Frank Crowley Courts Building.

If the defendant’s name does not appear, the Clerk directs the person to the County Clerk’s office in Room A-1 for assistance.

Dallas County Criminal Court Records: Certified Copies and Search Fees

A free court lookup may show that a case exists, but you may still need a certified judgment, criminal disposition, dismissal order or another official filed document.

Dallas County’s published record-copy fees differ depending on the responsible clerk and the delivery method.

The District Clerk’s published Records Office Service Fees document was revised October 11, 2024. It also contains separate electronic-delivery charges and additional services.

Always confirm the total with the correct clerk before sending payment.

Mailing a felony records request

The District Clerk publishes this felony records mailing address:

Dallas County District Clerk
Attn: Criminal Records
Frank Crowley Courts Building
133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, LB-12
Dallas, TX 75202

Use the postal address shown on the current official form or office instructions, which may differ from the building’s public visitation ZIP code.

Should you pay the District Clerk online before submitting the form?

No. The District Clerk specifically instructs users to first confirm the exact copy or service cost with the records office.

Overpayments may be retained as a credit rather than automatically refunded, while insufficient payment can delay processing.

Dallas Municipal Court Criminal and Traffic Case Search

Not every offense within the City of Dallas is filed in the county’s felony or misdemeanor court system.

Dallas Municipal Court handles qualifying Class C misdemeanors, traffic citations and city ordinance cases. It has its own citation and docket-search service.

How to search Dallas Municipal Court citations

1. Open the City of Dallas Citation & Docket Search page.

   Follow the city’s official citation search link.

2. Choose a search method.

   The municipal service supports citation number, name and date of birth, docket number or police department case number.

3. Enter the citation number without the dash.

   The city’s instructions illustrate this using a citation number such as C12123456.

4. Review the citation details.

   Check the case status, balances and available docket information.

5. Check any warrant-related status carefully.

   The city says warrants appear in red in its citation results. Contact the court to confirm the current status.

Why might a new municipal citation be missing?

Dallas Municipal Court states that it may take up to 10 business days for a new citation to appear in the online system.

A recently issued traffic or Class C citation therefore may not appear immediately.

What about Garland, Irving, Grand Prairie and other Dallas County cities?

Municipal citations in other Dallas County cities may belong to that city’s own Municipal Court.

Use the court identified on the citation. A citation from Irving Municipal Court, for example, does not automatically appear in the Dallas Municipal Court’s search.

Justice of the Peace criminal cases

Dallas County Justice Courts also handle certain Class C criminal and traffic matters.

Find the correct precinct using the Dallas County Justice of the Peace directory.

An important recent location change: Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Place 1 reopened at the East Dallas Government Center, 9731 Lake June Road, Dallas, TX 75217, on October 7, 2026. Check the appropriate court’s current address rather than relying on an outdated listing.

Dallas County Jail Lookup and Arrest Records

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office maintains a separate jail lookup for people in its custody.

This is useful for custody and booking questions but is not a substitute for a criminal court conviction or final case disposition.

How to find a Dallas County inmate

1. Open the Sheriff’s official Jail Lookup.

   Use the link published on the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office website.

2. Enter the requested name or available identifier.

   Follow the current inmate search form.

3. Compare the matching results.

   Use the legally available details to avoid confusing two people with similar names.

4. Review the available custody information.

   Check the current listing and any public booking or detention details provided.

5. Contact the Sheriff’s Office if confirmation is needed.

   Release or transfer may change custody status after a search result was last updated.

6. Check the criminal court case separately.

   Use the Courts Portal for filed charges, case history and eventual disposition.

Dallas County jail and warrant contacts

Dallas County Sheriff’s Office
133 N. Riverfront Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207

• Jail and inmate information: 214-761-9025.
• Warrant information: 214-761-9026.
• Records Division and police clearance letters: 214-653-2677.

These numbers are published in the Sheriff’s Office’s official inmate information and contact directories.

Can you obtain an arrest report or booking photograph?

Contact the law-enforcement agency that created the report or booking record.

The Sheriff’s public information guidance explains how to request booking photographs and distinguishes current custody records from requests involving someone who has already been released.

A Dallas Police Department incident report, a Sheriff’s arrest record and a court judgment can be held by different agencies.

Texas DPS Criminal History vs. Dallas County Criminal Court Records

Dallas County’s free case-information search covers qualifying proceedings maintained by Dallas County courts.

For public criminal-history information reported elsewhere in Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety operates its own Criminal History Name Search.

How the statewide public search works

Texas DPS requires users to create a public criminal-history search account and purchase search credits.

DPS lists a base cost of $1 per search credit. Credit-card purchases involve additional processing charges.

Its search is name-based. Additional matching information, such as date of birth, may help narrow the results.

What the Dallas County and DPS systems do differently

Texas state prison records

If the person is held in a Texas state correctional facility rather than Dallas County jail, the appropriate source is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search.

That separate service supports searches using a name, state identification number or TDCJ number.

How to Read a Dallas County Criminal Case Docket and Disposition

A criminal case may contain several charges, court appearances, motions and judgments. The presence of an arrest or an indictment does not establish guilt.

Why Dallas County Criminal Court Records May Not Appear Online

A criminal court search may produce no results for reasons unrelated to the existence of a case.

How do you verify an older Dallas County conviction?

First identify the original case number and whether it was a felony or misdemeanor.

For a felony file, contact the District Clerk about offsite retrieval. For an older misdemeanor, check the County Clerk’s current Central Records instructions and ask how the stored file can be accessed.

A case from 1995, for example, may have a public case-information entry without a complete electronic document image.

Dallas County Criminal Appeals and Federal Court Records

County Courts of Criminal Appeals

Dallas County maintains two County Courts of Criminal Appeals that handle qualifying appeals from Justice of the Peace and municipal court cases.

These local county appellate courts are separate from the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals.

The County Clerk maintains the relevant county criminal appellate court records.

Texas Fifth Court of Appeals

The Fifth District Court of Appeals, located in Dallas, hears qualifying appeals from trial courts in Dallas County and several surrounding counties.

For appellate case information and opinions, use the official Fifth Court of Appeals website.

An appellate decision may affirm, reverse or modify the earlier trial court judgment. When researching a conviction involved in an appeal, check the later appellate disposition.

Federal criminal cases in Dallas

Federal criminal prosecutions involving Dallas are generally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, depending on federal jurisdiction and venue.

Use PACER to search qualifying federal criminal dockets and available filings.

Federal court records are not included automatically in Dallas County’s felony and misdemeanor state court search.

Dallas County Expunction and Nondisclosure Records

Texas provides different forms of criminal record relief, including expunction and orders of nondisclosure, for qualifying circumstances.

An expunction and an order of nondisclosure have different legal effects and eligibility requirements.

Dallas County’s District Clerk handles applicable expunction proceedings, while nondisclosure petitions are generally filed according to the court and offense involved.

Why might an expunged case disappear from public search?

An expunction can require covered government entities to remove or restrict qualifying records according to the applicable court order and Texas law.

Nondisclosure generally limits public disclosure of eligible criminal-history information but does not necessarily eliminate access for every authorized agency.

Neither process should be treated as a universal deletion of every prior publication or a guarantee that all private databases will immediately update.

For legal information and court procedures, see TexasLawHelp and the District Clerk’s official criminal court resources.

Can Dallas County Criminal Court Records Be Used for Background Checks?

Public criminal court records are useful for checking the status of a particular prosecution. However, they are not necessarily a complete or fingerprint-confirmed criminal-history report.

A Dallas County search may omit records from another Texas county, another state or the federal court system. Certain juvenile, sealed or other protected records may also be unavailable to ordinary public requesters.

When using court information for an employment, housing or other regulated eligibility decision, federal and Texas laws may impose additional obligations.

If a consumer reporting agency is involved, the Fair Credit Reporting Act may require consent, notice, accuracy safeguards and adverse-action procedures.

Official reference: FTC — Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know.

Dallas County Criminal Court Records: Official Search Websites

These official sources support the court-search instructions, local procedures, fee schedules and criminal records access guidance in this article.

• Dallas County — Official Online Record Search Directory
• Dallas County Courts Portal — Smart Search and Hearings
• Dallas County — Felony and Misdemeanor Case Information Search
• Dallas County District Clerk — Felony Court Records
• Dallas County District Clerk — Records Contacts
• Dallas County District Clerk — Felony Records Request Form
• Dallas County District Clerk — Official Records Fees
• Dallas County Clerk — Criminal Courts Division
• Dallas County Clerk — Misdemeanor Records FAQs
• Dallas County Clerk — Criminal Records Copy Fees
• Dallas County Central Records — April 2026 Temporary Service Notice
• Dallas County Central Records — Historical Criminal Records and Copy Instructions
• Dallas County — Criminal Courts Daily Docket
• Dallas County — County Criminal Daily Docket Search
• Dallas County — Individual Court Dockets and Livestream Directory
• City of Dallas — Municipal Citation and Docket Search
• Dallas County — Justice of the Peace Court Directory
• Dallas County Sheriff’s Office — Jail Lookup
• Dallas County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Information
• Dallas County Sheriff’s Office — Records and Warrant Contacts
• Texas Department of Public Safety — Criminal History Search
• Texas Judicial Branch — Fifth Court of Appeals
• PACER — Federal Criminal Court Records