Dallas County Public Records: Court, Property, Deeds, Jail & Vital Records
Dallas County public records are divided among the County Clerk, District Clerk, Sheriff’s Office, Dallas Central Appraisal District and Tax Office. The correct search depends on whether you need a court case, deed, parcel, tax account, jail record or vital certificate.
Use the record finder first. A case number, instrument number, appraisal account number or booking detail usually gives a more reliable result than a broad name search.
Which Dallas County Office Has Your Record?
| Record needed | Correct source | Best starting detail |
|---|---|---|
| District civil, family, felony or juvenile court case | Dallas County District Clerk | Case number or party name |
| County civil, misdemeanor or probate case | Dallas County Clerk | Case number or party name |
| Deed, deed of trust, lien or recorded instrument | County Clerk Recording Division | Instrument number, party name or document type |
| Property owner, appraisal account or value | Dallas Central Appraisal District | Owner, account number or street address |
| Property-tax balance or payment | Dallas County Tax Office | Tax account or property information |
| Current Dallas County jail custody | Dallas County Sheriff’s Office | Legal name and booking information |
| Birth, death or marriage record | Dallas County Clerk Vital Records | Names, event date and eligibility information |
Search Dallas County Court Records
Dallas County’s online record-search page routes users to District and County court information. Public access does not require registration for basic court-case searches.
- Choose the correct court category.
- Use a case number when available.
- Otherwise search by party name and narrow the result.
- Confirm the court, case type and filing information.
- Contact the correct Clerk when you need certification or an unavailable document.
District Clerk records
The District Clerk is the custodian for civil and family state district court records and also maintains district criminal and juvenile records. Dallas County states that district civil case information is available online back to 1975, with case files available for most civil matters filed after 2008.
- Select civil, family, juvenile or criminal records.
- Use the linked online court portal when the case is available there.
- Save the case number before requesting records.
- Use the appropriate records desk for certification or records not available online.
County Clerk court records
County-level civil, misdemeanor criminal and probate cases are maintained by the County Clerk. Do not send a District Court case request to the County Clerk simply because both offices appear in the same county portal.
Dallas County Jail Lookup and Sheriff Records
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office provides inmate information for people currently held in the county jail system. Use the Sheriff’s jail lookup for custody questions and the court portal separately for filed criminal cases and later dispositions.
- Open the Inmate Look Up tool.
- Search the person’s legal name carefully.
- Confirm booking and custody details.
- Save useful booking or case information.
- Check the related criminal court case separately.
- Use the Sheriff’s request form for records maintained by the department.
- Describe the incident or requested record precisely.
- Include names, dates, locations and report numbers when known.
- Review any copy or reproduction estimate before release.
Search Dallas County Property Records
Dallas Central Appraisal District, commonly called DCAD, maintains appraisal and property-account information for Dallas County property.
DCAD supports searches by owner name, account number, street address, business name and map.
- Choose Find Property.
- Search by account number when you already have it.
- Otherwise use owner name or street address.
- Open the blue property-address result to view account details.
- Save the appraisal account number before checking taxes or recorded documents.
If a business-property search fails
DCAD’s business-name search accepts partial business names and supports wildcard searching. This is useful when the exact legal entity name is uncertain.
Search Dallas County Deeds, Liens and Official Public Records
The Dallas County Clerk Recording Division is the recorder of deeds and Official Public Records. This is the correct office for deeds, deeds of trust, liens and other recordable instruments.
- Open the official public-record search.
- Search by name or instrument number when available.
- Confirm the document type and recording details.
- Open the digital image when available.
- Use e-Certify when an eligible electronic certified copy is required.
Electronic certified documents
The County Clerk currently offers electronic certified Official Public Record documents online when the document is available digitally.
The Clerk’s e-Certify workflow requires users to locate the record, verify the Official Records details, add the correct document to the cart and complete checkout before receiving the certified-document link by email.
Search Dallas County Property Taxes
Dallas County Tax Office provides online access to property-tax information, current and prior statements, receipts and payments.
- Search for the correct property account.
- Confirm the owner, property and tax year.
- Review current and total amounts due.
- Print a statement or receipt when needed.
- Review payment-processing fees before submitting an online payment.
Dallas County tax deadlines
Property taxes are due and payable October 1. Dallas County states that taxes become delinquent if they are not paid on or before January 31, and penalty and interest are charged after that date.
The Tax Office currently accepts eCheck payments without an additional county payment fee, while debit and credit-card transactions carry bank convenience fees.
Dallas County Marriage Licenses and Certified Copies
The Dallas County Clerk Vital Records Division handles marriage licenses and certified copies of Dallas County marriage licenses.
- Decide whether you need a new license or a certified copy.
- For a new license, complete the online application and appointment process.
- Bring the required identification when appearing before the Clerk.
- For an existing license copy, follow the current mail or in-person process.
The Clerk currently lists certified marriage-license copies at $10 each. Certified-copy requests are handled by mail or in person rather than email.
The County Clerk states that a Texas marriage license expires if the marriage ceremony is not conducted before the 90th day after the license is issued.
Dallas County Birth and Death Certificates
The Dallas County Clerk is a local registrar for vital records in many Dallas County cities, but there is an important local exception: the City of Dallas serves as its own local registrar.
Birth certificates
The County Clerk currently lists the birth-certificate fee at $23 per copy. In-person applicants need original valid government identification; written requests require the identification and documentation specified by the Clerk.
- Confirm the County Clerk is the correct local registrar.
- Review who is eligible to receive the record.
- Prepare the required identification.
- Choose the current online, mail or in-person process.
- Confirm whether you need a short or long-form certificate.
Death certificates
The County Clerk currently lists the first death-certificate copy at $21 and additional copies of the same certificate ordered at the same time at $4 each.
The Clerk also lists specific Dallas County cities for which it can issue death certificates and identifies some hospital records that are not available through the County Clerk.
- Check whether the place of death falls within County Clerk jurisdiction.
- Review eligibility and identification requirements.
- Prepare the full name, date and place of death.
- Choose the available official ordering method.
- Check the current fee before payment.
Submit a Dallas County Public Information Request
Dallas County uses a GovQA Public Records Center for requests to County departments under the Texas Public Information Act.
- Confirm the requested information is maintained by a County department.
- Open the County’s GovQA Public Records Center.
- Select the correct department.
- Describe the record precisely and use a focused date range.
- Track the request through the County system.
What to Do When a Dallas County Search Returns Nothing
| Problem | Try next |
|---|---|
| Court case not found | Confirm whether the case belongs with the County Clerk, District Clerk or Justice of the Peace. |
| Too many name matches | Use a case number, filing date or more specific party information. |
| Property address fails in DCAD | Search by owner or account number and simplify the street address. |
| Property found but deed missing | Move from DCAD to the County Clerk Recording search. |
| No inmate result | Check spelling and custody timing, then verify the criminal court case separately. |
| Birth/death request rejected | Confirm whether the City of Dallas or Dallas County is the correct local registrar. |
| Online copy is not accepted | Request the required certified copy from the official custodian. |
Dallas County Public Records Offices
500 Elm Street, Suite 2100
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214-653-7099
Published hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., except court-approved holidays.
George Allen Courts Building
600 Commerce Street, Basement B Floor West
Dallas, TX 75202
Frank Crowley Courts Building
133 N. Riverfront Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
Jail information: 214-761-9025
Records Building
500 Elm Street, Suite 3300
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214-653-7811
Map: Dallas County Records Building
The County Clerk and Tax Office both have downtown services at the Dallas County Records Building, but they operate from different suites and handle different records.
Before You Rely on a Dallas County Public Record
- Confirm the record belongs to the correct person, property or case.
- Do not treat an arrest or allegation as proof of conviction.
- Use the recorded document rather than an appraisal page when legal ownership matters.
- Respect sealed, confidential and legally restricted records.
- Request a certified copy when an official recipient requires one.
Dallas County Public Records FAQs
1. Where do I search Dallas County court records?
Start with Dallas County’s Online Record Search. District Court records are maintained by the District Clerk, while county civil, misdemeanor and probate records are maintained by the County Clerk.
2. Do I need an account to search Dallas County court cases?
Dallas County states that registration is not required for basic public access to its District and County court case-information portal.
3. Where do I search Dallas County deeds and liens?
Use the Dallas County Clerk Recording Division and its Official Public Records search for deeds, deeds of trust, liens and other recorded instruments.
4. Where do I search Dallas County property ownership and appraisal data?
Use Dallas Central Appraisal District. DCAD supports searches by owner name, account number, street address, business name and map.
5. Where do I check Dallas County property taxes?
Use the Dallas County Tax Office Property Tax Lookup/Payment Application for balances, statements, receipts and online payments.
6. When do Dallas County property taxes become delinquent?
Taxes are due October 1 and become delinquent when not paid on or before January 31. Penalty and interest apply after January 31.
7. Where do I find current Dallas County jail information?
Use the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Information and Jail Lookup tools. Check the related court case separately for filed charges and disposition.
8. Where do I order a Dallas County birth or death certificate?
Use the Dallas County Clerk Vital Records Division when the County Clerk is the correct local registrar. If the event occurred within the City of Dallas, check the City of Dallas Bureau of Vital Statistics instead.
9. How much is a certified Dallas County marriage-license copy?
The Dallas County Clerk currently lists certified marriage-license copies at $10 each. Requests are handled in person or by mail.
10. Why might a Dallas County public record not appear online?
The record may belong to a different Clerk or court, be maintained by another agency, be confidential or sealed, require an in-person request, or be indexed under different information.