Access Dallas County District Court Records

The Dallas County District Court System

District courts are courts of general jurisdiction in Texas. They hear felony criminal cases, large civil suits, and family matters like divorce and custody. Dallas County runs a large set of these courts, split by subject. Civil and family district courts sit at the George Allen Courts Building. Criminal and felony district courts sit at the Frank Crowley Courts Building.

The District Clerk is the record keeper for all of these courts. Case information is searchable through the courts portal, and certified copies come from the clerk. For the record desk detail, see the Dallas County District Clerk page.

Texas groups district courts into judicial districts, and a single large county like Dallas holds many of them. Each numbered court has its own judge, coordinator, and courtroom, but they share the same clerk and the same buildings. Online case information for these courts reaches back to 1975, with most civil files after 2008 and most felony documents after 2009 available through the portal.

Dallas County Civil District Courts

The civil district courts handle lawsuits, property disputes, injunctions, and family matters. They sit in the George Allen Courts Building at 600 Commerce Street. The table below lists the numbered civil district courts and the records contact.

Associate and visiting judges, including a tax court judge, also sit at George Allen. For an exact per-court coordinator phone, follow that court's page on the county website. Civil district courts hear money disputes, contract and property cases, injunctions, and tax suits, while the family courts in this group hear divorce, custody, support, and related family matters. Because family files can contain children's names, those records carry extra access limits even though the court itself is a district court.

Dallas County Criminal District Courts

The criminal and felony district courts handle felony prosecutions. They sit at the Frank Crowley Courts Building at 133 North Riverfront Boulevard. The felony records desk is the records contact for all of them. The table below lists these courts.

Felony cases reach these courts through a grand jury. A grand jury reviews the evidence and returns an indictment, which is the charging instrument for a felony. The case then moves through arraignment, pretrial settings, and either a plea or a trial. The District Clerk's felony records desk at Frank Crowley keeps these files and handles certified copies. For arrest and booking records that feed these courts, see the Dallas County arrest records page.

County Courts and Lower Courts

Below the district courts sit the county courts and the lower courts. The five County Courts at Law hear county-level civil cases, and eleven county criminal courts hear misdemeanors. Justice of the peace and municipal courts handle small claims, evictions, and most traffic citations.

County criminal court records are kept by the County Clerk. The county criminal courts page lists them in full.

The county criminal courts page lists courts 1 through 11 and the two county criminal courts of appeals.

District Court Versus County Court Versus Justice Court

The three trial levels handle different cases. The comparison below shows how they divide the work.

For the JP and municipal traffic side, see the Dallas County traffic court records page.

How a Case Moves Through the System

A case usually climbs the ladder if it is appealed or escalated. The flow below shows the path from the lowest court to the courts of last resort.

Case flow: Justice or Municipal Court › County Court › District Court › Fifth Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of Texas or Court of Criminal Appeals

Appeals from district and county courts generally go to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. From there, civil and juvenile matters can reach the Supreme Court of Texas, while criminal matters can reach the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The District Clerk notes that appeals are technical and usually need a lawyer.

District Court Locations and Buildings

Court work spreads across the downtown Government District. George Allen holds civil, family, and county civil courts. Frank Crowley holds criminal courts, the Sheriff, and the felony records desk. The Frank Crowley floor map shows where each office sits.

The Frank Crowley Courts Building map lists the Sheriff, District Clerk, county criminal courts, jury room, and records offices by floor.

Both buildings hold more than courtrooms. George Allen houses the District Clerk civil and family records desk, the probate division, the County Courts at Law, and the Law Library in the basement. Frank Crowley houses the felony records desk, the County Clerk criminal division, the Public Defender, and the Sheriff's headquarters. Knowing which building holds your court and your records can save a long walk between the two.

Courthouse Security and What to Bring

Expect a security checkpoint at every county court building. Jury Services tells visitors to arrive about 45 minutes early and to be in the central jury room by 8:00 a.m. when reporting for jury duty.

The courthouse security procedures page bans weapons, explosives, incendiaries, and dual-use items, along with cameras and recorders. Bringing a prohibited item can lead to prosecution.

Parking and Getting to Court

Parking is first-come, first-served, and there is no free parking. County garages serve both courthouse complexes, with rates that change, so confirm before you arrive.

The parking facilities page lists garages, addresses, spaces, hours, and operators. Jurors get a reduced rate.

The jury parking page lists a reduced $3 juror rate in county garages and complimentary DART first-day jury bus passes.

The Sheriff at the Courthouse

The Sheriff's Office is headquartered at Frank Crowley and provides court security and jail operations. The Sheriff's inmate information page lists the address, phone lines, and the average jail population.

The Sheriff inmate information page covers the jail and warrant lines. For inmate detail, see the Dallas County inmate records page.

Related Dallas County Searches

You may also need Dallas County court records, court dockets, the District Clerk page, or probate records.