How to Get Court Records
Begin with the Austin County Odyssey portal or re:SearchTX to locate the public case shell. Save its cause number, court, case type, filed date, and document description. Online access is only one channel. Requests may also go in person, by mail, by phone for current instructions, or by email where the clerk publishes an address.
The District Clerk handles felony, family, district civil, delinquent tax, and related district files. The County Clerk handles misdemeanor, probate, and non-family County Court at Law files. JP and municipal clerks retain their lower-court records. A general Texas Public Information Act form is not a shortcut around the court clerk.
- Identify the case-owning court and clerk.
- Find the cause number online or on a court notice.
- Name the exact filing, order, judgment, or date range needed.
- Ask the clerk about counter, mail, email, phone, copy, and certification options.
- Confirm the current fee and delivery method before paying.
Austin County's Two Clerks
The Austin County District Clerk, Sue Murphy, works from 265 North Chesley Street, Suite 1, Bellville, Texas 77418. The current phone is 979-270-6830, and posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. That office is the records route for the 155th Judicial District Court.
The Austin County County Clerk, Diane Day, is in Suite 7 at the same Justice Center. The current phone is 979-227-3144. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Copy questions may go to ccvault@austincounty.com. The clerk cannot give legal advice and states that the office has no duty to conduct a broad public-record search.
The manifest image below comes from the District Clerk's official page.
It is the current source to check before relying on an older written-search form.
Types of Court Records
Austin County court records range from a setting list to the underlying court file. The record type determines whether an online view is enough or whether the clerk must supply a copy. A transcript is a separate court-reporting product; no county-specific transcript order form or fee was found in the official sources reviewed.
- Docket-call and court-calendar lists
- Case-event histories and docket sheets
- Petitions, indictments, answers, motions, and returns
- Signed orders, judgments, and probate documents
- Ordinary copies, certified copies, and separate transcripts
Three Austin County Record Layers
A calendar or docket-call list is the first layer. It shows that a matter is listed for a date and proceeding. A case-event register is the second. It supplies a chronology of filings, hearings, and status changes. The document itself is the third layer: the petition, motion, order, exhibit, return, indictment, or judgment.
| Layer | Best source | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | 155th docket or Odyssey calendar | A listed setting, subject to change |
| Case events | Odyssey or re:SearchTX | Visible public chronology |
| Court file | Document link or clerk copy | The actual filed or signed item |
A downloadable docket is not a transcript, and a screenshot is not a certified record. Select the layer that answers the real question.
What a Court Record Contains
The contents vary with the case and court. A public file may show the cause number and caption, a dated sequence of events, pleadings, signed orders, and some exhibits. Restricted personal information and sealed documents can be absent. The event index may still note that a document exists without offering its image. Ask for a document by title and filing date when the Austin County court record contains a long event history.
| Case Number | The court's unique cause identifier. |
|---|---|
| Pleadings | Petitions, indictments, motions, and answers that are public. |
| Orders & Judgments | Signed rulings and final dispositions available for access. |
| Docket Sheet | A chronological event and setting index. |
| Exhibits | Filed attachments when public and retained with the file. |
Austin County Written Searches
The District Clerk's posted record-search instructions describe a written name search. The requester supplies the person's name, the search period, the specific results sought, payment, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The listed fee is $5 per person, with $2 added for a fax response. The form says not to call for verification.
That PDF contains an older clerk name, One East Main address, and older phone. Use it for the process and fee reference, then verify delivery against the current District Clerk page showing Suite 1 and 979-270-6830. This difference matters. Mail sent to an old location can delay an Austin County court record request.
For older records: give a narrow name and time span, identify the likely court, and confirm the current mailing address before sending payment.
Certified Copies and Fees
An ordinary copy reproduces an available document. A certified copy includes the clerk's authentication. Ask the receiving agency which is required before paying. Austin County's probate schedule supplies clear copy figures, but fees can differ by record stream and transaction. The live clerk fee page should be checked first.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Probate ordinary copy | $1 per page |
| Probate certified copy | $5 certification plus $1 per page |
| District Clerk written name search | $5 per person |
| Fax response under posted instructions | $2 additional |
Austin County County Clerk
265 North Chesley Street, Suite 7
Bellville, TX 77418
979-227-3144
Austin County Copy Payments
The County Clerk lists cash, cashier's check, money order, qualifying checks, and debit or credit cards. Cards carry a 2.85 percent convenience charge with a $2 minimum. Checks are not accepted for criminal cases or birth certificates, and a returned check carries a $30 charge. These payment rules do not make every court-record fee uniform.
Before mailing funds, ask for the page count, certification charge, accepted payee, and delivery cost. The inspected county site did not expose a universal certified-copy request form. For County Clerk copy questions, use the current Suite 7 contact and copy email. For District Clerk files, use the current Suite 1 page.
Public Access and Sealed Records
Texas draws a line between court case records and ordinary county administrative records. The Texas judiciary open-records policy explains that adjudicative records are not simply processed as a county Public Information Act request. Begin with the clerk and the rules that govern the case file.
Key Rules:
Government Code ยง552.0035 places judiciary information under applicable law and court rules.
Family Code Chapter 58 restricts juvenile records.
Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55A governs expunction records and confidential clerk handling.
Austin County Restricted Files
A public case shell does not open every document. Civil records can be sealed under Rule 76a. Juvenile, protective-order, expunction, family, CPS, adoption, and other sensitive material can be confidential or redacted. The 155th e-filing rules also identify sealed citations and writs, returns, bonds, subpoenas, in-camera discovery, and other restricted documents that do not follow the ordinary electronic path.
If an event appears without the document, ask the clerk whether it is available as an ordinary or certified copy. If the record is restricted, ask which order or law controls access. Do not treat a blank portal result as proof that no case exists, and do not try to evade a restriction through another system.
The manifest image comes from the County Clerk's official records page.
That office is the current source for County Court, County Court at Law, misdemeanor, and probate record instructions.