District Clerk

This in-depth guide is designed to help residents, litigants, attorneys, and businesses make the most of the Tarrant County TX District Clerk. You’ll learn what the office does, how to locate court records and case documents, how to open a web-based access account, where to e-file, how to follow district court dockets, and where to go in person for service. Each section is written for everyday users and grounded in official county information.

Understand the Role: What the Tarrant County TX District Clerk Handles Day to Day

The District Clerk is the official recordkeeper for the county’s district courts in civil, family, and felony criminal matters. That mission covers a lot of ground, and it’s useful to break it down into the major functions you’ll interact with:

Filing and maintaining the court record for civil lawsuits, delinquent tax cases, family law matters (such as divorce, SAPCRs, and enforcement actions), and felony criminal cases.

Receiving fees, fines, and court costs assessed in civil, family, and criminal cases and recording those payments in the case file.

Providing access to court documents—both at public terminals and through online tools designed for different levels of user need.

Supporting the courts’ daily operations, including maintaining indexes, issuing citations and writs when ordered by the court, and processing appeals and post-conviction writs in felony matters.

Offering structured ways to research cases, from quick self-service document lookup to a subscriber web portal tailored to frequent users who need remote access to imaged documents across multiple divisions.

If you’re unsure which court has your case, remember that district courts handle higher-level civil disputes, family law, and felony criminal cases. County courts at law and justice courts have different jurisdictions. This guide focuses on the District Clerk and the district court system.

Start Here: Navigate the Official District Clerk Portal and Its Core Services

When you need authoritative information—forms, division contacts, locations, or service options—begin at the county’s central District Clerk page. From there, you can reach a full menu of services, divisions, and updates published by the office.

Explore the District Clerk home page for a hub of services, divisions, and announcements via District Clerk.

From that hub, you can dive into the specific tasks you need to complete today—filing, document access, or tracking court dockets—using the official tools described below.

Look Up Court Documents: When You Only Need a Few Case Records Fast

If you’re hunting for copies from a civil, family, or felony criminal case and don’t need ongoing, high-volume research tools, the District Clerk offers a public document lookup service designed for quick, targeted retrievals. It covers cases on file with the District Clerk and offers two modes of access: self-service and clerk-assisted searches.

Use District Clerk Court Document Lookup to learn:

What case types are available. Civil, family, and felony criminal files are within scope.

Two basic ways to search.
Self-service lookups are free when you know what you’re looking for.
Clerk-performed searches are available for a basic fee if you prefer staff assistance.

Copy options and fees. You can order non-certified paper copies, non-certified electronic copies, or certified copies. Fees are published on the official page so you can budget before you order.

Where to go if you need in-person help. The District Clerk maintains staffed windows in several justice buildings in downtown Fort Worth during regular weekday hours.

This is the right choice when you:

Need to quickly confirm a filing,
Want a one-off document (e.g., an order, decree, or judgment),
Are preparing for a hearing and want a copy of a recent filing,
Or prefer to request copies at a public counter with help from a clerk.

Step Up to Web-Based Access: Remote Research for Frequent Users and Organizations

For attorneys, law firms, title companies, employers, investigators, landlords, journalists, and any frequent records user, the District Clerk’s web-based access program is purpose-built to replace time-consuming trips to a courthouse terminal. It extends the office’s long-standing dial-in system into a modern, browser-based experience and includes imaged court documents across the major district court divisions.

Read the program’s scope, key features, and enrollment steps on Web Based Access Service, including:

What you can access remotely. District Court Civil, Delinquent Tax, Family, Felony, and Misdemeanor records, with access to imaged court documents where available.

Why this helps power users. It’s designed for background checks and case research directly from your office, dramatically reducing time at public terminals.

When you can connect. Remote access is offered virtually around the clock most days, with standard maintenance windows reserved to keep systems healthy and secure.

How to subscribe. Enrollment is straightforward and requires a short application and subscriber agreement sent to the District Clerk’s office.

Once you’re ready to enroll or need the technical details for your compliance team, visit the subscriber portal using District Clerk Subscriber Access to see the application path, agreement, and administrative instructions published by the office.

Budgeting and User Management for the Subscriber Program

Organizations appreciate clear cost expectations and account controls. The District Clerk publishes program fee details so you can plan before you subscribe:

One-time processing costs apply at account creation.

A modest monthly fee covers up to a set number of users per organization, with a schedule for additional users.

Account closure is also supported with a simple request letter when a project winds down or staffing needs change.

If you administer user access for a firm or department, set internal rules for who receives a login, how often credentials are reviewed, and what your retention policy is for documents pulled through the system. That keeps your audits clean and your case files consistent with what was captured from the official record.

E-Filing Essentials: How the District Clerk Accepts Electronic Filings

Most practitioners will e-file documents rather than walk them to a window. The District Clerk’s e-filing information page provides the local guidance you need to comply with the courts’ rules, including technology requirements and any division-specific practices.

Before you transmit your next pleading, confirm procedures through District Clerk e-Filing Information. You’ll find:

What must be e-filed and any carve-outs the District Clerk identifies;

Division-specific notes that help ensure your filing is routed and docketed correctly;

Timing tips for late-day filings near deadlines;

References to statewide rules the District Clerk follows for formatting, signatures, and proposed orders.

Practical tip for frequent filers: build an internal checklist aligned with the District Clerk’s published guidance—case style, file-stamp visibility, proposed orders in editable format where permitted, and correct lead document vs. attachment labeling. It saves downstream corrections and keeps hearings on track.

Track What’s Happening in Court: District Court Dockets You Can Consult

Staying on top of settings, hearings, and trial dates is critical for litigants and counsel. Tarrant County publishes docket resources for both civil district courts and criminal district courts so you can verify upcoming events, confirm locations, and coordinate appearances.

For civil settings and updates, consult Civil District Courts Dockets to locate division-specific calendars and instructions the courts make available to the public and bar.

For felony criminal matters, check the county’s criminal docket index through Criminal Courts Dockets to identify scheduled appearances and related docket information.

Because scheduling can change quickly, it’s a smart habit to confirm your docket the afternoon before and again the morning of your setting. If you are coordinating witnesses, interpreters, or custody transport, that double-check helps avoid unnecessary travel or downtime.

Where to Go in Person: District Clerk Offices and Public Terminals

If you prefer to handle a request face-to-face or need help at a public terminal, the District Clerk staffs service counters in multiple buildings in downtown Fort Worth. These locations support walk-up research, document copy orders, and payments during regular weekday hours.

You’ll find building names, service windows, and hours on the official in-person assistance page referenced above in the document lookup section.

If you need to research across multiple divisions in one trip, plan your route among the justice buildings so you can complete civil, family, and criminal tasks efficiently.

To confirm which building hosts the window you need for your case type, consult District Clerk Locations before you drive. That page helps you match your task—copy request, payments, or file review—to the correct service counter.

Manage Payments and Collections: How Fees, Fines, and Costs Are Processed

Court costs and fees arise at filing, at various milestones in a case, and when judgments or orders assess amounts due. The District Clerk’s office processes those payments for civil, family, and felony criminal matters and provides section points of contact so you can resolve a balance or ask about a ledger.

Review section-specific guidance on Collections/Payments for:

Which section handles your payment based on case type (Criminal, Civil, or Family);

What to have ready (case number, cause style, party name, or date of birth for criminal cases), which speeds up cashiering and ensures your payment posts to the correct file;

Links to downloadable references that explain fee schedules or web access billing.

When you plan to pay in person, allow extra time to account for security screening at building entrances and late-day lines near closing. If you’re coordinating payments for multiple cases, bring a list of cause numbers and confirm each entry off the receipt before you leave the window.

Research at Scale: When to Choose Subscriber Access vs. One-Time Lookups

Both document lookup and subscriber access will get you to the records. The best choice depends on volume, frequency, and how many people in your organization need access.

Choose public document lookup when you:

Need a few documents now and again,
Prefer clerk-assisted searching for older or less straightforward files,
Have limited research needs in a single division.

Choose subscriber access when you:

Perform case research weekly or daily,

Need remote access to imaged documents across civil, family, delinquent tax, felony, and misdemeanor court records,

Manage a team that benefits from logins and predictable monthly costs.

Organizations often combine the two approaches—subscriber access for day-to-day research and in-person visits for immediate, certified copies or complex questions that benefit from a live clerk.

Felony Research and Post-Conviction Work: What the District Clerk Publishes

Felony case records and post-conviction matters have unique workflows that the District Clerk supports on the criminal side:

Post-conviction writs and appellate filings move through strict timelines and formatting rules. The District Clerk’s criminal division maintains procedures and indexes that help staff and practitioners track these specialized filings accurately through the system.

Executed search and probable cause warrants and unfiled criminal case materials (originating in magistration) are subject to specific access rules and publication schedules. The District Clerk posts official guidance so requestors know when and how those records become available.

When your task involves these specialized areas, start from the criminal division resources linked through the District Clerk’s site so you can follow the correct path for requesting records, tracking status, and timing your research request near key release dates.

Family Law Filings: Practical Notes for a Smoother Clerk Experience

Family cases—divorce, suits affecting the parent-child relationship, enforcement, and modifications—generate a steady flow of filings that must be organized correctly from day one. Here’s how to keep your matter moving:

Use current forms and local rules linked from the District Clerk’s site so formatting and content match what family courts expect.

Label lead documents and exhibits clearly when e-filing to avoid rejections or docketing errors.

Check your case number and party style each time you file, especially after a name change or consolidation order, to keep the record clean and searchable.

Plan for certified copies of final orders if you’ll need them for agencies or out-of-state use; the District Clerk provides certified copy options with posted fees.

If you later need to obtain additional certified copies of a decree, return to the document lookup information page referenced above and follow the certified copy instructions.

Civil Litigation: Filing Tips, Docket Awareness, and Copy Strategy

For civil suits—from contracts and torts to tax cases—your experience with the District Clerk will touch filing, service instruments, docket monitoring, and copies. The most efficient litigants and legal teams follow a simple playbook:

Confirm your division and case category before the first filing so the cause number and court assignment are accurate.

Bundle filings logically (lead document + exhibits + proposed orders, where appropriate) and follow naming conventions the e-filing page explains.

Check the civil district docket page to stay current on settings and any special procedures the assigned court has adopted for pretrials, ADR, or submission dockets. Use Civil District Courts Dockets to get to the right division calendar.

Plan your copy approach. For isolated needs, the public document lookup workflow is quick. For ongoing discovery and motion practice across many cases, subscriber access is often more cost-effective.

Criminal District Courts: Staying in Sync With Felony Dockets and Records

Felony cases move fast in phases and slow in others. Defense counsel, prosecutors, victims, and media all track key dates and filings to stay informed. Tarrant County’s criminal dockets and the District Clerk’s record systems make that possible.

Verify your setting through Criminal Courts Dockets to confirm court, time, and sequence.

Use document lookup for one-off copies of felony filings and orders as they’re imaged.

Leverage subscriber access for broader background checks across multiple cases, defendants, or time periods.

If you’re managing a large felony practice, build a daily routine: pull the docket, reconcile it against your internal calendar, and then batch-download or request the documents you need for the next day’s settings. That cadence keeps teams aligned and clients prepared.

Jury-Related Touchpoints: Where the Clerk Fits

Jury administration has its own department in Tarrant County, but the District Clerk’s records intersect with jury processes when orders, verdicts, or post-verdict filings enter the case file. If you’re handling jury-related tasks connected to a district court case:

File jury-related motions (such as motions in limine or jury charge objections) in the correct cause and division—double-check the cause number and court designation.

Monitor your court’s trial docket to anticipate when a case is likely to be reached, which helps coordinate witnesses and exhibits.

When a verdict is returned, certified copies of the judgment and other key documents can be ordered through the document lookup channels described earlier.

Media and Public Information Requests: Using Official Channels

Transparency is a core value for Tarrant County. When you need formal records beyond standard case documents—or you’re coordinating with the county on deadlines and scope—the county’s Public Information Act page explains how to submit a PIA request and what to expect. Case-specific documents, however, are usually faster to obtain through the District Clerk’s established lookup or subscriber access, because those workflows tie directly to the court record.

If you’re a journalist on deadline, start with the District Clerk’s document lookup for immediate file materials, then follow up through the county’s published PIA path for broader, non-case-file records.

Forms, Policies, and Local Rules: Set Yourself Up for a Clean Filing

Success in filings comes down to using the right form, formatted the right way, and filed in the right place. The District Clerk maintains forms, policies, and local rules links from its main portal so you can build pleadings that track the county’s expectations.

Before you finalize a pleading or proposed order:

Review the forms and policies available from the District Clerk’s site;

Confirm anything unusual (e.g., sealed filings, exhibits containing sensitive data, or media exhibits) against local rules referenced from the portal;

Coordinate with your assigned court’s standing orders or preferences, which are often published through the docket or court information pages linked from the District Clerk hub.

One Account, Multiple Needs: When Your Organization Touches Civil, Family, and Criminal

Many entities—school districts, HR departments, risk managers, compliance teams, title examiners—need to view court records across different divisions. The District Clerk’s subscriber access is engineered for that reality:

Civil + Family + Criminal access under one subscriber program reduces the friction of moving between divisions.

Centralized billing allows a single department to reconcile costs while multiple authorized users do the day-to-day work.

Document imaging in the portal lets you confirm you’re working from the same official copies your legal team or outside counsel will use in court.

When you set up your internal standard operating procedure, direct staff to the District Clerk’s subscriber access page first for everyday research, and reserve public counter trips for certified copies, urgent questions, or complex file reviews.

Plan Your Visit: Hours, Buildings, Security, and What to Bring

Courthouse visits go smoothly when you prepare for a few basics:

Security screening is required at building entrances. Allow extra time during morning rush or lunch hours.

Organize your case information (cause number, party names, birthdate for criminal lookups) so the clerk can find the right file quickly.

Decide your copy format (paper, electronic, certified) before you reach the window so you can be quoted fees accurately.

Bring identification if you’re requesting records that require identity verification under law or local policy.

If you discover during your visit that you’ll need recurring access to a docket or set of case files, consider enrolling in the District Clerk’s web-based access program so your next requests can be handled remotely.

District Clerk–Related Offices and Service Points

Tarrant County District Clerk – Main Office — 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1574

Tim Curry Justice Center (District Clerk window) — 401 W. Belknap Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1342

Tarrant County Family Law Center (District Clerk window) — 200 E. Weatherford Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1114

Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building (District Clerk window) — 100 N. Calhoun Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1240

District Clerk Subscriber Access Program (Administration) — 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-212-7208

District Clerk Collections and Payments — Criminal Section — 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1343

District Clerk Collections and Payments — Civil Section — 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1240

District Clerk Collections and Payments — Family Section — 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, Texas 76196 — 817-884-1265

Tarrant County District Clerk FAQs

How can I look up case documents online without a subscription?

Start with the no-cost search option on the Court Document Lookup page, which lets you view and request copies for civil, family, and felony criminal cases. You’ll see the fee schedule for clerk-performed searches and certified or electronic copies, plus where in-person terminals are available during business hours. Use District Clerk Court Document Lookup.

What’s the difference between free lookups and the paid web access?

Free lookups are great for occasional needs. If you routinely need files, the Web Based Access Service offers remote access to District Court civil, delinquent tax, family, felony, and misdemeanor records—available 23 hours a day from your office. The service requires an initiation/processing fee and a monthly subscription (rates set by user count and shown on the application). Details, benefits, and the application are at Web Based Access Service.

I’m a frequent user—how do I open or close a subscriber account?

Create an online account through District Clerk Subscriber Access, then complete the Subscriber Agreement as instructed on the application page. The same page explains how to request closure of an existing account when you no longer need access. Go to District Clerk Subscriber Access.

What are the accepted ways to pay court costs or fees?

The District Clerk provides multiple payment methods for criminal, civil, and family matters, with section-specific instructions and downloadable fee guides (e.g., felony payments, civil/web access, tax section). Check current options and forms on Collections/Payments.