Dallas County Court Records Search

Texas has a complex court structure and function, making it hard to identify how the Dallas County court records search works. The state has eleven county criminal courts and two county criminal courts of appeals. What is the sequence of the steps one needs to take to run the Dallas County court records search? How can one look up the Dallas court information? Who is allowed to access the Dallas County civil court records? All of these questions will be answered in this article.

What are the Dallas County court records?

Typically, a case starts with a single lawsuit against somebody. Whether the case is later on taken to the criminal or civil court depends on the nature of the case. 

Civil cases can usually be described as private disputes between either private or juridical persons. In contrast, criminal cases examine one of the most harmful actions to private individuals or society.

Once the lawsuit has been filed, the information it contains, such as the private details of the plaintiff, namely the person who files the complaint, and the information about the case, turns into the Dallas County civil court records. 

These Dallas County court records are stored on paper and electronically. Records stored in the paper can be physically requested at the courthouse, whereas the electronic Dallas County court records can be found online at the court`s official database. 

How and where can I perform the Dallas County court records search?

Typically, there are three ways how you can extract the Dallas court information. The first one is only applicable if the Dallas County civil court records are stored on paper:

• By physically arriving at the courthouse and requesting to look at the paper Dallas County court records

Whereas the second two ways are applicable in case a court has a physical database with all the Dallas County court records:

• By gaining remote access to the electronic Dallas County court records physically from a device located at the courthouse

• By remotely accessing the database of the courthouse with all available Dallas County court records from your own device without physical presence at the courthouse

Which information is available when performing a Dallas County court records search?

There are two types of Dallas County court records. Like the rest of the records, Dallas County civil court records can be divided into two groups: public and confidential. Typically, a vast amount of civil court records is public. However, there are confidential cases that will not reveal any of the information about the cases that fall under “juvenile dependency” and “juvenile delinquency.”

Typical “Juvenile dependency” cases cover the separation of the child and parents issues, whereas “juvenile delinquency” cases are concerned with a child`s accusation of committing a crime. Revealing such sensitive information will deprive one`s privacy.

It must be highlighted that in some cases, not all of the information can be revealed, even if the Dallas County court records are public. Some legal cases do not publish all Dallas County civil court records. For instance, the fee waiver application might be hidden from the public eye in some cases.

Lastly, some cases would normally fall under confidential cases but might attract so much public interest that a judge may decide to reveal some of the “confidential” Dallas County court records. For instance, in some cases where celebrities are involved, the judge might give access to the “confidential” records.

Who can look at Dallas County court records?

Parties that are involved in the case might have access to all the Dallas County court information. Additionally, the following groups of people can have direct access to the public Dallas County court records, if it has not been ordered otherwise by the courthouse:

• Party: physical or juridical party can have remote access to the electronic records

• Attorney of the Party: the attorney of the party who is representing the interests of the party in the case

• Person, authorized by a Party: in the case where a party needs the assistance of a third party, they can inquire about the remote access for them

• Individuals appointed by the court: The court might appoint individuals that do not represent the interests of the party and have not been appointed by them. Court-appointed individuals are often used in cases with the need to defend a child`s interests

• Legal Aid and Government Staff can also inquire about access to the Dallas County court records

Where can I run the Dallas County court search?

There are two official websites that you can use to perform the Dallas County search: www.dallascounty.org and www.dallasbar.org if you want to get specific information about the court of your choice, with the latest statements and updates from the judges. Mostly, the only type of information you need when searching for the necessary court is the ZIP code. 

This article has examined who, when, how, and under which circumstances can run the Dallas County court records search!