Austin County
Austin County was founded by the Texas Legislature in 1836 and named for Stephen Fuller Austin, who is popularly known as the Father of Texas. The county is home to 30,406 residents and covers a land area of 647 square miles in southeastern Texas. Its county seat is the City of Bellville.
Austin County has five trial courts, including the District, Constitutional, County, Justice, and Municipal Courts. The District Court in Austin County. These courts have general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases where the disputes exceed $200,000. The Constitutional County Court handles probate cases, domestic violence, sexual assault, and misdemeanor criminal cases.
The County Court at Law in Austin County oversees misdemeanors, civil, probate issues cases appealed from lower courts, and Juvenile matters. The Justice of the Peace Courts handles small claims, evictions, and traffic violations. They also conduct preliminary hearings for criminal cases. The Municipal Courts in Bellville and Sealy deal with municipal ordinance violations and other minor misdemeanor cases.
Austin County public court records are documents or materials created during legal proceedings. These records provide details on case filings, transcripts, depositions, names of litigants/offenders, court dockets, motions, and judgments. All Austin County public court records are obtainable by the general public under the Texas Public Information Act. The following are examples of accessible public court records in the County:
- Civil records
- Domestic relations records
- Small claims records
- Probate records
- Criminal court records
However, specific court records, including mental health documents, juvenile cases, or adoption records, are all confidential and only accessible to authorized individuals. In Austin County, the County Clerk keeps records filed in the County Courts of Law. Interested parties can obtain these records by emailing, calling (979) 227-3144, or visiting the County Clerk. District Court records are available at the Austin County District Clerk's Office located at:
Austin County District Clerk
265 North Chesley Street, Suite 1
Bellville, TX 77418
Phone: (979) 270-6830
Alternatively, Austin County court records are available online through the Case Records Search or the TAMES Search. Users can search by case numbers, party names, or hearing dates. Although online access is free, obtaining certified or physical copies of the records from the Clerk's Office may attract specific fees.
