Bastrop County
Bastrop County, located in central Texas and part of the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area, was established in 1837. As of 2022, more than 98,435 people lived in the county, which has a land mass of about 888.2 square miles. Its county seat is Bastrop.
The Bastrop County court system includes District Courts, a County Court, Justice of the Peace Courts, and Municipal Courts. The District Courts have jurisdiction over serious criminal cases such as felonies, lesser-included offenses, and certain misdemeanors. They also handle civil cases, including personal injury, property damage, tax disputes, and family law matters such as divorce, adoption, termination of parental rights, and child custody. Moreso, probate cases, wills, trusts, guardianships, mental health commitments, habeas corpus, cases requesting injunctive relief, and juvenile matters fall under their purview. The County Court handles misdemeanors punishable by a fine, not more than $500 or a year jail sentence, civil cases involving monetary disputes not exceeding $10,000, and probate cases, while Justice of the Peace Courts hears minor misdemeanors usually involving fines, general civil claims for less than $100,000, cases involving eminent domain or workers compensation, and violations of health or safety ordinances. Municipal Courts in Bastrop and Elgin handle city preliminary hearings for felony cases, different ordinance violations, select misdemeanors as well as certain cases related to forfeitures and the final judgements for personal or bail bonds.
Bastrop County Court records are the official documentation of case trials generated during legal proceedings within the county. They include indexes, petitions, docket entries, memoranda, transcripts of hearings, orders, and judgments. These records are important for setting legal precedents for future court cases. The following are common court records in Bastrop County:
- Criminal records
- Civil records
- Family law records
- Probate Records
Bastrop County court records are accessible to the public under the Texas Public Information Act, except for certain restricted records like juvenile and mental health cases. Court records are managed by the District Clerk for District Courts and the County Clerk for County Courts. Bastrop County provides online access to certain court records through the Bastrop County Public Records Search portal. Requesters can also visit the Court Clerk to request copies of public court records at:
804 Pecan Street
Bastrop, TX 78602
Phone: (512) 332-7234
