Galveston County Court Records in Texas

Galveston County

Founded in 1838, Galveston County has a population of 350,682 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat is Galveston City, and its most-populated city is League City. The county has a total area of 874 square miles, out of which only 43% (379 square miles) is land.

The Galveston County court system comprises the following:

• Galveston County Magistrate Court - holds bond hearings for arrested persons
• Galveston County Court at Law - hears civil cases between $500 and $100,000 in claims. It may also handle Probate matters
• Galveston County Justice of the Peace - handles traffic violations, misdemeanors, and preliminary hearings for criminal cases
• Galveston County Probate Court - has original jurisdiction over all probate matters
• Galveston County municipal courts are in Bayou Vista, Clear Lake Shores, Dickinson, Friendswood, Hitchcock, Jamaica Beach, Kemah, La Marque, League City, Santa Fe, Texas City, Tiki Island, and Galveston. These courts handle preliminary hearings for felony cases and Class C misdemeanors that are not punishable by jail time
• Galveston County District Courts - highest courts in the county, they hear cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. There are six District Courts in Galveston County: 10th, 56th, 122nd, 212th, 306th, and 405th Judicial District Courts

Texas law stipulates that records generated from the following be made available to the public:

• Criminal Cases
• Traffic Cases
• Probate Cases
• Civil Cases
• Family Law Cases

Members of the public can visit the clerks of the respective courts to access public court records. Some courts also allow the public to access their non-confidential records online.

Courthouses in Galveston County