Brazos County Court Records

Brazos County court records are official documents that courthouses maintain in connection to legal proceedings they handle. They are generated in keeping with the requirements of Texas public records laws and provide an accurate, extensive account of all that transpires during judicial proceedings. This allows for transparency of the entire legal process, ensuring legal proceedings (such as trials and hearings) are conducted fairly, as relevant officials such as lawyers and judges can review court records for discrepancies.

Court records can also serve as evidence in future court proceedings, especially when a party in a legal proceeding wishes to appeal the initial verdict of a trial court with an appellate court.

In Brazos County, Texas, court records include, but are not limited to, documents such as suits, complaints, dockets, motions, briefs, motions, testimony, and rulings.

Are Court Records Public in Brazos County?

Yes. Under Rule 12 of the Texas Rules of Judicial Administration and the Common Law Right to Access, most court records in Texas, including Brazos County, are public records. Hence, most court records are part of Brazos County Public Records. Court records are usually accessible by anyone who requests them from their official custodians or government agencies, such as the Brazos District Clerk's office and local courthouses or third-party websites. In addition, the aforementioned laws do not require record seekers to give a reason for their request when requesting to search public records including court records. However, court records custodians can request case-related information to help identify the sought-after court record.

Nonetheless, some court records are confidential and, therefore, not available to the general public. Only specific eligible persons, such as the parties named in the record, are allowed access to these court records. Confidential court records include:

• Certain family case records
• Vital records and those containing personal identifying information
• Court-ordered confidential records
• Court records of specific cases involving a minor
• Records disclosing private information of vulnerable persons

Brazos County Court Records Search

Interested members of the public may perform a Brazos County court records search through:

• The Brazos County Clerk's office
• Brazos County District Clerk's office
• Local courthouses
• Third-party aggregate websites

Brazos County Court Records Search by Name

Interested persons may conduct a Brazos County court records search by name through the County's District Clerk's office. The District Clerk is the official custodian of Brazos County and District court records, and searches may be performed using the Office's Judicial Records Search Portal. Searches on the portal are free. Users will be required to supply the name (first and last) of a party or an attorney involved in a court case to process a search.

Alternatively, inquirers may submit a request to the District Clerk's office in person or via mail. The request can be submitted by email, fax, or in person at:

County Courthouse
300 E. 26th Street
Suite 1200/1201
Bryan, Texas 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4230
Email: ggarcia@brazoscountytx.gov
Fax: (979) 361-0197

Brazos County Courts

There are 13 courts in Brazos County. These include two (2) county courts, four (4) district courts, four (4) justices of the peace courts, two (2) Municipal courts, and one (1) county constitutional court. The addresses and contact information of these courts are as follows:

County Courts at law

County Court at Law 1
300 E. 26th St,
Suite 2200
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4250

County Court at Law 2
300 E. 26th St.
Suite 2401
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4260 and (979) 361-4261

District courts

85th District Court
300 E. 26th St.
Suite 440
Bryan, TX 77803

272nd District Court
300 E. 26th St.
Office Suite: 400
Courtroom Suite: 409
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4220
Fax: (979) 361-4517

361st District Court
300 E. 26th St.
Suite 429
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4380
Fax: (979) 361-4385

472nd District Court
300 East 26th Street
Suite 2614
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-2600

Justice of the Peace Courts

Justice of the Peace Courts Precinct 1
412 William D. Fitch Parkway
College Station, Texas 77845
Phone: (979) 695-0136
Fax: (979) 695-0324

Justice of the Peace Courts Precinct 2
Brazos County Administration Building
200 S. Texas Ave.
Suite 114
Bryan, Texas 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4190
Fax: (979) 361-4191

Justice of the Peace Courts Precinct 3
1500 George Bush Dr.
College Station, Texas 77840
Phone: (979) 693-2695
Fax: (979) 764-1909

Justice of the Peace Courts Precinct 4
Brazos County Courthouse
300 E 26th Street, Suite 460
Bryan, TX 77803
Office: (979) 361-4402
Fax: (979) 361-4502

Municipal Courts

Bryan Municipal Court
401 S. Tabor Avenue
Bryan, Texas 77803
Phone: (979) 209-5400
Fax: (979) 731-1760

College Station Municipal Court
300 Krenek Tap Road
College Station, TX 77842
Phone: (979) 764-6325

Constitutional County Court

Brazos County Constitutional Court
300 E 26th St,
Suite1430,
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4128
Fax: (979) 361-4125

Each type of court in Brazos County has general, limited, or shared jurisdiction over specific types of court cases. For instance, district courts have general jurisdiction over felony criminal cases and share jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal and juvenile cases with court-level courts. On the other hand, justice courts have jurisdiction over small claims and eviction cases. Meanwhile, municipal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over municipal ordinance criminal cases.

Brazos County Superior Court Case Search

The court structure of Texas consists of five tiers:

• State highest Appellate courts (Supreme Court of Texas and Court of Criminal Appeals)
• State intermediate appellate courts (Courts of Appeals)
• State trial courts of general and special jurisdiction (District Courts)
• County trial courts of limited jurisdiction (County-Level Courts)
• Local trial court of limited jurisdiction (Justice Courts and Municipal Courts)

Superior courts are not included in any of these five tiers. Therefore, Texas and its counties—including Brazos County—do not have superior courts.

Brazos County District Court Records

Brazos County District courts handle both criminal and civil cases. For criminal cases, the county's district courts have original jurisdiction over felony cases and shared jurisdiction with county-level courts over misdemeanor cases. For civil cases, the district courts have jurisdiction over family law cases and other civil cases where the amount in dispute is over $500 (not including interest incurred). The district court also hears child protective services cases exclusively, per state statutes. Meanwhile, juvenile cases are strictly filed with Brazos County 272nd District Court.

The Brazos County District Clerk's office is the official custodian of the county's district court records in compliance with Texas Government Code section 25.0232. Hence, interested persons can access and request copies of district court records through the district clerk's office. The easiest way to do this is online through the district clerk's justice website. On the website, record seekers can search for district court case records by entering the case record's number or any case's party name (in the last, first, and middle name format). Users can optionally use the advanced filtering option to search by additional parameters, like a party's nickname, the name or number of an attorney, and more.

Alternatively, record seekers can submit a request for district court records with the District Clerk's office. The request should contain information about the sought-after record, such as the name of a party in the case. Once drafted, the request can be sent to the District Clerk's office by email, fax, or in person at:

County Courthouse
300 E. 26th Street
Suite 1200/1201
Bryan, Texas 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4230
Email: ggarcia@brazoscountytx.gov
Fax: (979) 361-0197

The office charges certain fees for copies of requested court records. This includes $0.50 per page for regular copies and $1 per page for certified copies.

Brazos County Criminal Records

Brazos County criminal records are managed by law enforcement agencies per the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA). Consequently, these records are public records and accessible to interested persons who request them. An example of this type of record is a criminal history record, also known as a clearance letter.

At County level, certain Brazos County criminal records, such as Brazos Arrest records, are maintained by the County Sheriff's Office and can be accessed by submitting an open record request to the sheriff's office. This request can be made through the Sheriff's Office Open Records Request portal. At the municipal level, some municipal police departments, like the Bryan City Police Department, provide services that allow interested persons to obtain clearance letters. For instance, interested persons can request clearance letters for a $5 fee from the Bryan City Police Department by contacting the Department's Record Division at (979) 209-5536 or by email at jwetzler@bryantx.gov.

At the state level, interested persons can conduct a criminal history record check through the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). This check would reveal criminal information law enforcement agencies throughout Texas have reported to the DPS, including Brazos County Arrest Records and other Brazos Criminal Records. Individuals can conduct a fingerprint-based criminal history search on themselves at any DPS FAST location or a name-based search on other individuals using the DPS Criminal History Conviction Name Search portal.

Brazos County Criminal Court Case Lookup

Criminal cases in Brazos County fall under the jurisdiction of the County's District and County Courts. The former handles felony criminal cases and any misdemeanor criminal cases linked to a defendant charged with a felony case. Meanwhile, the latter (county courts) has original jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal cases.

The official custodian of Brazos County's District and County court records is the District Clerk. Hence, record seekers query the District Clerk to lookup criminal case court records. Interested persons can opt to use the District Clerk's Justice website to access records online. Alternatively, record seekers can submit a record request and pay necessary fees to the District Clerk's Office by email, fax, or in person as previously explained.

Get Brazos County Civil Court Records

In Brazos County, the District and County courts have concurrent jurisdiction over civil cases. District courts have jurisdiction over family law cases and all other civil cases where the amount in dispute is more than $500 (excluding interest). Meanwhile, county courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts in civil cases where the amount in dispute is not more than $250,000.

As already mentioned, the District Clerk is the official custodian of District and County court records in Brazos County. Hence, individuals can get civil cases court records through the District Clerk. Interested persons can access a civil case's court records online through the District Clerk's Justice website. Alternatively, copies of a civil case's court records may be requested from the District Clerk's office by email, fax, or in person for a fee as explained in previous sections.

Brazos County Family Court Records

Brazos County District and County courts have shared jurisdiction over family law cases in the county. These cases typically include, but are not limited to, divorce, adoption, child custody, and support.

Given that the Brazos County District Clerk is the official custodian of District and County court records, the District Clerk may be queried to access and obtain family court records. Record seekers can access family court records online through the District Clerk's Justice website. Alternatively, they can request copies of a family court case's records by submitting a request to the District Clerk's office by email, fax, or in person and pay the necessary fee for copies of requested records.

Brazos Dissolution of Marriage Records

"Dissolution of marriage" is another term for divorce in Texas. Dissolution of marriage records is categorized under family law cases. As such, interested persons can query or use resources the Brazos County District Clerk's Office provides to access and request copies of these records.

Brazos County Marriage and Divorce Records

In Brazos County, the District Clerk's Office is the official custodian of divorce records. Meanwhile, the County Clerk's office is in charge of maintaining Brazos County Marriage records. To access and request copies of Brazos County marriage or divorce records, record seekers must direct their queries to the appropriate custodian of the sought-after record.

In Brazos County, both records (marriage and divorce records) are public records per the provisions of the Texas Public Information Act. However, certain confidential information, such as a Social Security Number, found in either record is removed from copies of these records made available to the general public.

Record seekers can request copies of a Brazos County marriage certificate from the County Clerk's Office through the office's online ordering system. Requesters must select the Marriage Certificate option to begin their request. Requesters would be provided an online application to fill out. The application must be filled out with the full name of both spouses and the marriage date of the sought-after marriage record. The requester must also provide their contact information on the application to enable the office to reach them once their application has been processed. Note that requesters are required to provide a copy of an acceptable form of identification (ID) during the online application. It is also worth noting that the county clerk charges $21 for a certified copy of a marriage records and additional fees may apply to cover shipping and other costs or services. For further inquiries and more information, interested persons can contact the County Clerk at:

Brazos County Clerk
Vital Records
300 E. 26th St. Suite 1430
Bryan, TX 77803
Phone: (979) 361-4124
Fax: (979) 361-4125
Email: KMcQueen@brazoscountytx.gov
Technical support email: help@permitium.com

On the other hand, divorce records are accessible and obtainable through the Brazos District Clerk's office. Record seekers can opt to use the District Clerk's Justice website to access a divorce case's court records online. Alternatively, submit a record request to the Brazos District Clerk's office by email, fax, or in person and pay the necessary fee for copies of requested records, as previously explained.

Brazos County Birth and Death Records

The custodian of birth and death records in Brazos County is the County Clerk's office. However, records of births or deaths that occurred within the city limits of Bryan or College Station are held by the Secretary's office of each of these cities.

Brazos County birth and death records are confidential. As a result, only certain qualified applicants who have proper identification are allowed access to these records. For birth records, qualified applicants include:

• The person named on the record
• Their mother
• Father
• Grandparent
• Sister
• Brother
• Spouse

On the other hand, qualified applicants for death records include:

• The descendant's father
• Mother
• Daughter
• Son
• Brother
• Sister
• Spouse
• Grandparent
• Grandchildren

Eligible persons can order birth and death records from the Brazos County Clerk's office online, by mail, or in person. For online requests, eligible persons can use the county Clerk's office online ordering system. To request by mail, eligible persons can complete the clerk's Application For Certified Copy Of Birth Or Death Record and mail it to the County Clerk's office address provided at the bottom of the form. As an alternative, eligible individuals can visit the County Clerk's physical address for in-person requests. Regardless of the method of request, the County Clerk's office charges a $23 fee for a Brazos County birth certificate and $21 for death records.

College Station City Secretary's office also allows eligible persons to request birth and death records, online, in person, and by mail. The same applies to the Bryan City Secretary's office.

Brazos County Probate Court Records

In Brazos County, probate cases are handled by the County Courts. As already mentioned. The Brazos District Clerk serves as the custodian of County Court records. Hence, like any other court record held by the District Clerk, record seekers can access county probate court records through the District Clerk's Justice website. Record seekers can also submit a record request for copies of probate court records to the district clerk's office by email, fax, or in person, as explained in previous sections.

Brazos County Property Records

Brazos County Clerk is the custodian of county property records. These records include deeds, liens, mortgages, bills of sale, and several other types of property records. The most convenient way of accessing property records that the Brazos County Clerk maintains is through the Clerk's Official Record search portal. A search can be conducted on the portal using the names of a subject (grantor/grantee) named on the record, a property's subdivision detail, or a document number. Record seekers may also be able to access property records the county clerk maintains by visiting the clerk's office to request a property record search in person.

Interested persons can also query Brazos Central Appraisal District for official county property appraisal records. The agency allows online access to property records through its Brazos CAD property search portal for ease of access.

Brazos County Court Records Online

Several third-party websites like Texascourtrecords.us provide services that allow record seekers to search for court records online for a fee (usually in the form of a one-time payment or an ongoing subscription). These privately owned websites offer robust systems that allow users to search for different types of court records by a subject's name at once. Some benefits of using third-party websites over traditional government channels to search County court records include minimal processing time and information required to search.