Ector County Court Records

Ector County court records are official documents that contain details regarding the proceedings and outcomes of legal cases heard in a county court. They are a detailed archive of the legal activities occurring in Ector County, Texas. These records include printed or written papers, photographs, electronically/magnetically recorded data, audio/video recordings, and other materials created during legal proceedings or filings. (Rule 76a of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure).

Courts maintain these records for various purposes. In a legal proceeding, a party can appeal to a high court using the court record if unsatisfied with the originating court's decision. Records also document legal orders and are crucial for enforcing a court's judgment. The information in a record includes case name, case number, filing date, full names of the parties involved, case type (civil/criminal), pleadings and motions, orders and judgments, trial documents, and other related documents.

Are Court Records Public in Ector County?

Yes. Court records are classified under public records in Ector County, Texas, making them accessible to the public upon demand, with some exceptions. Also, the public does not need to provide a justifiable reason while requesting access to certain court records.

However, some court orders, rules, and laws prevent the public from accessing specific court records. These records include those classified as confidential by law, either statutory, constitutional, or judicial conclusion. Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code outlines extensive details on court records exempt from public access. These include:

• Documents filed as sealed.
• Juvenile dependency and delinquency.
• Arrest records regarding defendants that are found factually innocent.

Ector County Court Records Search

Interested members of the public can conduct an Ector County court records search at the following places:

• A court clerk's office.
• An online portal set up by the court.
• The court where it was filed.
• A third-party public records platform.

Ector County Court Records Search by Name

Inquirers must carry along a party's full name or company name to search for a court record by name in Ector County. After that, the requester can use a public search terminal at a physical courthouse or submit the name to a court clerk's office in Ector County to search for existing and closed cases connected to the name.

Requesters should note that:

• The local court charges nominal fees for access to plain or certified copies of the records. The court determines these fees per page or per document.
• Court staff may demand a written submission before processing the request. Individuals may need to request these forms at the courthouse or download them from the local court's website.
• Providing the extra case specifics like hearing date or filing date bolsters the chances of identifying any given case records.

Interested inquirers can access court records in Ector County remotely, as the District Court Clerk's office provides a search portal for local court records. The court offers the following search options:

• Search for Case using Party Name: A public search portal for locating docket information of different court cases, including civil and criminal cases, using the name of a case party, defendant, or plaintiff. To do this, requesters must select
• Search for Case using Business Name: This search portal allows individuals to search for court records of businesses within the County.
• Search for Case using Attorney Name: A search portal for looking up case records using the name of an attorney representing a case party. To do this, requestors must provide the first and last name of the attorney, and the date range (to and from date). Then, they should select the given record from the search results.
• Search for Case using Judicial Officer: This search portal offers a list of all the Judges in the County, enabling inquirers to choose from any of the listed names. Requesters must also provide the date range of any record they are looking up.

These search portals offer members of the public limited access to case information. In addition, the portal requires inquirers to pay a nominal fee for access to paper and digital copies, plain and certified copies, and exempted records. The fee includes $1 per page for paper copies, $0.10 per page for electronic copies, and an additional $5 per copy for certified copies. Additional details can be offered on the court's FAQs webpage.

Ector County Courts

Ector County's judicial system has a three-tiered judicial system—the District Court, County Courts, and Municipal Courts, with each handling unique functionalities. Below are the concise details about all the courthouses in Ector County, Texas:

Ector County District Court
Ector County Courthouse,
300 North Grant Avenue, #109,
Odessa, TX 79761
Phone: (432) 498-4293

Odessa Municipal Court
201 N Grant Avenue,
Odessa, TX 79761
Phone: (432) 335-3300

Ector County Constitutional Court
Ector County Courthouse
300 N Grant Avenue, #111,
P.O. Box 707,
Odessa, TX 79760
Phone: (432) 498-4130

Ector County Justice of the Peace Court
Ector County Courthouse
300 N Grant Avenue, #208,
Odessa, TX 79761
Phone: (432) 498-4201

Ector County Superior Court Case Search

Unlike other states in the United States, the District Court is the highest trial court in Ector County, responsible for handling major criminal or civil cases (Texas Government Code Section 24.007).

Interested public members may visit the courthouse's physical address where a specific case was submitted to look up case records on their public access computer terminals. Inquirers do not pay any fees for to access digital records at the courthouse.

Researchers may alternatively perform an Ector County Superior Court case search via an online search portal provided by the District Court Clerk's Office. The court provides various online resources, such as Online Response, FAQ, and Medical Exemption Affidavit pages, along with e-filing FAQ and public portal for searching for court records pages. Typically, depending on the case type used to conduct the search, the researcher must provide a case party's first and last name or business name, record number, or attorney's name, among other search options.

The court charges requesters nominal fees for access to copies and duplication, and they charge per page.

Furthermore, one may also perform an Ector County superior county case search via mail. Requesters must first contact the county district clerk or county clerk's office, then identify the kind of record requested (court records, county court records, and vital records), before filling a Records Request Form. After that, the form should be sent to the relevant court address with the stated fee, by check, money order, or credit card.

The records request form can be obtained from the Ector County Clerk's office during office hours from Monday to Friday at:

Ector County District Clerk

300 N. Grant Avenue, #301
Odessa, TX 79761
Phone: (432) 498-4290

Or

Ector County Clerk's Office

300 North Grant Avenue, #111
Odessa, TX 79761
Phone: (432) 498-4130

Ector County District Court Records

The Texas judicial system mainly comprises a two-tiered legal structure: the trial courts and the appellate courts, each with its unique functionality.

The Ector County District Court is the highest trial court in the County, and it handles the most severe legal cases within the County, thus playing a key role in the Texas justice system. The court handles civil court cases of cases involving huge amounts of money, every type of felony case in the County, appeals from lower-ranking courts on certain issues, mental health-related legal procedures, and probate cases relating to deceased individuals. The District Court provides an online search portal for the public to look up court records of all cases filed to the office of the District Court Clerk.

Requesters can locate any record by visiting the Ector County ePortal and providing the required information, such as the party's full name, record number, attorney name, attorney number, or judge's name.

Ector County Criminal Records

The Office of the District Clerk is responsible for maintaining Ector County criminal records, as well as Ector county arrest records  and several other law enforcement and judicial records. The types of criminal cases handled by this court include felonies, appeals from lower courts, and juvenile cases. Other types of criminal records found in the Ector County Criminal records include:

• Manslaughter
• Robbery
• Attempted murder
• Murder
• Aggravated kidnapping
• Drug crimes
• Theft of expensive items
• Arson
• Burglary
• Certain kinds of forgery or fraud
• Money laundering
• Weapons offenses
• Internet crimes of high value.

The Texas Constitution and Statutes outline every detail regarding punishments for criminal offenses within the State.

Ector County Criminal Court Case Lookup

Criminal Court records may be accessed in Ector via the following online and offline alternatives:

• Visit the originating courthouse to search for the court's digital case files at the local kiosks.
• Visit the ePortal on the District Court's website. To conduct a search on this portal,
  • Visit the District Court's site.
  • On the dashboard, under the District Court section, tap on the 'District Clerk' and 'Public Index of Court Records and Hearings'.
  • Select the 'Smart Search' option.
  • Requesters can choose to search using the normal search option, or click on the Advanced Filtering Option, scroll down to the 'Case Search Criteria' option, and choose the case type and case status.

Get Ector County Civil Court Records

Interested inquirers may visit the physical address of the civil courthouse where a suit was filed to acquire Ector County civil records. Requesters need first to contact the court before the visit date to confirm the records' availability. At the office, inquirers can access records without paying any fee, but there are nominal fees for acquiring copies. The courthouse charges:

• $1/page for paper copies.
• $0.10 per page for digital copies.
• An additional $5 per page for copies certified by the Clerk.
• An additional $5 per page for exemplified copies.

Researchers may alternatively visit the ePortal provided by the Ector County District Clerk's Office to access Ector County civil court records. To do so, the researcher should do the following:

• Visit the ePortal on the District Court's website. To conduct a search on this portal,
  • Visit the District Court's site.
  • On the dashboard, under the District Court section, tap on the 'District Clerk' and 'Public Index of Court Records and Hearings'.
  • Select the 'Smart Search' option.
  • Requesters can choose to search using the normal search option, or click on the Advanced Filtering Option, scroll down to the 'Case Search Criteria' option, and choose the Civil and case status.
  • Proceed to pay the fees for obtaining the copies via the site's instructions.
  • Insert their mailing address or state how to receive the documents—electronically or physically.

An inquirer may also search for an Ector County civil court record by mail by submitting a Records Request Form and paying the required fees (as stated earlier).

Ector County Family Court Records

Family lawsuits comprise all domestic cases like marriage, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, paternity, domestic violence, child and spouse support, and other family-related cases.

The District Court of Ector County presides over family law matters at designated courts. An individual may obtain a family record:

• An originating courthouse. An inquirer may contact the court where the Case was presided to determine the availability of a record.
• Online search tools on the District Court website.

Ector County Dissolution of Marriage Records

Ector County dissolution of marriage (or divorce) records comprise all cases regarding marriage annulment or divorce handled by a domestic courthouse. Requestors may acquire Ector County dissolution of marriage from the Ector County Clerk's website or by visiting the courthouse where the Case was handled, as described earlier.

Ector County Marriage and Divorce Records

In Ector County, the County Clerk's office is the official agency responsible for handling vital records within the County, such as birth, death, and all marriage-related cases. The Clerk's office maintains all marriage records for licenses issued within the County from 1891 to date, and the records are available for inspection and research during business hours.

Requesters may obtain marriage license records by:

• Visiting the presiding courthouse where it was issued.
• Requesting for the records by mail
• Using the online search portal provided by the District Court's Clerk Office.

Regardless of the search option used, the office charges not more than $1.00 for access to Vital Records and a $21.00 refundable fee for certified copies of the marriage licenses. (Texas Health and Safety Code 191.0045).

Also, the Office of the Ector County District Clerk maintains divorce records and offers access to these cases. Requesters may obtain dissolution of marriage records by visiting the courthouse where the divorce was filed with adequate information regarding the Case. Alternatively, an inquirer may obtain these records from the online search portal the District Court clerk's office provides. On the portal, the requester should provide all related information, pay the required fees, and provide the method to acquire the records.

Ector County Birth and Death Records

The Office of Vital Records is the official regulatory body responsible for maintaining records of vital cases in the County, including birth and death records. However, birth and death records are not accessible to the public for inspection; thus, to obtain birth records, a requester must be a relative (spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild) to the party, a legal representative with proof, or the party themselves.

Qualified researchers may visit the courthouse where the birth certificate was issued to obtain a record, with a nominal fee ($23.00 for certified copies and $23.00 for each extra copy) or visit the Vital Records search portal. Subsequently, the researcher should provide the full name of the case party and select the birth county (Ector or another county), birth state, parent names, country(-ies), and states. After that, the requester should provide their details (name, address, verification details, driver's license, and contact information), as well as the purpose of the request.

Death records are also available at the Office of Vital Records, and requesters may decide to acquire death records by visiting the physical location of the courthouse or using the search portal provided by the Vital Records Office. The fee for obtaining a death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each extra copy, which may be paid by check, money order, or cash.

Ector County Probate Court Records

In Ector County, the County Clerk is the body responsible for handling probate records. Under this office, the County Court, County Court at Law, and County Court at Law #2 specifically oversee probate matters. The clerk handles multiple probate responsibilities, such as filing cases, maintaining records of proceedings, issuing processes, and issuing certified appeals and copies.

Most probate cases are accessible to members of the public in Ector County, so researchers can visit the courthouses that have acquired a probate filing to access case details or buy copies of documents. One may contact the Probate Court via e-mail EctorCountyClerk.Probate@ectorcountytx.gov. Researchers should also ensure to include a probate search fee ($5) instituted by the County Clerk's office. Additional information on Probate and Civil Fees and Court Costs in Ector County is available here.

Ector County Property Records

Ector County Clerk handles real property records of all residents in the County, especially plats, liens, deeds, and mortgage documents submitted to the office. Inquirers may obtain copies of property records by querying the office physically, by mail, or using the District Court Search Portal and Land Records portals. Fees apply to acquiring a copy of a property record.

Mail and in-person requests may be sent to:

County Clerk

300 North Grant St., #111
P.O. Box 707
Odessa, TX 79760
Phone: (432) 498-4130

Ector County Court Records Online

Inquirers can look up Ector County Court records online by visiting government and third-party websites. Third-party websites like Texascourtrecords.us aggregate public records from several repositories and provide them to interested persons on request.

One notable benefit of third-party platforms is convenience, as the platform simplifies the search process across various jurisdictions in a unified place. Furthermore, they often offer quick access to public records without visiting multiple official websites or offices.