Build the Criminal History From the Actual Court Files
A Fort Bend County “criminal record” is not one document sitting in one database. A felony case is maintained through the District Clerk, while most Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases are maintained through the County Clerk. Both can appear through the county’s Odyssey court-search system.
If you are checking a person’s history, start with the local court case, verify the defendant, then read the charge, filing activity and final disposition. Use Texas DPS only when you need a broader statewide criminal-history search rather than one Fort Bend County case.
Start with the Fort Bend County District Clerk.
Class A and B cases route through the County Clerk.
Odyssey Public Access includes Criminal Case Records.
Texas DPS provides a separate name-based search.
Official procedures checked August 11, 2026.
Which kind of criminal record are you trying to find?
Use the cause number whenever possible, then review filing information, parties, register of actions and available documents.
Go to felony recordsThis is the route for Class A and B misdemeanors such as many DWI, assault and theft cases.
Go to misdemeanor recordsLocate the final judgment, dismissal, plea or other court action for each count.
Decode the outcomeDPS searches Texas criminal-history information; it is not the same as Fort Bend County’s local court docket.
Compare the systemsFort Bend County criminal records are split between two clerks
District Clerk — felony criminal cases
The District Clerk provides criminal court services for Fort Bend County’s Judicial District Courts. Use this side of the system for felony criminal cases.
- Felony criminal case records
- District-court docket activity
- Judgments and post-judgment records
- Appeals and criminal court filings
- Historical criminal index and minute books
- Certified district-court documents
County Clerk — misdemeanor cases
The County Clerk maintains Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases handled by the Fort Bend County Courts at Law.
- Class A and Class B misdemeanors
- DWI, theft, assault and other qualifying misdemeanor cases
- Class C appeals from Justice of the Peace courts
- Class C appeals from municipal courts
- Misdemeanor cases from 1983 forward
- Certain unfiled misdemeanor cases from October 2, 2017 forward
Search Fort Bend criminal cases step by step
Use Fort Bend’s built-in search tools instead of guessing names
Tool |
Use it when |
How it works |
Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
Soundex |
You know approximately how the name sounds. |
Check “Use Soundex” to return similar-sounding names. |
Do not use Soundex and wildcard searching together. |
First-name wildcard |
Only part of the first name is known. |
Enter at least one letter, then place * where the unknown letters begin. |
At least one character is required before *. |
Last-name wildcard |
A surname may end in more than one spelling. |
For example, a search beginning Gonzale* can capture multiple endings. |
At least one character is required before *. |
Case-number wildcard |
Part of the cause number is missing. |
Place * after the known portion. |
At least four non-dash characters are required before the wildcard. |
Which criminal court documents actually answer your question?
Shows the formal allegation filed in court. It can differ from the offense label shown during arrest or booking.
Shows the sequence of filings, hearings, settings, orders and other court events.
Can show release conditions, modifications, forfeiture activity or judicial bond decisions.
May show whether a defendant entered a guilty, no-contest or other plea and under what terms.
Usually provides one of the strongest records for establishing how a charge was formally resolved.
Shows that a prosecution or count was dismissed; read the document rather than assuming why it occurred.
May identify jail, probation, fine, treatment or other terms ordered by the court.
A trial-court judgment may not be the final procedural step when an appeal or post-judgment matter follows.
Use this when an employer, agency, lawyer, immigration professional or record-clearing process requires official proof.
Follow the case from accusation to disposition
Law enforcement records what allegedly happened and may make an arrest.
The case can be filed, changed, declined or handled differently from the original arrest allegation.
The County or District Clerk creates the criminal court record.
Hearings, motions, plea negotiations, trial or other proceedings appear in the docket.
Read the final action for each count and obtain the judgment or dismissal when proof matters.
Result |
What it generally tells you |
What to inspect next |
|---|---|---|
Pending |
The criminal matter has not reached a final disposition. |
Read the latest docket event and next setting. |
Dismissed |
The court record reflects dismissal of the listed charge or count. |
Open the dismissal document and confirm which count was dismissed. |
Acquitted / Not Guilty |
The defendant was not convicted on that count after adjudication. |
Obtain the judgment when official proof is needed. |
Deferred adjudication |
The case followed a deferred-adjudication process rather than an ordinary conviction judgment. |
Read the order and final discharge information carefully. |
Conviction |
A conviction judgment was entered on that count. |
Review offense level, judgment, sentence and later appellate activity. |
Closed |
Administrative status indicating the case is no longer active in the same way. |
Do not use “closed” as the disposition—find the judgment, dismissal or other controlling order. |
A missing search result does not always mean no criminal record exists
A felony search and misdemeanor search may be maintained under different clerk responsibilities even though Odyssey is the common public interface.
An arrest can exist before a prosecutor files a court case.
The County Clerk lists a separate search for certain unfiled misdemeanor matters from October 2, 2017 forward.
Try Soundex, wildcard searching, a former surname or a known maiden name.
The original case may be held by a Justice of the Peace or municipal court rather than the County Clerk.
A Fort Bend resident can have a criminal case filed in Harris, Brazoria, Wharton or any other jurisdiction where the event occurred.
The District Clerk maintains a separate historical system for index and minute books from 1821–1980.
The County Clerk is migrating legacy court-related documents into Odyssey, and some sensitive legacy images are temporarily unavailable to the general public.
Sealed, expunged, juvenile or otherwise confidential records may not appear through ordinary public access.
Order the right certified criminal record from the right clerk
District Clerk certified felony documents
Fort Bend County launched an updated District Clerk E-Certify service on June 22, 2026. Eligible documents can be searched, previewed and purchased online.
- Preview up to the first 50 pages of an available document before purchase.
- Electronic certified documents can be delivered by email.
- Attorneys and parties may sign in for eligible additional document access.
- Sealed or otherwise restricted documents remain unavailable through ordinary public access.
- Electronic certifications can later be authenticated by code or file upload.
County Clerk certified misdemeanor documents
Eligible County Clerk misdemeanor court documents can also be purchased electronically through E-Certify.
- Search by name or case number.
- Preview eligible documents before adding them to the cart.
- The certificate contains the County Clerk’s digital signature.
- Only eligible viewable, non-confidential records are available online.
- Paper and request-form routes remain available when an online document cannot be obtained.
Current District Clerk copy and search charges
Service |
Published charge |
Important detail |
|---|---|---|
Staff felony name search |
$5 per name searched |
Standard staff search covers 10 years unless otherwise requested. |
Electronic non-certified copy |
$1 first 10 pages + $0.10 each additional page |
Per document. |
Electronic certified copy |
$5 certificate + electronic copy fee |
E-Certify also currently adds a $6 service fee. |
Paper non-certified copy |
$1 per page |
Written copy request required when ordering through staff. |
Paper certified copy |
$5 certificate + $1 per page |
Use when the receiving agency requires paper certification. |
Exemplified copy |
$5 certificate + $1 per page |
Confirm the exact document requirement before ordering. |
Current County Clerk copy charges
Copy |
Published charge |
Extra consideration |
|---|---|---|
Plain paper copy |
$1 per page |
Non-certified. |
Electronic non-certified |
$1 up to 10 pages, then $0.10 per page over 10 |
Applies to eligible non-certified electronic records. |
Certified paper or electronic |
$1 per page + $5 certification |
Electronic E-Certify currently has an additional $6 service fee. |
Authentication certificate |
$5 |
Separate authentication service. |
Do not use the modern case search as your only historical source
The Fort Bend County District Clerk maintains a separate electronic historical-record collection containing Criminal, Civil and Family Index and Minute Books from 1821 through 1980.
The historical workflow is different from Odyssey. First search the index for a party or case. Use the resulting book, volume and page information to locate the corresponding document.
County Clerk misdemeanor history
Fort Bend court records and Texas DPS answer different questions
Search |
Best for |
Cost |
Major limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
Fort Bend Odyssey |
Specific Fort Bend County criminal court cases and docket activity. |
Public case search itself is available online. |
It is a county court-record search, not a full Texas criminal-history report. |
District Clerk staff search |
Written felony name search when staff assistance is needed. |
$5 per name. |
Default scope is 10 years unless otherwise instructed. |
Texas DPS Criminal History |
A broader public Texas name-based criminal-history search. |
$1 search credit; payment fees may apply to credit-card purchases. |
Name-based matching can return the wrong person or miss the right record. |
Fingerprint personal review |
Checking or disputing your own DPS criminal-history identity. |
Fingerprint/vendor fees depend on the current process. |
This is a personal identity/accuracy process, not a public name lookup. |
Cross-check the court record with jail information when the arrest was recent
Helps answer whether the person was booked, remains in custody or has been released from Fort Bend County detention.
Helps answer what charge was formally filed and what happened after the arrest.
Helps explain the allegation and investigation but is not itself the final court disposition.
A red “W” is a warrant indicator—not a criminal-history outcome
Fort Bend County’s Odyssey help page states that a red W icon beside a case number means an active warrant exists for an individual on that case record.
Open the case and verify the correct defendant and court before relying on it.
A warrant can exist in a pending or post-failure-to-appear case. It does not tell you whether the underlying allegation ultimately resulted in conviction.
Know who to contact after you understand the record
Interviews criminal defendants requesting court-appointed counsel and evaluates financial information for indigency.
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Suite 30480Richmond, TX 77469
Handles appointed felony and misdemeanor cases for eligible indigent defendants, including certain defendants with mental-health needs.
1422 Eugene Heimann CircleRichmond, TX 77469
If the docket shows community supervision and you need your assigned probation contact, the District Clerk directs probation questions to Fort Bend County CSCD.
Correct the system that actually owns the mistake
Get the disposition before researching expunction or nondisclosure
Eligible Texas expunction orders can require covered criminal-history records to be destroyed or removed from specified agencies. Eligibility is limited and depends heavily on the arrest and disposition.
An eligible nondisclosure order generally restricts public disclosure but does not erase the record from every government or authorized criminal-justice system.
Fort Bend County Justice Center
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Suite 20714
Richmond, TX 77469
281-341-3718
Fort Bend criminal-record contacts and courthouse locations
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Suite 31004
Richmond, TX 77469
281-341-4515
distclerk@fortbendcountytx.gov
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; open during lunch.
Missouri City, TX 77459
Use the current District Clerk page to confirm which services are available at the branch before travelling.
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Suite 11005
Richmond, TX 77469
cclerkcourts@fortbendcountytx.gov
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; open during lunch.
County Clerk E-Certify assistance for unavailable party/attorney documents: 281-341-8685
Use for assistance with the historical index and minute-book collection.
Richmond, TX 77469
Map to the Fort Bend County Justice Center
Six checks that make a criminal-record search more reliable
Fort Bend County criminal history and case-search FAQs
How do I search Fort Bend County criminal records?
Use Fort Bend County Odyssey Public Access for current court cases. Select Criminal Case Records, then search by case number, defendant, citation, attorney or date filed. Felony criminal records are maintained by the Fort Bend County District Clerk, while Class A and Class B misdemeanor records are maintained by the County Clerk.
Who keeps felony criminal records in Fort Bend County?
The Fort Bend County District Clerk maintains criminal records for the district courts, including felony cases. The District Clerk also offers online case search, historical criminal records, staff-assisted name searches and certified copies.
Who keeps misdemeanor criminal records in Fort Bend County?
The Fort Bend County Clerk maintains Class A and Class B misdemeanor court records handled by the County Courts at Law. Its online record information also includes Class C appeals from Justice of the Peace and municipal courts from 1983 forward and a separate search for certain unfiled misdemeanor cases from October 2, 2017 forward.
Can I search Fort Bend County criminal cases by name?
Yes. Odyssey Public Access allows a criminal Defendant search. The system also supports Soundex for similar-sounding names and an asterisk wildcard for incomplete names. Soundex and wildcard searching cannot be used at the same time.
What does the red W next to a Fort Bend County criminal case mean?
Fort Bend County’s Odyssey help page states that a red W icon next to a case number means there is an active warrant for an individual on that case record. Open the case and verify the defendant before assuming the warrant belongs to a particular person.
How much does a Fort Bend County District Clerk felony record search cost?
The District Clerk currently lists a fee of $5 for each name searched in felony records when staff performs the search. The standard staff search covers 10 years unless otherwise requested, must be submitted in writing and is generally processed within three business days after payment.
How do I get a certified Fort Bend County criminal court record?
Use the appropriate clerk for the case. District Clerk E-Certify handles eligible district-court documents, while County Clerk E-Certify handles eligible misdemeanor documents. Both clerks also provide paper-copy options when a document is unavailable online or a paper certification is required.
How far back do Fort Bend County criminal records go?
The District Clerk provides a separate historical-record system containing criminal, civil and family index and minute books ranging from 1821 through 1980. The County Clerk states that its Class A and B misdemeanor court records and Class C appeals are available from 1983 forward. Availability of individual images can vary.
Is a Fort Bend County criminal case search the same as a Texas criminal background check?
No. Fort Bend County court searches show cases maintained by local courts. The Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal History Name Search is a broader Texas criminal-history tool. DPS charges one search credit, currently $1, for a name search and warns that only fingerprint identification can positively link a person to a criminal record.
Can a Fort Bend County criminal record be expunged or hidden from public view?
Some Texas records may qualify for expunction or an order of nondisclosure, depending on the charge, disposition, waiting period, prior history and other circumstances. Obtain the complete disposition first. Expunction and nondisclosure are different remedies and neither should be confused with correcting an inaccurate record.