Bexar County Court Records Search | Criminal and Civil Cases Bexar County Court Records Search

Bexar County, Texas · Criminal, civil, family, misdemeanor and probate case lookup

Use One Bexar County Smart Search—Then Follow the Case to the Right Clerk

Bexar County has moved its main court-record lookup into a newer Justice Information Portal. You do not need to create a public account. Start with the case number if you have it; otherwise enter the person or business name in Last, First Middle order and open the matching case.

The important part is knowing what you found. Felony and civil district cases belong to the District Clerk, while county-level misdemeanors, County Court at Law civil cases and probate records are handled by the County Clerk. This guide shows how to search, narrow a crowded result list, read the docket, find a hearing, order a certified copy and fix the most common “no record found” problems.

Open Bexar County Justice Portal See exact Smart Search steps Which clerk has my case?

Case number Full party name Approximate filing year Criminal SO or booking number Court type if known

BEXAR DUAL-DOCKET EXCHANGE PUBLIC SEARCH

ODYSSEY PORTAL CASE LOOKUP

CASE + COURT + EVENTS FOUND

Quick answer: The current Bexar County Justice Information Portal is the best starting point for both criminal and civil court searches. The County says the older court-record search at search.bexar.org has been consolidated into this newer portal. Public users do not need to register.

Public access

No registration is required for the Justice Information Portal.

Name format

Search names as Last, First Middle.

Wildcard

Use * when part of a name or number is uncertain.

Result limit

The current portal guide says a maximum of 200 results display.

Official review

Local court procedures checked August 7, 2026.

Start with the case type

Which Bexar County court record are you actually looking for?

DISTRICT CLERK Felony criminal case

Use for felony indictments, criminal district court proceedings, appeals, post-conviction writs and related district-level records.

Follow the felony record path

COUNTY CLERK Class A or B misdemeanor

County Criminal Courts at Law handle county-level misdemeanor cases. The County Clerk maintains these records.

Follow the misdemeanor path

DISTRICT CLERK District civil or family case

Use for civil district suits and district-level family matters such as divorce and child-related litigation.

Search district civil records

COUNTY CLERK County civil case

The County Clerk handles civil matters filed in Bexar County Courts at Law. Its current FAQ states county civil jurisdiction reaches up to $200,000.

Search county civil records

COUNTY CLERK Probate or guardianship

Estate, will, guardianship and related probate records are maintained by the County Clerk Probate Department.

Open the probate route

SEPARATE COURT SYSTEM Small claim, eviction or Class C case

Justice of the Peace courts handle small claims and debt cases up to $20,000, evictions and many Class C matters.

Find the correct separate court

Do not send every court-record request to the general Bexar County open-records portal. The County specifically directs District Court records and divorce decrees to the District Clerk, while County Court at Law and probate records should go to the County Clerk.

Current Odyssey portal

Search a Bexar County case by number or name

Bexar County launched a new Justice Information Portal and consolidated its older Court Records Search, Fugitive Search and Bail Bond Search into the newer portal at portal-txbexar.tylertech.cloud.

Open the official Justice Information Portal Public registration is not required. Open the Bexar County Justice Portal

Select Smart Search The Smart Search icon is the main route for finding a court case by record number or party name.

Use the case number when you have it Enter the record number directly into the main search field. This usually avoids same-name matches.

Otherwise enter the name as Last, First Middle The name may belong to a defendant, plaintiff, attorney, judge, company or another indexed party.

Complete the portal verification Follow any CAPTCHA or verification prompt shown before submitting.

Open Advanced Filtering Options if the search is broad This exposes additional party, case, judgment and location filters.

Submit and compare the returned cases Use the case number, party, case type, filing date and court information to identify the correct case.

Click the case number The case opens in a separate results view with the summary and available case activity.

Scroll through Hearings and Events The current guide says these entries are shown newest first.

Use Show More or Show All Do this when the case has more events than initially displayed.

Useful habit: Once you locate the correct case, save the exact case number. It is the most useful identifier when calling a clerk, requesting copies, checking a hearing or returning to the portal later.

Search like a records clerk

Use wildcards and filters instead of scrolling through hundreds of names

Wildcard search

Unsure of the first name?

Try a search such as Smith, J*. The asterisk works as a wildcard in the current portal.

Capitalization does not matter

The County guide says names are not case-sensitive.

Wildcard minimums

The guide lists a minimum of one first-name character, three last-name characters and four case-number characters when using wildcard searches.

Advanced Filtering Options

Filter by court area or location

Filter by search type

Narrow party criteria

Filter by case type

Filter by case status

Use a filing-date range

Filter by judicial officer

Use criminal cross-reference identifiers when available

Criminal-search shortcut: The current Bexar County portal guide explains that Party Search Criteria can narrow criminal results using identifiers such as an SO Number or Booking Number. This is useful when a common name produces too many cases.

Cross-reference search: When you have a CB number, FBI number or another supported cross-reference identifier, open Advanced Filtering Options and change the search type to Case Cross-Reference Number.

Public warrant-search limitation: Bexar County’s current Portal User Guide says detailed warrant searching is restricted to certain authorised justice partners. Do not assume a missing public warrant result proves that no warrant exists.

Open the official 22-page Portal User Guide Watch Bexar County portal training

Case result decoder

Know which fields matter before you request a document

What a Bexar County court result can tell you
Field	What it helps confirm	Common mistake	What to do next
Case number	The unique court case you are viewing.	Using only a party name when requesting copies.	Save this number exactly as displayed.
Party name	The person, company, plaintiff, defendant or other party indexed in the case.	Assuming a common-name result is the correct person.	Compare dates, case type and known facts.
Case type	Whether the matter is criminal, civil, family, probate or another case category.	Calling the wrong clerk because the case type was ignored.	Route the copy request to the proper custodian.
Case status	A current procedural status in the portal.	Treating “closed” as the actual judgment or disposition.	Read the events, orders and disposition.
Filed date	When the court case was filed.	Assuming it is the arrest date or incident date.	Use it to distinguish same-name cases.
Judicial officer	The judge or judicial officer connected to the case entry.	Assuming the assignment can never change.	Check the current hearing or docket.
Hearings	Scheduled or recorded court appearances available through the system.	Using an older hearing when a newer setting exists.	Check the newest event first.
Events	Chronological activity such as filings, orders or court actions.	Reading only the first 50 entries in a large case.	Use Show More or Show All.
Disposition / judgment	How a count, claim or case was resolved when that information is available.	Relying on a booking record or case-status label instead.	Order the judgment or disposition if proof is needed.

The current portal guide states that the search screen displays a maximum of 200 results. Only six result columns can be displayed at once. If a name produces a large list, narrow the search rather than assuming the desired case is absent.

Inside a case, the portal guide says Hearings and Events are sorted in reverse chronological order, newest first. The initial display may show only 50 entries, so use Show More or Show All on a long-running case.

No record found?

Fix the search before assuming the Bexar County case does not exist

Name order is wrong Enter the party as Last, First Middle rather than typing the name in normal conversational order.

The spelling is uncertain Use the wildcard. Try a shortened first name, alternate surname or previous name.

Too many results appear Add the filing-date range, case type, case status, judicial officer or criminal identifier.

You bookmarked the old system Bexar County has consolidated its prior search.bexar.org tools into the new Justice Information Portal.

The case is in another court system Municipal, Justice of the Peace and federal matters may require another court’s search.

The record is restricted Juvenile, sealed, expunged, mental-health and other confidential matters may have limited or no public access.

The case is extremely old Contact the responsible clerk or historical-record section when the portal does not return the archived case.

The document itself is missing A case entry can exist even when the pleading or judgment image is not available to download online.

Copy-ready “case not found” call

I am trying to locate a Bexar County [criminal / civil / family / probate] case involving [full name]. The approximate filing year is [year], and I have [case number / SO number / booking number / opposing party] if helpful. I searched the Justice Information Portal but could not identify the correct case. Can you confirm which clerk or court maintains the record and what identifier I should use?

Criminal court records

Separate felony records from county misdemeanor records

Felony case

Custodian: Bexar County District Clerk

Criminal District Court cases
Felony indictments
Criminal pleadings
Warrants and court directives entered in district cases
Criminal appeals
Post-conviction writs
Felony judgments and dispositions

Criminal Filing: 210-335-2591

County misdemeanor case

Custodian: Bexar County Clerk

County Criminal Courts at Law
Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases
Court dates and case numbers
Judgments, sentences and dismissals
County misdemeanor background searches
Bond-forfeiture records

Criminal Central Filing: 210-335-2238

If the arrest happened very recently

Bexar County’s Central Magistrate search is useful before a complete court history is available. The County states that it covers people arrested for a Class B offense or higher who were processed by the Central Magistrate Office within the last 24 hours.

Search recent Central Magistrate arrests Continue to the court case

An arrest is not the same as a court disposition. A Magistrate or jail result can help identify a new case, but use the court record to determine the filed charge, hearings, judgment, dismissal or other outcome.

Civil, family and divorce records

Determine whether the civil case belongs to the District Clerk or County Clerk

Common Bexar County civil-record routes
Case	Likely record custodian	Useful search information	Next step
Civil District Court lawsuit	District Clerk	Case number, plaintiff, defendant, company or attorney.	Search Odyssey and contact Civil Records if a copy is needed.
Divorce case	District Clerk	Either spouse’s name and approximate filing year.	Locate the case number before requesting the decree.
Child-related district case	District Clerk	Party names and case number when public access is permitted.	Expect privacy limits in sensitive matters.
County Court at Law civil case	County Clerk	Case number, plaintiff and defendant.	Use Civil Central Filing for copies or filing questions.
Appeal from Justice Court	County Clerk after appeal reaches County Court at Law	JP case information, party names and appellate county case number.	Check the County Court at Law case.

District Clerk Civil Records: 210-335-2661
County Clerk Civil Central Filing: 210-335-2231

Looking specifically for a divorce decree? Search either spouse first, confirm the case number and then request the decree from the District Clerk. The County’s open-records page specifically routes divorce decrees to the District Clerk rather than the general open-records portal.

Probate and guardianship

Search the Odyssey Portal before calling the Probate Department

The Bexar County Clerk’s Probate Department preserves probate records and handles requests for non-certified and certified copies, letters testamentary, guardianship letters and order-status questions.

Open the Justice Information Portal Search the decedent, applicant, ward or case number when known.

Confirm the case number and probate type This reduces delays when requesting a will, order or letters.

Identify the exact document needed A complete case file may be unnecessary when you only need an order, will, inventory or letter.

Call the Probate Department for certified copies or letters Main line: 210-335-2241.

Bexar County Clerk Probate Department
Bexar County Courthouse
100 Dolorosa
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: 210-335-2241
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding County holidays

Guardianship case numbering changed beginning October 1, 2025. When an older guardianship search does not behave as expected, search by party name and filing period rather than guessing the case-number format.

Cases outside the main county route

A missing case may belong to Justice Court, Municipal Court or another system

Justice of the Peace

Bexar County Justice Courts handle small claims, debt claims, evictions, repair-and-remedy cases and many Class C criminal matters.

The current JP civil page states that small claims and debt claims may seek up to $20,000, excluding statutory interest and court costs but including attorney fees.

Find the correct Justice Court

San Antonio Municipal Court

A City of San Antonio traffic ticket, municipal ordinance matter or other municipal Class C case is not the same as a County Court at Law criminal case.

Use the City’s Municipal Court system when the citation came from that court.

Open San Antonio Municipal Court

Federal court

A federal criminal, civil or bankruptcy matter is not a Bexar County state-court case.

Check the federal court system when the case was filed in U.S. District Court or Bankruptcy Court.

Open the U.S. District Court for Western Texas

Watch for stale Bexar County FAQ text about small claims. Some older County Clerk FAQ material still mentions a $10,000 threshold. Bexar County’s current Justice of the Peace civil page states the present limit as $20,000.

Court date vs. case history

Use a docket for today’s appearance and the case record for the full story

Online court docket

Best when you need:

Scheduled court date
Courtroom or assigned court
Daily civil or criminal settings
A quick schedule check

Justice Portal case record

Best when you need:

Case number
Party names
Case type and status
Hearings and events
Orders or disposition information
A longer procedural history

Open Bexar County Dockets & Records Search the complete case

The Portal User Guide also documents a Search Hearings tool. Current published examples focus on criminal hearing searches, so use the normal case search or published court docket if the hearing-search menu does not offer the case area you need.

Plain and certified documents

Finding the case online does not automatically give you the official document

The Justice Information Portal is designed as a free public information resource. Bexar County warns that portal information is not a replacement for official records obtained directly from the responsible County office.

Currently published Bexar County copy charges
Office	Copy type	Published charge	Use
County Clerk	Non-certified court copy	$1 per page	Personal reference or ordinary file copy.
County Clerk	Certified court copy	$1 per page + $5 certification	Official proof when certification is required.
District Clerk	Copy	$1 per page	Current posted miscellaneous fee schedule.
District Clerk	Certified copy	$5 per document after copy fee	Certified judgment, decree, order or other document.
District Clerk	Records search	$5	A clerk-performed search when applicable.

Fees can change. Confirm the current amount, accepted payment method and total page count with the responsible clerk before mailing payment.

County Clerk copy request

The County Clerk states that civil, probate and criminal copy requests can be submitted through eFiling, by mail or in person. Include the name and case file number whenever available.

Copy-ready court-document request

I am requesting a [plain / certified] copy of the following document from Bexar County case [case number], styled [case name if known]: [judgment / dismissal / decree / petition / order / sentence / other document]. Please advise the page count, certification charge, total cost and available delivery methods before processing if additional fees apply.

District Clerk payment note

The District Clerk’s current fee page states that personal checks are not accepted. Its listed payment methods include cash, cashier’s checks, money orders, Discover, Visa and Mastercard. Business checks are limited to specified professional or account holders.

Local criminal-history letters

A court-record search and a background search answer different questions

Felony background search

The District Clerk’s Criminal Operations section conducts Bexar County felony background checks.

Current published fee: $5.

The official page states that requests may be made in person or by mail, with payment included for mailed requests.

Misdemeanor background search

The County Clerk’s Criminal Central Filing Department handles Bexar County misdemeanor background searches.

Current published fee: $5 for the first 10 years and $1 for each additional year.

Mail requests require the identifying details listed by the County Clerk and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

These are Bexar County searches—not nationwide criminal background checks. A county clerk search should not be described as a complete Texas or national criminal-history report.

Older and archived cases

When the case predates the modern Justice Portal

Try Smart Search first Search by party name and widen the filing-date range.

Use the exact historical case number if known A case number is usually more reliable than guessing how an older name was indexed.

Contact the record custodian Ask whether the case is archived, imaged, microfilmed or stored outside the active records section.

Request the specific document Asking for a judgment, decree or order can be faster and cheaper than ordering an entire old file.

District Clerk Records Office: 210-335-2653
District Clerk Civil Records: 210-335-2661

The District Clerk also lists a Records & Training Center at 232 Iowa Street in San Antonio and states that this facility requires an appointment. Call the District Clerk before travelling there.

Understand what you found

Useful next steps when you are handling the case without a lawyer

Save the complete case number

Use it whenever you call a clerk, search a docket, request a copy or file a document.

Read the newest event first

The portal lists current events at the top. An older setting may have been reset or replaced.

Do not interpret “closed” by itself

Find the judgment, dismissal, decree, sentence or disposition that actually explains how the case ended.

Use certified copies only when needed

A plain copy may be enough for personal research. Ask the receiving agency whether certification is required.

Check local rules before filing

Court-record access does not tell you how to prepare a pleading or meet a legal deadline.

Use self-help resources for procedure

Bexar County links to its Law Library, TexasLawHelp and Office of Court Administration self-help material.

Open Bexar County judicial resources Open TexasLawHelp

Local court-record contacts

Call the department that actually maintains the case

Bexar County District Clerk

Paul Elizondo Tower
101 W. Nueva, Suite 217
San Antonio, TX 78205-3411

Main: 210-335-2113

All District Clerk mail is directed to this address.

District Clerk Criminal Filing

Paul Elizondo Tower
101 W. Nueva
San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2591

Felony criminal records and filing assistance.

District Clerk Civil Records

Paul Elizondo Tower
101 W. Nueva
San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2661

District Clerk Records Office

210-335-2653

Useful for archived or document-access questions.

Bexar County Clerk

Bexar County Courthouse
100 Dolorosa, Suite 104
San Antonio, TX 78205

Main: 210-335-2216

County Clerk Criminal Central Filing

100 Dolorosa
Courthouse Basement
San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2238

County Clerk Civil Central Filing

100 Dolorosa
Courthouse Basement
San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2231

County Clerk Probate Department

100 Dolorosa
San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2241

County Clerk walk-in hours: The County Clerk currently publishes Monday–Friday hours of 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. for the Courthouse and Paul Elizondo Tower, with selected Wednesday services extended to 5:45 p.m. Check the specific department before travelling.

Map to the Bexar County Courthouse

Map to the Paul Elizondo Tower

Before driving downtown: Call the specific clerk section if you need an archived file, certified document or specialised service. Confirm that the document is available at that location and ask whether an appointment, payment or case number is required.

Common search mistakes

Six things that make a Bexar County court search harder than it needs to be

Using the retired search bookmark

Use the new Justice Information Portal instead of relying on an old search.bexar.org bookmark.

Typing the name in the wrong order

The portal guide instructs public users to search names in Last, First Middle format.

Ignoring Advanced Filters

A common surname can easily hit the portal’s result limit. Narrow the list instead of manually opening every case.

Calling the County Clerk for a felony

Felony cases are District Clerk records. County-level misdemeanors are County Clerk records.

Assuming the portal contains every document image

The public case summary and the official certified record are not the same product.

Searching the county for a municipal or JP case

Traffic tickets, small claims and other local matters can belong to a different court system.

10 title-specific questions

Bexar County court-record questions answered

How do I search Bexar County court records online?

Use the official Bexar County Justice Information Portal. Public registration is not required. Open Smart Search and enter either a case number or a name in Last, First Middle format. You can then use Advanced Filtering Options to narrow the results by court area, case type, case status, filing dates, judicial officer and other available criteria.

Can I search Bexar County court cases by name?

Yes. In Smart Search, enter the name in Last, First Middle format. Bexar County’s current Odyssey Portal guide also supports wildcard searching with an asterisk. For example, Smith, J* can help when you are unsure of the exact first-name spelling.

Where do I search Bexar County felony court records?

Felony criminal cases are maintained by the Bexar County District Clerk. Search the Justice Information Portal first, then contact District Clerk Criminal Filing at 210-335-2591 when you need assistance or an official document that is not available through the public portal.

Where do I search Bexar County misdemeanor cases?

County-level misdemeanor cases are maintained by the Bexar County Clerk’s Criminal Division. Search the Justice Information Portal and use the County Clerk Criminal Central Filing Department at 210-335-2238 for case-number, court-date, judgment, sentence, dismissal or copy questions.

Where are Bexar County civil and divorce court records kept?

The Bexar County District Clerk is the custodian of civil district court records, including district-level family matters such as divorce cases. County Court at Law civil cases are handled by the Bexar County Clerk. Check the court type and case location in the Justice Information Portal before requesting copies.

How do I find a Bexar County court date or hearing?

Open the Bexar County Justice Information Portal and search the case. Review Hearings and Events inside the case summary. Bexar County also publishes online civil and criminal court dockets. A docket is useful for a scheduled appearance, while the case record is better for the complete history.

Why can I find the Bexar County case but not see the actual document?

The public Justice Information Portal is a case-information search and does not guarantee that every filed document image is publicly downloadable. Restricted, confidential, sealed or non-imaged material may also be unavailable online. Contact the County Clerk or District Clerk that maintains the case to request a plain or certified copy.

How much does a certified Bexar County court record cost?

The Bexar County County Clerk currently lists non-certified copies at $1 per page and certified copies at $1 per page plus a $5 certification fee. The District Clerk’s posted fee schedule also lists copies at $1 per page and a $5 certified-copy charge per document after the copy fee. Confirm current charges before ordering.

What should I do if a Bexar County case does not appear in Smart Search?

Try the name in Last, First format, remove unnecessary middle-name information, use the wildcard search, broaden the filing-date range and confirm that you are searching the correct court system. Municipal, Justice of the Peace, federal, juvenile, sealed and some confidential cases may require a different search or may have restricted public access.

Are Bexar County court records the same as arrest records?

No. An arrest or Central Magistrate result shows information connected to an arrest and initial processing. A court record shows the filed case, court activity, hearings, orders and disposition. For a recent Class B or higher arrest, the Central Magistrate search may help identify the case before you continue to the Justice Information Portal.

Official resources reviewed

Primary sources behind this Bexar County court-record guide

Justice Information Portal

District Clerk

County Clerk and other courts

Accuracy and court-record use notice

Texas-arrest.org is an independent informational resource and is not the Bexar County District Clerk, Bexar County Clerk, Bexar County courts, Sheriff’s Office, City of San Antonio or any Texas or federal court.

Court records can be corrected, sealed, restricted, supplemented or updated after an online search. Portal information may also be incomplete or delayed. Bexar County itself states that information obtained from the Justice Information Portal is not intended to replace official documents obtained directly from the responsible County office.

Verify identity carefully when searching by name. For criminal cases, an accusation or pending charge does not establish guilt. For legal deadlines, filing decisions, appeals or interpretation of an order, consult the court, an authorised legal resource or a qualified attorney.

Last official-source review: August 7, 2026. The page intentionally uses the current Justice Information Portal rather than the retired court-record search, distinguishes County Clerk and District Clerk records, and uses the current Bexar County Justice of the Peace $20,000 civil-claim limit instead of outdated $10,000 FAQ language still visible on some older County pages.

Bexar County Court Records Search | Criminal and Civil Cases