Collin County Criminal Records Search | History and Cases

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Collin County, Texas · Felony, misdemeanor, Justice Court, jail and historical case records

Search Collin County Court Cases, Criminal History and Older Records

Collin County does not keep every criminal record in one clerk’s office. Felony cases belong to the District Clerk, Class A and B misdemeanors belong to the County Court at Law Clerks, and many Class C matters are handled by Justice or municipal courts.

The quickest starting point is the county’s Judicial Online Search. Once you find a possible match, save the case number, court, filing date and defendant information before opening documents or requesting certified copies. For older cases, the year matters because some criminal files are not indexed online.

Search Collin County cases Compare all official search tools Need an older case?
Full legal name Date of birth Case / cause number Citation number Approximate filing year Felony or misdemeanor
COLLIN COUNTY RECORD TIME VAULT CASE ROUTING
1800s
1988 / 2000
2026
FELONY DISTRICT COURT 1988 → present
CLASS A/B MISDEMEANOR 2000 → present
OLDER CRIMINAL ARCHIVE Clerk-assisted search
CASE
CASE HISTORY
COURT + OUTCOME VERIFIED
A criminal case listing is not proof of guilt. A search result can show an accusation, arrest, citation, pending prosecution or other court event. Read the actual disposition for every count before describing the outcome.
Felony records

District Clerk; online history begins in 1988.

Class A/B misdemeanor

County Court at Law Clerks; online history begins in 2000.

Fastest broad search

Use Online Judicial Search by name, case or citation.

Same-day court changes

Case Record Inquiry is the real-time option.

Reviewed

Official county procedures checked August 8, 2026.

Start with jurisdiction

Which office actually has the criminal record?

DISTRICT CLERK Felony criminal case

Use for felony District Court pleadings, judgments, sentences, warrants, case history and certified court copies.

Felony record route
COUNTY COURT AT LAW Class A or B misdemeanor

The County Court at Law Clerks maintain misdemeanor cases, related bonds and court documents.

Misdemeanor route
JP / MUNICIPAL Class C or traffic matter

A fine-only case may be in a Justice Court or a city municipal court instead of the county misdemeanor database.

Find the right lower court
SHERIFF / POLICE Arrest, jail or offense report

Police reports and jail records belong to the agency that created them—not automatically to the court clerk.

Police and jail records
Best sequence: Find the case online → confirm the court and case number → read the docket and disposition → request only the court document or police report you actually need.

Go directly to your Collin County task

Three official search choices

Collin County has more than one court-search system

This is one of the most confusing parts of a Collin County record search. The county currently provides three useful search paths, and they do not refresh on the same schedule.

1 Online Judicial Search

Best first choice for most people. Search by name, case number or citation number. The county describes it as mobile-friendly and updated 24-7.

It can also connect users with current inmates, available mugshots, bond amounts and active warrants.

BEST ALL-AROUND START
Open Judicial Search
2 Case Search

Searches multiple case types through one screen and includes active District, County Court at Law and Justice Court cases plus defined historical ranges.

The county states that this database refreshes daily at 6 p.m.

EASY MULTI-COURT SEARCH
Open Case Search
3 Case Record Inquiry

Select one case type first, then search that category. The county states that this system updates in real time.

Criminal case records may include defendant mugshots when that information is available.

BEST FOR TODAY’S CHANGES
Open official search hub
If a hearing, bond order or filing happened today: check Case Record Inquiry before assuming the once-daily Case Search is already current.
Practical lookup

How to search a Collin County criminal case by name

Open Online Judicial Search Start with the county’s one-stop search rather than guessing whether the case is felony or misdemeanor. Open Judicial Search
Enter the defendant’s legal name Start with the last name and first name. Use middle name, suffix or another identifier when the result list is too broad.
Use the exact case or citation number when you have it A case number is usually safer than a name-only match and helps prevent mistaken identity.
Open every reasonable match Compare name, filing date, court, case type, charge and other available identifiers before deciding it is the correct person.
Identify which court owns the case District Court usually means the District Clerk. County Court at Law criminal matters route to the County Court at Law Clerks.
Read the docket instead of one status field Follow the case chronologically from filing through settings, bond orders, motions, pleas, dismissals, judgments or sentencing.
Check every count separately Several charges within one arrest can have different outcomes.
Save the case number and filing year You will need these details if you later request a certified disposition, judgment or older archived document.
Do not identify a person from name alone. Common names can return multiple defendants. Compare at least two independent identifiers before relying on a record.
Read the case correctly

What to save from a Collin County criminal case

Important fields and what they actually mean
Field
What it helps establish
Common mistake
Next check
Case / cause number
Identifies the individual court matter.
Assuming another case under the same name has the same outcome.
Use this number when ordering records.
Case type
Helps distinguish felony, misdemeanor, Justice Court or another jurisdiction.
Sending a felony request to the County Clerk.
Route it to the correct clerk.
Filing date
Shows when the court case entered the clerk’s system.
Treating it as the arrest date.
Compare with the arrest or police report.
Charge
Shows the offense alleged or filed in that court entry.
Treating a charge as a conviction.
Locate the disposition for the count.
Court
Shows which judge or court is handling the cause.
Calling the Sheriff’s Office for a court pleading.
Use the clerk responsible for that court.
Docket event
Records activity such as settings, motions, pleas or orders.
Reading one event as the final result.
Continue to the newest disposition entry.
Bond
Shows a release condition associated with a criminal matter.
Assuming a displayed bond proves current jail status.
Check the Sheriff’s inmate information.
Disposition
Shows how a charge was resolved or its current procedural outcome.
Ignoring separate counts or later orders.
Order a certified disposition if proof is required.
For employment, licensing, immigration or record clearing: a screenshot is often not the best proof. Identify the exact judgment, dismissal, order or disposition and request the certified court document when necessary.
District Court criminal records

Felony cases belong to the Collin County District Clerk

The District Clerk is the registrar and custodian for Collin County District Court records, including felony criminal cases, criminal warrants, judgments and sentences.

Online range

District Court criminal cases filed or completed from 1988 to the present are included in the county’s online search applications.

Older felony history

District Court criminal cases from the 1800s through 1987 require a manual District Clerk search.

What the clerk can provide

Case searches, pleadings, judgments, sentences, certified copies and other District Court documents that are public.

Collin County District Clerk
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building
2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12132
McKinney, TX 75071
Main: 972-548-4320
Records: 972-548-4106
Email: dcrecords@co.collin.tx.us
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Open District Clerk criminal page Open District Clerk record request form
The District Clerk states that criminal record searches are not provided by phone. Use the online database first or submit the formal record request.
County Court at Law records

Class A and B misdemeanors use a different clerk

Collin County has seven statutory County Courts at Law. Their criminal clerks file Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases and Class C appeals.

Online range

County Court at Law criminal cases filed or completed from 2000 to the present appear in the online case systems.

Older misdemeanor history

County Court at Law criminal cases from the 1800s through 1999 require a manual clerk search.

Criminal case or bond help

General misdemeanor case/bond information: 972-548-6420 or 972-548-6422.

Local routing detail: for a County Court at Law criminal records request, use the court-clerk location at 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12165. Do not assume the County Clerk’s general service counter at 2300 Bloomdale is the correct criminal-record desk.
County Court at Law Clerks — Criminal Records
2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12165
McKinney, TX 75071
Criminal: 972-548-6420
Email: cclclerks@co.collin.tx.us
Open misdemeanor criminal page Submit County Clerk record request
Class C and citation cases

A missing misdemeanor may actually be in a Justice or municipal court

Collin County Justice Courts handle many Class C matters, including traffic offenses and other fine-only misdemeanors. City-issued cases may instead belong to a municipal court in places such as Plano, McKinney, Frisco or Allen.

County citation or JP matter Search the county Judicial Online Search or Case Search and identify the Justice Court precinct.
Plano police or city citation Check Plano Municipal Court rather than assuming the Collin County Clerk holds the case.
McKinney city citation Use McKinney Municipal Court when the charging authority is the city.
Frisco or Allen citation Confirm which city issued the ticket before requesting county records.
Why this matters: a countywide name search can still leave you without the document you need if the underlying case is held by a municipal court.
Historical criminal records

Do not keep retrying the online search when the case is too old

Older District Court criminal case A felony-era District Court criminal case in this range requires a manual District Clerk search.
District Court criminal records move online District Court criminal cases filed or completed from 1988 onward are included in Collin County’s online applications.
Older County Court at Law criminal case Class A/B misdemeanor-era records in this period require a manual County Court at Law Clerk search.
County Court at Law criminal records move online Criminal cases filed or completed from 2000 onward are included in the current online systems.
Justice Court historical coverage The broader Case Search includes Justice Court historical cases from 1984 to the present.
Old felony search

Use the District Clerk Record Request Form.

Provide the person’s full name, date of birth and any approximate case year or cause information.

A $5 record-search fee applies.

Old misdemeanor search

Use the County Court at Law Clerk’s office at 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12165.

Provide the complete name and date of birth.

A $5 record-search fee applies.

Copy-ready historical record request
I am requesting a criminal case record search for [full legal name], date of birth [DOB]. The case is believed to have been filed or completed around [year or date range]. Possible charge or court information is [details]. Please advise whether a matching case exists, the cause number, available documents, copy cost and certification cost before processing copies.
Copies, certification and search fees

Know the document you need before paying for copies

District Clerk criminal-record copy prices published for 2026
Service
Published fee
When it applies
Record search
$5
When the cause number and/or requested pleading is unknown.
Noncertified paper copy
$1 per page
Ordinary paper reference copy.
Noncertified electronic copy
$1 up to 10 pages, then $0.10 per additional page
Electronic records already available in digital form.
Certified paper copy
$1 per page + $5 per document
When official certification and seal are required.
Disk over 100 pages
$20 per disk
Large record requests delivered by disk.
The current District Clerk Record Request Form says to allow up to 10 business days for a request, while noting that normal completion is generally 1–3 days. Historical record-search information on the District Clerk page separately states that searches are normally processed within one or two days of receipt.

County Court at Law misdemeanor-copy pricing

Noncertified paper

$1 per page.

Electronic copy

$1 for the first 10 pages, then $0.10 per page over 10.

Certified copy

$5 per document plus $1 per page.

The current County Clerk request form says to allow up to 5 business days, while noting that normal completion is generally 1–2 days.
Save money: find the case number and identify the exact judgment, dismissal, order, information, indictment or other pleading before submitting a copy request. A clerk search may add a separate search fee when you do not provide enough case information.
No-result troubleshooting

Why a Collin County criminal case may be missing

The case is older than the online range Felony cases before 1988 and County Court at Law criminal cases before 2000 require manual searches.
Today’s change is not in Case Search yet The general Case Search updates daily at 6 p.m.; use Case Record Inquiry for real-time changes.
The name changed or is formatted differently Try a former name, maiden name, middle name, suffix or alternate spelling.
The matter is Class C Check Justice Courts or the city municipal court that issued the citation.
The record is restricted Juvenile, expunged, sealed, confidential or nondisclosed information may not appear like an ordinary public case.
The arrest happened here but the prosecution did not An arrest location does not guarantee that Collin County is the county of prosecution.
You are searching the police record, not the court case An offense report is held by the law-enforcement agency that created it.
The person is in jail but no final court result exists A newly booked person may have a pending case with no disposition yet.
Arrest and police reports

A court-case search will not give you every police record

Collin County specifically directs users to the law-enforcement agency that made or took the report for arrest reports, 911 records, accident reports and other police records.

Collin County Sheriff’s report

Use the Sheriff’s Open Records page when CCSO created the offense, incident, dispatch or jail-related record.

  • Offense report: $5
  • Inmate mugshot photo: $5
  • Dispatch incident log: $3
  • Accident report: $6
  • $5 search fee when the offense number, call number or jailing date is not provided
Open Sheriff’s records instructions
City police report

If Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen or another police department created the report, request it from that agency—not the County Clerk or District Clerk.

Use the arresting-agency field, citation or court docket to identify the correct department before submitting a request.

Collin County Sheriff’s Open Records
4300 Community Avenue
McKinney, TX 75071
Records questions: 972-547-5199
Lobby: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Payments accepted until 4:30 p.m.
Copy-ready Sheriff’s records request
I request the releasable offense, arrest, incident or dispatch records for [full name] concerning the event on [date] at [location]. Known identifying information includes report/call number [number], jailing date [date], case number [number] and involved parties [names]. Please advise of any fees before processing if the estimated cost exceeds $[amount].
The Sheriff’s Office explicitly states that it does not release court records. Judicial records must be requested from the appropriate District, County Court at Law or Justice Court clerk.
When the criminal case involves current custody

Check the jail record separately from the court history

The Collin County inmate list includes people currently housed in the county jail and people released within the previous 24 hours. The Judicial Search can also connect inmate records with related criminal cases.

Open inmate information Search inmate and case
Detention Facility
4300 Community Avenue
McKinney, TX 75071

Detention Bureau: 972-547-5100

Bond posting

Cash and surety bonds are accepted at 4300 Community Avenue.

The Sheriff’s Office states that bonds can be posted 24/7.

Approved bond company

Use the Collin County Bail Bond Board’s current approved jail list instead of relying on unsolicited calls or ads.

Check Bail Bond Board

If you are helping someone currently in jail

Visitation

Visitors must arrive 20 minutes before the scheduled time and must be on the inmate’s visitation list.

Visits are 25 minutes, with five additional minutes allowed for walking time.

Check current visitation
Personal mail

Personal mail is scanned for inmate viewing and should not be mailed directly to the jail.

Collin County Detention Facility
Inmate’s Full Name, Inmate SO Number
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Verify mail instructions
Money and commissary

Collin County currently uses Access Corrections Secure Deposits.

Support: 636-888-7004

The jail does not accept cash, checks or money orders by mail.

Open inmate account instructions
Do not confuse release with dismissal. A person can leave the jail while a criminal case remains pending. Search the court docket after release.
County case vs statewide history

A Collin County search is not a complete Texas background check

Collin County Judicial Search

Best for court cases filed in Collin County and for connecting local criminal cases, jail records, bonds and warrants.

It does not replace a statewide Texas criminal-history repository search.

Texas DPS Criminal History

Use the Texas Department of Public Safety when you need a broader public Texas criminal-history name search.

The current DPS system charges one search credit per search, currently $1 before applicable transaction fees.

Open Texas DPS name search
Name-based criminal-history results can be wrong. Texas DPS warns that similar names can produce possible matches and that fingerprint identification is the reliable method for positively linking a person to a criminal record.
Checking your own record for an error? DPS recommends a fingerprint-based Personal Review when disputing the result of a name-based criminal-history search.
If this is your own pending case

Request appointed counsel instead of trying to interpret the docket alone

Collin County provides an online application for a person who says they do not have the means to hire counsel and wants the court to consider appointing an attorney.

Read Collin County Indigent Defense Open court-appointed counsel application
A clerk or law librarian can help locate records and legal resources, but they cannot tell you how you should defend a criminal case.

Curt B. Henderson Law Library

Russell A. Steindam Courts Building
2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 02536
McKinney, TX 75071
Phone: 972-548-4255
Email: lawlibrary@co.collin.tx.us
Expunction and nondisclosure

First determine how the case ended—then look at record clearing

Expunction

Expunction can require qualifying records to be destroyed or removed, but eligibility is limited and depends on the arrest, charge and final outcome.

Collin County’s District Clerk publishes an Expunction or 30-Day Acquittal Case Information Sheet and contact information for local agencies involved in expunction processing.

Open District Clerk expunction resources
Order of nondisclosure

Nondisclosure restricts public access to qualifying criminal-history information but is not the same as deleting every government record.

Collin County’s County Court at Law Clerk forms include a nondisclosure overview, petition instructions and a record-request form.

Open Collin County nondisclosure forms
Texas nondisclosure forms
Correction, expunction and nondisclosure are different tasks. If a record is factually wrong, first correct the office that owns the incorrect information. Do not assume a record-clearing petition is the way to fix a data-entry error.
Before going to McKinney

Courthouse access, parking and the correct Bloomdale building

Criminal courts and clerks
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building
2100 Bloomdale Road
McKinney, TX 75071
Parking

Collin County states that the Bloomdale Courthouse has plenty of free parking, including accessible parking.

Security

Visitors go through courthouse screening. Weapons and objects that can poke, stab or cut are prohibited.

The District Clerk also states that metal drink containers are not allowed.

County Clerk Plano office alert: as of this August 8, 2026 review, Collin County lists its Plano County Clerk office as closed until further notice because of flooding. Verify reopening before making a trip for any County Clerk service.

Map to the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building

Map to the Collin County Detention Facility

Fast problem solver

If you have this information, do this next

Turn the information you already have into the next useful action
You already have
Best next action
What to save
Only a person’s name
Run Online Judicial Search, then narrow by court, filing date and identifiers.
Case number, case type and court.
Case number
Open the exact case and identify the newest disposition or order.
Document title and filing date.
Old case year before 1988
Use the District Clerk manual record request for a felony-era District Court record.
Full name, DOB and estimated filing year.
Old misdemeanor before 2000
Request a County Court at Law clerk search.
Full name, DOB and approximate year.
Arrest date but no court case
Check current inmate data and request the arresting agency’s police record.
Agency, jailing date and report number.
Dismissal shown online
Request a certified dismissal or disposition if formal proof is needed.
Cause number and document date.
Possible statewide match
Compare the county court case and consider DPS Personal Review for your own disputed history.
Identifiers and disposition documents.
10 Collin County questions

Collin County criminal-record questions answered

How do I search Collin County criminal records online?

Start with Collin County’s Online Judicial Search. It can search court cases by name, case number or citation number and can also connect criminal cases with current inmates, mugshots where available, bond information and active warrants. For a more current same-day court update, use the Case Record Inquiry option from the county’s Case Information page because that system is updated in real time.

Who keeps felony criminal records in Collin County?

The Collin County District Clerk is the custodian of felony criminal cases filed in the district courts. District Court criminal cases from 1988 to the present are included in the county’s online case-search systems. Older felony criminal cases from the 1800s through 1987 require a manual District Clerk record search.

Who keeps misdemeanor criminal records in Collin County?

The Collin County County Court at Law Clerks handle Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases and Class C appeals. County Court at Law criminal cases from 2000 to the present are available through the county’s online case-search systems. Older County Court at Law criminal cases from the 1800s through 1999 require a manual search.

How far back do Collin County criminal records go online?

The county’s current online case systems include District Court criminal cases from 1988 to the present and County Court at Law criminal cases from 2000 to the present. The broader Case Search also includes Justice Court historical cases from 1984 to the present. Older records must be requested from the appropriate clerk.

What is the difference between Collin County Online Judicial Search and Case Search?

Online Judicial Search is the county’s mobile-friendly one-stop system for searching cases, inmates, mugshots, bonds and active warrants and is described by the county as updated 24-7. Case Search searches multiple case types on one screen but its data is updated once daily at 6 p.m. Case Record Inquiry searches one case type at a time and is updated in real time.

How much does a Collin County criminal record search or copy cost?

The District Clerk charges a $5 record-search fee when the cause number or requested pleading is unknown. Its current record request form lists noncertified paper copies at $1 per page, noncertified electronic copies at $1 for up to 10 pages plus $0.10 for each additional page, and certified paper copies at $1 per page plus $5 per document for certification and seal. The County Court at Law record request form publishes the same basic copy pricing for misdemeanor records.

Why can I not find a Collin County criminal case online?

The case may be too old for the online index, filed under a different name, in a municipal or Justice Court rather than a District or County Court at Law, newly filed and not yet reflected in the daily Case Search, restricted from public access, or associated with another county. Use the real-time Case Record Inquiry, broaden the name search and verify which court has jurisdiction before requesting a manual search.

Can Collin County criminal records show current inmates and warrants?

Yes. Collin County’s Online Judicial Search can connect users with current inmate information, available mugshots, bond amounts and active warrants. The Sheriff’s inmate list includes people currently incarcerated in the Collin County Jail and people released within the previous 24 hours.

Is a Collin County court search the same as a Texas criminal background check?

No. A Collin County court search is limited to cases maintained by Collin County courts. For a broader Texas public criminal-history search, use the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal History Name Search. DPS warns that name-based results can match the wrong person and that fingerprint identification is the reliable method for positively linking a person to a criminal record.

Can a Collin County criminal record be expunged or placed under nondisclosure?

Some Texas criminal records may qualify for expunction, while others may qualify for an order of nondisclosure, but the remedies are different and eligibility depends on the charge, disposition and other facts. Collin County’s District Clerk publishes expunction-related forms and agency-contact information, while the County Court at Law Clerks publish nondisclosure forms and instructions. Review the complete court disposition before deciding which process may apply.

Live official actions

Use these portals only when you are ready to search, request or verify

Search and court history
Copies and requests
When the case is broader
Accuracy, identity and legal-use notice

Texas-arrest.org is an independent informational resource. It is not Collin County, the Collin County District Clerk, County Clerk, Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney, Texas Department of Public Safety or any court.

Court databases can change after hearings, filings, corrections, sealing, expunction, transfers or data updates. Verify a person’s identity with multiple identifiers and obtain the controlling court document before making a legal, employment, housing, licensing, financial or publication decision.

A criminal accusation, arrest, warrant or pending case does not establish guilt. This page provides procedural information and is not legal advice.

Official-source review completed August 8, 2026. Details checked include Collin County search coverage, database refresh schedules, historical case cutoffs, District and County Court at Law record-request procedures, copy fees, clerk contacts, Sheriff’s open-record fees, jail services, courthouse parking and current County Clerk office notices.

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