Tarrant County is an urban county located in the north-central part of Texas. It was established in 1849, has its county seat in Fort Worth, and measures over 860 square miles. The county has around 840,000 housing units and approximately three people in each household. As of 2020, over 2.1 million people were recorded to be living in the county.

Courts in Tarrant County

The Tarrant County court system consists of District Courts, Constitutional County Courts, County Courts at Law, Statutory Probate Courts, and Justice of the Peace Courts.

Tarrant County has twenty-six District Courts with civil, criminal, and family divisions. These courts have general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. They hear civil cases where the amount claimed is $200 or more. Examples of civil cases that the courts hear include cases bordering on debt, breach of contract, injunction, and personal injury. The court’s criminal division handles felony-level criminal matters.

Tarrant County is home to one Constitutional County Court and 14 County Courts at Law. The Constitutional County Court has original jurisdiction over all criminal matters involving Class A and Class B misdemeanors. County Courts at Law handle criminal cases, including misdemeanors without penalty of incarceration, and general civil cases, with claims of less than $100,000.

Probate Courts in Tarrant County have jurisdiction over matters relating to probated estates, mental health cases, wills, and incapacitated persons (guardianships). 

Lastly, there are eight Justice Courts in Tarrant County. The court handles criminal misdemeanors punishable by fine only without confinement. They also handle civil actions with a jurisdictional limit of $20,000.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Tarrant County

The Tarrant County Clerk is responsible for keeping public court records of cases filed and heard in the County. Persons seeking public records may either obtain such documents in person at the Clerk’s office, mail a written request for the record, or access the records online.

Types of Public Court Records in Tarrant County

The following court records are available to the public in Tarrant County:

• Civil Court Records: such as records of cases on breach of contract, foreclosure, liens, and personal injury cases
• Criminal Court Records: including records of court proceedings for misdemeanors and felonies.
• Family Court Records: such as records of proceedings on custody and divorce
• Probate Court Records: including records of wills and estate, name change, and guardianship

Confidential Court Records in Tarrant County

A confidential court record is a court document that is closed to the public or only accessible to the parties to the case. Court records may be sealed in Tarrant County by court order or under state law or federal statute. Records such as juvenile records, unexecuted warrants and summons, court records about ongoing litigation, and mental health records are usually designated as confidential in Tarrant County.

Furthermore, sometimes, court records contain personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers, email addresses, driver's licenses, and so on. In such instances, the identifying information is usually redacted from the court record before it is released to the public.  

Juvenile Delinquency in Tarrant, TX

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Tarrant County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Texas often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 88 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Tarrant County. Of that total, 3% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 3 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Tarrant County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Tarrant County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Tarrant County, TX

https://texas.gov/

County Seat:	Fort Worth
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1849
Total Square Miles:	902
2019 Population:	2,054,475
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00

Tarrant County, TX Courts