Travis County District Court Records

Travis County District Courts

District courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Texas, and Travis County has a large set of them. The civil district courts have original jurisdiction in divorce cases, disputes over title to land, election contests, and civil matters of $200 or more. The criminal district courts handle felony cases. Civil and family courts sit at the Civil and Family Courts Facility at 1700 Guadalupe, while criminal courts sit at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center at 509 W. 11th Street.

The split matters because it tells you where to go and which clerk keeps the file. District-court records, civil and criminal, are kept by the District Clerk, not the County Clerk. For the office that holds these files, see the Travis County District Clerk page, and for the search portal, see court records.

Civil District Courts in Travis County

The civil district courts hear divorce, family, and civil cases at the Civil and Family Courts Facility. The facility houses the civil district courts, the civil county courts at law, and the Title IV-D child support court, and contested hearings are held there in person unless the parties agree otherwise. The Civil District Court page lists the civil benches and their judges.

The civil district courts share a main line at 512-854-4646. They handle the civil and family caseload that makes up much of the county's trial work, including the state-agency appeals that concentrate in Austin.

Criminal District Courts in Travis County

Felony cases run through the criminal district courts at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center. The District Attorney's office reports one Magistrate Court and nine felony courtrooms. Criminal Court Administration coordinates these courts and can be reached at 512-854-9244. The criminal courts contact page gives the address, the administration phone, and the security-screening notice.

The criminal district courts hear the felony charges the District Attorney prosecutes, while misdemeanors go to the county courts at law. The 450th District Court is also home to the Veterans Treatment Court, one of the county's specialty programs.

The Numbered Travis County District Courts

Travis County's district courts are identified by number, and each is presided over by an elected judge. The civil courts share the 1700 Guadalupe facility and a single main line, while the criminal courts share the Blackwell-Thurman building and Criminal Court Administration. The table below lists the numbered district courts.

The civil benches include judges such as Maria Cantu Hexsel, Amy Clark Meachum, Jan Soifer, and Maya Guerra Gamble. The 450th criminal court is tied to the Veterans Treatment Court, led by the Honorable Brad Urrutia.

County Courts at Law

Below the district courts sit the county courts at law, which divide into civil and criminal benches. County Courts at Law 1 and 2 are civil and sit at 1700 Guadalupe. County Courts at Law 3 through 9 are criminal and hear Class A and B misdemeanors at the Blackwell-Thurman center. County Court at Law 4 also hears protective orders and family-violence cases. The criminal county courts page lists those benches and their judges.

Misdemeanor records from these courts are kept by the County Clerk, not the District Clerk. The table below lists the criminal county courts at law.

For the misdemeanor records these courts produce, see the County Clerk page.

Justice and Municipal Courts

The lowest trial courts handle the highest volume of small cases. Justice of the Peace courts hear small claims, evictions, fine-only criminal matters, and many traffic tickets across five precincts. Municipal courts, including the separate Austin Municipal Court, handle city ordinance and Class C misdemeanor cases filed by city police. These courts are not part of the district or county clerk system, so their records are kept by the justice or municipal court itself.

This is why a traffic ticket or a small-claims case will not show up in the same place as a felony. For traffic matters, the back of the ticket names the court, and the traffic court records page explains how to find and resolve them.

District Court vs County Court vs Justice Court

The three trial-court levels handle different cases, and knowing the difference points you to the right court and clerk. The table below compares them.

Probate is handled separately by two statutory probate courts, covered on the probate records page.

How a Case Moves Through the System

A case can climb the ladder if it is appealed. The flow runs from the lowest trial court up to the courts of last resort, with the path depending on whether the case is civil or criminal.

Case flow: Justice or Municipal Court › County Court at Law › District Court › Court of Appeals › Texas Supreme Court (civil) or Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (criminal)

Not every case starts at the bottom. A felony begins in a district court, and a divorce begins in a civil district court. The flow shows where an appeal goes, not a required starting point, since the trial court depends on the case type.

Appeals From Travis County District Courts

Appeals from Travis County trial courts generally go to the Texas Courts of Appeals. Travis County historically sits in the Third Court of Appeals region for ordinary regional appeals. Because Austin is the capital, many civil matters involving the State now route to the statewide Fifteenth Court of Appeals, which has intermediate jurisdiction over many state and state-agency civil cases.

At the top, two courts of last resort divide the work. The Texas Supreme Court hears civil and juvenile matters, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals hears criminal matters. Federal cases follow a separate path entirely, covered on the federal records page.

Specialty District Court Programs

Several Travis County district and county courts run specialty programs that divert eligible defendants into treatment and supervision instead of a standard prosecution. The 450th District Court houses the Veterans Treatment Court, led by the Honorable Brad Urrutia, which runs a 12 to 24 month program for eligible veterans whose conduct ties to a service-related condition. The Magistrate Court oversees mental-health diversion and specialty dockets under the Honorable Leon Grizzard, with programs that run 3 to 12 months.

These problem-solving courts reflect Travis County's long focus on mental-health reform and diversion. The county's criminal specialty programs also include a felony Drug Court, Felony Pretrial Diversion, reentry courts, and a DWI Court. A case handled in one of these programs still produces a court record, and the outcome often turns on whether the person completes the program. For how these programs connect to a charge, see the arrest records page.

Where District Court Records Are Kept

The District Clerk maintains the official record of every district-court proceeding, civil and criminal, plus some County Court at Law 4 cases. Public records are viewable free through the Odyssey portal, with civil and family cases online from 2006 and criminal from 2008. Certified and physical copies require a paid request through the District Clerk.

So for any district-court case, the search starts at the portal and the official copy comes from the District Clerk. For the full request process and fees, see the District Clerk page, and for hearing dates, see court dockets.

Related Travis County Resources

You may also need Travis County court records, court dockets, the District Clerk, or the County Clerk.