The Texas Public Information Act
Texas opens government records to the public through the Public Information Act, found in Government Code Chapter 552. The Act states a policy that people are entitled, unless the law says otherwise, to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials. It defines public information as records held in connection with official business, which can include emails, reports, budgets, meeting minutes, and statistical data held by county departments.
The Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552, is the foundation for any Travis County open-records request. It does not automatically open sealed court files, juvenile records, adoption records, or confidential criminal-justice data, which are protected by other law. The Act sets the default toward disclosure, then carves out specific exceptions that an office must justify.
The Act also spells out which records lean public and which lean protected. Section 552.022 lists categories that are generally public unless made confidential by law, such as completed reports, audits, and similar records, which is why many county statistical reports and budget materials can be requested. Section 552.021 states the general right of access to public information held by a governmental body. On the other side, Section 552.101 pulls in confidentiality set by other statutes and court decisions, and Section 552.108 lets an office withhold certain active law-enforcement and prosecution material. Together these sections explain why one request is filled in full while another comes back partly redacted.
Court Records vs Public Information Requests
This is the distinction that trips up most requesters. Court case files are not obtained through a standard open-records request. They are reached through the court clerks, court rules, and the public portal, because the judiciary is treated differently from executive and administrative records. Government Code Section 552.0035 reflects that judiciary records follow court rules. Travis County applies this split on its own pages, where a court file uses a court-record request and data or subscriptions use the open-records route.
So the rule of thumb is simple. For a specific case, motion, or decree, go to the District Clerk or County Clerk and use the court-record process. For department data, statistics, contracts, or non-case records, file an open-records request with the right office. Countywide requests for departments reporting to Commissioners Court are separate from requests to elected officials such as the clerks, the District Attorney, and the Sheriff. For case files, start at court records.
How to File a Public Records Request
An open-records request does not need a special form, but it does need to be clear and specific. The steps below help a request move quickly and at the lowest cost.
- Identify the office that holds the record, such as the Sheriff, a clerk, or a county department.
- Put the request in writing and describe the records as specifically as possible.
- Include a date range and any case or file numbers you have.
- Submit by the office's preferred method, such as online, email, mail, or in person.
- Watch for a cost estimate; large requests can carry charges under the PIA cost rules.
- Respond promptly to any clarification request so the clock keeps running.
Public Records Request Fields
Whether you use an office form or a plain letter, certain details make a request work. A specific request is faster and cheaper than a broad one, because it lowers the staff time needed to find and review records. The table below lists the fields a Travis County request should include.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requestor name and contact | Yes | Needed to send the records or a cost estimate |
| Office or department | Yes | Identify which county body holds the record |
| Records described | Yes | Be specific; list document types or topics |
| Date range | Recommended | Narrows the search and lowers cost |
| Case or file number | If known | Speeds location of the record |
| Delivery method | Yes | Electronic, mail, or in-person pickup |
For a court file, the same idea applies on the clerk's court-record request form, where a cause number and document type speed the request.
What the County Clerk and District Clerk Maintain
The clerks hold far more than court cases. The County Clerk records real-property deeds, marriage licenses, birth and death records, assumed-name or DBA filings, and Commissioners Court records, along with county civil and probate cases. The District Clerk keeps district-court civil, family, and felony criminal files, manages juries, and serves as a passport acceptance agency. Many of these records are public, and many are searchable or requestable directly from the office that holds them.
This breadth is why the office matters so much. A deed search goes to the County Clerk recording division, a divorce decree to the District Clerk, and a misdemeanor to the County Clerk. For office detail and fees, see the District Clerk and County Clerk pages, and for marriage and probate records specifically, see marriage and divorce records and probate records.
Sheriff and Other County Records
The Travis County Sheriff holds records that often come up in public-records requests, including jail and booking data, incident and offense information, and administrative records. Some of this is available through the Sheriff's online tools, such as the inmate roster and the warrant search, while other records require a formal request. Active-investigation and law-enforcement work product can be withheld under Government Code Section 552.108.
Jail population demographics are released through the county open-records process rather than a live dashboard. For current custody, the inmate records page links the roster, and for population figures, see inmate population. A formal PIA request to the Sheriff is the route for records those tools do not show.
Confidential Exceptions
The Public Information Act opens most records but protects several categories. Government Code Section 552.101 incorporates confidentiality set by other law, which covers juvenile, medical, and other protected information. Juvenile justice records are confidential under Texas Family Code Chapter 58, so they are not released like adult records. The Family Code Chapter 58 statute governs how juvenile records are created and kept confidential.
Crime victims also have protections. Identifying and medical information for certain victims is shielded by law, which matters in family-violence, sexual-assault, and protective-order cases. The Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 58 statute protects that victim-identifying information.
Other shielded items include sealed and expunged records, Social Security and driver's-license numbers, financial account numbers, and motor-vehicle record data. An office that wants to withhold information without a prior ruling must ask the Attorney General.
Fees and Copies
Public records are not always free. The PIA has cost rules for staff time and copies, and the clerks have their own fee schedules for court copies. A large request can carry a charge, and an office may send a cost estimate before it begins. The common copy fees are below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Self-service photocopy (County Clerk) | $0.20 per page |
| Clerk-made copy | $1 per page |
| Certified copy | $5 per document plus copy cost |
| Records search per name or cause | $5 |
| Electronic document by email | $1 per page |
Standard open-records charges for staff time and materials follow the statewide PIA cost rules. Ask for an estimate before authorizing a large request.
Response Timelines and the Attorney General
The Public Information Act sets deadlines, and it gives the Attorney General a role. When a governmental body wants to withhold requested information and has no prior determination, it must seek an Attorney General ruling within the statutory time. The Attorney General's open-government division issues guidance and rulings and provides a path for requesters to challenge a denial. Offices face deadlines under Chapter 552 to act on requests.
For court records, the practical enforcement path starts with the clerk or court that controls the record, and a sealed or restricted record may require a court order rather than a PIA appeal. The Texas Attorney General open-government resources explain the request and ruling process. For legal help with a request, the Travis County Law Library and Texas Law Help are good starting points. If an office misses a deadline or withholds records without a proper basis, the Attorney General process and, in some cases, the courts provide a remedy, so keep copies of your request and any response.