Smith County, TX Courts and Public Records

The district courts of Smith County are Texas trial courts with general jurisdiction. The District Clerk keeps district court records, and the County Clerk keeps county court records. Use the table to see which office holds each record type and how to reach it.

Have the full name, a case number if you know it, and approximate dates ready before you search Smith County records.

Smith County's district, statutory county and constitutional county courts added 14,238 cases in FY 2025, including probate, guardianship and mental health filings. The courts disposed of 12,677 cases, and total filings rose 1.4% from FY 2024.

Criminal filings drove the change in FY 2025, rising by 280 cases.

This table shows Smith County's total filings and dispositions in its district, statutory county and constitutional county courts over the last five fiscal years.

Total filings rose 23.0% between FY 2021 and FY 2025, from 11,573 to 14,238. The largest annual change was +10.8% in FY 2024. The latest change of +1.4% was led by criminal filings, which rose by 280 cases.

Criminal cases are the largest category in Smith County, at 51.0% of filings in FY 2025.

Mental health cases grew the fastest at +43.0%, while family law cases fell the most at -3.1%.

Smith County accounted for 0.45% of the 3,129,582 cases filed in Texas district, statutory county and constitutional county courts in FY 2025.

Its filings grew 1.4% while statewide filings grew 1.8%. Criminal cases make up 51.0% of its filings against 42.5% statewide, and civil cases 21.2% against 28.9%.

These are the crimes reported to the FBI in 2025 by the 17 law enforcement agencies in Smith County that reported, added together. For the agencies with both years on file, violent crimes fell 3.3% and property crimes fell 6.7% from 2024.

Smith County's violent crime rate of 294.6 per 100K is below the Texas rate of 346.3, and its property crime rate of 1,178.0 is below the state's 1,790.2.

Smith County court proceedings are held at the Smith County Courthouse. Check your notice or case paperwork to confirm the courthouse assigned to your case before you go.

Addresses and phone numbers come from public directory listings and may change, so confirm them with the clerk before you visit.

Cases in Smith County, Texas are heard by justice courts, municipal courts, the county court or a county court at law, and the district court, depending on the type of case.

Texas trial courts are divided by type, and the district courts of Smith County hear matters with general jurisdiction. Call the District Clerk at (903) 590-1660 to confirm which court holds your case before you go to a hearing.

Matters handled outside the county courts include federal cases, which go to the U.S. District Court for Texas, and parking tickets, which are handled by the agency that issued them.

Yes, most Smith County court records are public, with exceptions for sealed and confidential records. Texas court records are generally open under the Texas Public Information Act (Government Code chapter 552) and court public-access rules.

Public records

Most district court records are open to the public. Ask the District Clerk which records you can inspect or copy.

Restricted or confidential records

Sealed records and records made confidential by law or court order are not open to the public, and the clerk cannot release them without authority.

Online access

The statewide case search, re:SearchTX, is a subscription service with registration and pricing. Check its terms before you search, and confirm results with the clerk.

In-person access

Visit the District Clerk's office at the Smith County courthouse to view or request records. Call (903) 590-1660 to confirm the office location and which records are available.

Case information for Smith County courts is available through statewide and county clerk portals, but coverage differs by court and case type.

1. Identify your case type (criminal, traffic, civil, family, probate, or juvenile).
2. Pick the official portal that covers that court and county.
3. Search by party name or case number.
4. Review the case details, parties, and scheduled hearings.
5. Contact the clerk to request documents that are not available online.

Use re:SearchTX to look for Smith County case records online, and contact the District Clerk for documents that are not available there.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, civil, family, or juvenile.
2. Open re:SearchTX at research.txcourts.gov and review its registration and pricing terms.
3. Search by party name or case number and note the case number from the results.
4. Review the case details for status, parties, and listed dates.
5. Call the District Clerk at (903) 590-1660 to request documents that are not online.

No statewide online fine payment option has been identified for Texas courts, so contact the District Clerk for Smith County to ask how to pay.

1. Phone: Call the District Clerk at (903) 590-1660 to ask which payment methods the office accepts and to confirm the amount due.

Parking tickets are handled by the agency that issued the ticket, not by the district courts. Traffic citations, criminal fines, and parking tickets are handled differently, so confirm which office holds your case before you pay.