Find Criminal Records in Aransas County

Aransas County criminal history records are held at the courthouse in Rockport, Texas by the District Clerk, County Clerk, and Sheriff's Office. The county operates the 36th District Court for felony cases and a constitutional county court for misdemeanors. If you need to search for criminal records in Aransas County, this page explains which office to contact, what records they hold, and how to request access under Texas law.

Aransas County District Court Criminal Files

The District Clerk handles felony criminal records for the 36th District Court. Any serious criminal case filed in Aransas County goes through this court, and the full case file stays with the District Clerk. That includes indictments, judgments, motions, and sentencing orders.

To get a record, you can visit the Aransas County Courthouse in Rockport. Staff can search by case number or defendant name. Certified copies of documents are available with a fee set by state law. Records of felony convictions are held permanently and reported to the Texas DPS Crime Records Service for the state criminal history database.

Cases appealed from the 36th District Court are also tracked by the District Clerk, who prepares and transmits the appellate record.

Aransas County Government Website

The Aransas County official website is the starting point for finding contact information for all county offices. From there you can navigate to the District Clerk, County Clerk, and Sheriff's Office pages.

The site lists department hours and courthouse address information for Rockport, where most in-person records requests are handled for Aransas County.

Misdemeanor Records in Aransas County

The County Clerk is the custodian for misdemeanor criminal records in Aransas County. Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases go through the constitutional county court, and all those files are kept by this office. Records include complaints, judgments, fines, and disposition orders.

Public access to county court criminal records is available under the Texas Public Information Act. You can search by case number or defendant name. Certified copies come with applicable fees. The County Clerk also coordinates with Texas DPS to report misdemeanor convictions to the statewide criminal history database.

Sheriff Arrest Records in Aransas County

The Aransas County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement for the county, including the Rockport-Fulton area and unincorporated parts of the coastal county. They maintain arrest records, incident reports, and jail booking information. The county jail records include booking photos, physical descriptions, charges, bond amounts, and release dates.

All arrests get reported to the Texas DPS for the Texas Computerized Criminal History database. Warrant records are also maintained by the Sheriff's Office. Public information requests can be submitted under the Texas Public Information Act. Certain records related to active investigations or confidential informants may be withheld.

Aransas County is a coastal county, and the Sheriff's Office coordinates with other agencies on cases involving the waterways and barrier islands. They also maintain records of traffic accidents, citations, and civil process services.

Justice of the Peace Court Records

Aransas County Justice of the Peace courts handle Class C misdemeanor cases. These are minor offenses like traffic citations, city ordinance violations, and other low-level matters. JP courts also issue arrest and search warrants and conduct death inquiries for cases with possible criminal circumstances.

JP court records are organized by precinct. Public access is available under the Texas Public Information Act during regular business hours. The courts report convictions to DPS for Class C offenses that require reporting to the criminal history database.

If you have a Class C citation from Aransas County, contact the appropriate JP precinct to find out payment options or court dates. JP records are separate from the district and county court records held by the District Clerk and County Clerk.

Statewide Criminal History Search Options

Aransas County criminal records are part of the larger Texas Computerized Criminal History system maintained by Texas DPS. A statewide name-based search through DPS will include Aransas County records along with records from all other Texas counties. Fingerprint-based searches are also available and give more accurate results.

The re:SearchTX court portal allows free searches of district and county court records across Texas. You can search by name or case number. This is a good first step if you are not sure which court handled a case. Not all older records may be included in the online system.

For those sentenced to state prison, check the TDCJ offender search. County jail records stay with the Aransas County Sheriff's Office and are not in the TDCJ system.

The Texas Penal Code Chapter 12 defines offense classifications. Knowing whether a charge is a felony, Class A, B, or C misdemeanor helps you figure out which office has the case file.

Note: For specific questions about open records rights, contact the Texas Attorney General's Open Government Division.

Cities in Aransas County

Aransas County includes Rockport and Fulton as its main communities. All criminal cases from the county are processed through the county court system in Rockport.

Nearby Counties

Aransas County is a small coastal county in South Texas. It borders San Patricio and Refugio counties. Check those counties if you are not sure which jurisdiction handled a specific case.