Lipscomb County Criminal History Records
Lipscomb County criminal history records are kept by the District Clerk and County Clerk in Lipscomb, Texas. These records cover arrests, court cases, and criminal dispositions from the local courts and law enforcement offices. If you need to search criminal records in Lipscomb County, you can request them in person at the courthouse or use the statewide online tools provided by Texas DPS and the court system. This guide covers where to find records, who keeps them, and how to get what you need.
Lipscomb County Overview
Lipscomb County District Clerk
The District Clerk in Lipscomb County keeps all felony criminal case records. This includes indictments, judgments, sentencing orders, and case files for every felony case filed in the county. The office is in the courthouse in Lipscomb, the county seat.
Felony cases in Lipscomb County fall under the 31st Judicial District. The District Clerk keeps permanent records of all felony convictions and sends disposition data to the Texas DPS Crime Records Service for the state criminal history database. Court records going back many years are on file and open to the public.
| Office | Lipscomb County District Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | P.O. Box 70, Lipscomb, TX 79056 |
| Phone | (806) 862-3091 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
Note: Office hours may vary. Call ahead before making a trip to the courthouse.
Misdemeanor Records in Lipscomb County
The County Clerk handles misdemeanor criminal case files. Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases go through the county court, and the records stay with the County Clerk's office. You can search by case number or defendant name.
Misdemeanor records include criminal complaints, court judgments, fines, and any community supervision orders. The County Clerk also reports all misdemeanor convictions to DPS so they appear in the statewide criminal history system. Both clerk offices share the courthouse building in Lipscomb.
| Office | Lipscomb County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | P.O. Box 70, Lipscomb, TX 79056 |
| Phone | (806) 862-3091 |
Sheriff and Arrest Records
The Lipscomb County Sheriff's Office keeps arrest records, incident reports, and jail booking records. When someone is arrested in the county, the Sheriff's Office creates a booking record that lists charges, bond amounts, and court dates.
Arrest and booking data goes to Texas DPS Crime Records Service for the Texas Computerized Criminal History database. The Sheriff's Office also connects to the Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for record sharing. Public information requests for law enforcement records are handled under the Texas Public Information Act, found at Texas Government Code Chapter 552.
How to Search Lipscomb County Criminal Records
There are a few ways to search criminal records in Lipscomb County. The fastest option for court records is the statewide re:SearchTX portal run by the Texas Office of Court Administration. You can search by name or case number across most Texas courts at no cost.
For a broader criminal history check, Texas DPS offers a name-based search through its Crime Records Service. This pulls from the Texas Computerized Criminal History system and covers arrests and dispositions reported by agencies across the state. It gives a wider view than just the local court records alone.
To get records in person, go to the District Clerk or County Clerk at the Lipscomb courthouse. Bring a photo ID. Staff can look up cases and make copies. Certified copies carry a higher cost than plain paper copies.
Note: The re:SearchTX portal covers most courts but older records that have not been digitized may only exist in paper form at the courthouse.
Texas Criminal History Law and Access
Texas keeps criminal history records at the state level through the DPS Crime Records Service. Every county in Texas, including Lipscomb, reports arrests and dispositions to the state database. That data feeds into the Texas Computerized Criminal History system, which holds decades of records from agencies statewide.
The legal framework starts with Texas Government Code Chapter 411, which governs how DPS manages criminal history data. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 66 sets the rules for how courts and agencies collect and share criminal records. The Texas Public Information Act gives the public the right to request records from government offices. These three laws work together to make criminal history records both available and regulated.
The Texas Attorney General's Open Government Division handles disputes about public records access. If an agency refuses a request without a valid legal reason, you can file a complaint there. Most criminal history records in Texas are public unless a case was sealed or the subject received an expunction order from a court.
Lipscomb County Records Resources
The Texas Department of Public Safety provides the central hub for statewide criminal history access. Visit DPS Crime Records Service to learn about name-based searches and fingerprint-based background checks available to the public and authorized agencies.
The Texas Association of Counties also provides resources for understanding how each county handles public records and criminal case management across the state.
For legal questions about what is in a criminal record or how to challenge errors, the Texas Judicial Branch website has guidance and forms. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice keeps records on people serving time in state prison, which is a separate database from the county-level court records.
Note: County court records and state prison records are different systems. A county court search and a TDCJ offender search together give you the most complete picture.
Criminal Charges and the Texas Penal Code
Criminal case records in Lipscomb County reference charges under the Texas Penal Code. Felony cases are filed in district court. Misdemeanor cases go to county court. The charge level determines where the case is filed and which clerk's office holds the records.
Texas divides felonies into capital, first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, and state jail felony classes. Misdemeanors are Class A, Class B, or Class C. Class C cases are handled by justice of the peace courts and are not part of the formal criminal history record at DPS. If you are looking for a minor traffic or fine case, contact the justice of the peace court in Lipscomb County directly.
The Texas Penal Code chapter on punishments, Chapter 12, lays out the sentence ranges for each offense level. This gives context when reading a criminal case record and seeing what a person was charged with and what sentence they received.
Cities in Lipscomb County
Lipscomb County is a rural county in the Texas Panhandle. The county seat is Lipscomb. Other communities include Booker, Follett, and Higgins. All criminal cases from this county are handled through the Lipscomb County courts.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Lipscomb County. Each has its own court system and criminal records offices.