Public Records Ordering Copies

In this department you can obtain a copy of:


To view and print electronic copies of documents for free

Vist our Document Portal to register your account in order to view or print (with the unofficial watermark) copies online.

Purchase paper copies of documents without the unofficial watermark

  • in person at any Annex Location
  • by fax: (713) 437-4868
  • by email to: Use our contact form and select 'Public Records'
  • by mail to:
    Teneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk
    Attn: Public Records Department
    P.O. Box 1525
    Houston, TX. 77251
  • For Questions Call (713) 274-6390

To request copies to be sent via FAX, Email or Postal Mail please use our copy order form

For information on payment options either in person, by postal mail, email, fax or phone please see Payment Options.


The fees for paper and electronic copies are as follows

  • Non-certified copy printed on paper - $1.00 per page.
  • Non-certified copy electronic format - $1.00 for up to 10 pages and .10 cents per page for each page over 10 pages, per document.
  • Certified copy printed on paper - $5.00 certification fee & $1.00 per page, per document.
  • Certified copy electronic format - $5.00 certification fee and $1.00 for up to 10 pages and .10 cents per page for each page over 10 pages, per document.

Map or Condominium Records

  • Non-certified paper copy - $10.00 per page.
  • Certified copy paper copy - $15.00 per page.

Search Fee - $5.00 (per search) unless file number/film code is provided


Please note there is a 4% surcharge added when a major credit card is used without the cardholder being present.

Public RecordsHarris County Clerk Historical Records

Due COVID-19 restrictions, the Harris County Clerk’s Historical Records Center located at 11525 Todd Street will be open by appointment only starting September 28th. Please contact the Public Records Department at 713-274-6390 for an appointment.


The Harris County Clerk’s Historical Records warehouse has public records in book form dating back to 1836 when the Republic of Texas was formed until the late 1950’s. The records housed there include land records, plats, maps, county court and probate court records, marriage licenses, birth and death records and military discharge records. The records can be researched during office hours (8:00 am – 4:30 pm) and copies issued upon request. The warehouse is located at 11525 Todd Street, Suite 300, Houston TX 77055.

Public RecordsHARRIS COUNTY ARCHIVES

In November of 2002 the Commissioners Court created the Harris County Archives to document the government and people of Harris County through county records and private donations. The archives collections include records from county departments (example: Medical Examiner, Juvenile Probation, Auditor), elected officials (example: County Judges, Commissioners, Justices of the Peace), and private donations (Charles Brace, Hobbs Scrapbook Collection, Amerman Photograph Collection). Records include maps, photographs, audio and video, scrapbooks, bound materials, newspapers, microfilm, and born digital records.

Research for this department is by appointment. For reference requests please contact the archives at 713-274-9680 or by email to
archives@.cco.hctx.net . For further information please visit our Harris County Archives website at http://www.harriscountyarchives.com/.

Public Records Bulk Data Sales

Photo of a clerk at a desk holding a CD

For customers interested in purchasing electronic files of records filed with the County Clerk’s Office, both index and image data are available by date range. The index data we provide is generated from the information in the source documents and are text (.txt) files that are pipe delimited for ease when importing into a variety of programs. The image data we provide are TIFF (.tiff) files and available for most of the documents recorded in the County Clerk's office. Both forms of data are purchased separately and are available in any custom date range delivered on CD or DVD, or customer provided hard drive. Additionally, we offer FTP access which provides daily data, purchased monthly, of most of the records in the County Clerk's office.


For additional information, contact the Data Sales desk by navigating to our contact form and selecting 'Data Sales'. Or by phone at 713-274-6390.

Public Records Trustee Foreclosure Notices

The first Tuesday of every month an auction is held at the Bayou City Event Center located at 9401 Knight Road, Houston, TX 77045.
The Notices of Trustee Sale are filed and posted 21 days in advance of the auction at the County Clerk’s Office at 201 Caroline, 3rd floor and are also available on our
website.

Public RecordsFAQ

We have 11 locations within Harris County, or you may submit a request in writing by fax, mail or email. All we need to know is both parties’ names at the time the marriage took place and the date of the marriage. Visit the Search Records page for further information on ordering a copy.

If you are not sure of where you purchased your marriage license, but know it was in Texas, please note that we will only have marriage licenses that were issued in Harris County, Texas. For a Marriage License search throughout the State of Texas contact the Texas Department of State Health Services at (512) 458-7111 or visit http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/default.shtm for more information.

If the document was filed after March, 2003 you can obtain free, watermarked copies on our website , and click New User in the upper right corner to set up your account to view images and print watermarked copies. For copies without a watermark or if the document was filed prior to March, 2003, a certified copy is $7.00 and a plain, non-certified copy is $2.00. Visit the Search Records page for further information.

Yes you can, but the privacy laws changed on September 1, 2003 and it is now required that the social security numbers be redacted off of the document unless you are one of the persons that is listed on the marriage application. Visit the Search Records page for further information on ordering a copy.

We have 11 locations within Harris County, or you may submit a request in writing by fax, mail or email. We need to know the owner name and legal description of the property. Please note that the legal description can be obtained from your tax statement. Visit the Search Records page for further information on ordering a copy.

If the document was filed after January, 2000 you can obtain free, watermarked copies on our website , and click New User in the upper right corner to set up your account to view images and print watermarked copies. The cost for non-certified copies is $1.00 per page, plus an additional $5.00 if you want a certified copy of the document. For copies without a watermark or if the document was filed prior to January, 2000, visit the Search Records page for further information.

Any deed restrictions filed after 1961 may be researched on our website, using the Real Property Index by entering the subdivision name as the grantee. Under TYPE you may narrow the search to enter the abbreviation RESTR and/or AMEND. If the subdivision is older than 1961 our central location will have an Index to Restrictions on microfilm. At this location you can use the public terminals to research any other Restrictions that may be filed prior to 1961. Visit Contact Us for location information.

When a mortgage or lien is paid off, a Release of Lien document is typically filed in the Real Property Records to indicate that the loan or lien has been satisfied. To obtain copies of documents filed in the Real Property department, visit the Search Records page. When making requests we will need to know the owner name and legal description of the property. Please note that the legal description can be obtained from your tax statement.

Surveys are not typically filed in our office. If you cannot contact the builder or original owner we suggest having a new survey made. If the residence is located in a subdivision that we have on record, it is possible for you to get a copy of the subdivision or condominium map or plat.

You can check on our website by date of sale to see if your property is to be foreclosed on using our website . We have no records of delinquent property tax foreclosures or a list of foreclosed homes. If you would like to obtain a list, we suggest you contact any of the following companies:


Daily Court Review: (713) 869-5434 – http://www.dailycourtreview.com

Foreclosure Listing Service: (281) 363-2631 - http://www.foreclosehouston.com

Constable’s office for tax sales: (713) 755-5200

Public Records Fee Schedule

Water-marked copy – available thru the County Clerk web site search portal – no charge

Non-certified paper copies – for each page printer on paper - $1.00

Non-certified electronic (pdf) copy – $1.00 for up to 10 pages and .10 cents per page for each page over 10 pages, per document

Certified paper copies – $1.00 per page and a certification fee of $5.00 per document.

Certified electronic copies - $1.00 for up to 10 pages and .10 cents per page for each page over 10 pages and a certification fee of $5.00, per document

Non-certified paper copy of a map or condominium record – per page - $10.00

Certified copy paper of a map or condominium record – per page - $15.00

Notice of Trustee Sale (foreclosure notice) – per document filing fee - $2.00

Records Search Fee – per search - $5.00

Photo of a laptop and calculator

Public Records Payment Options

Photo of a cashier taking payment

Cash - U.S. currency only


Checks

  • Money Orders
  • Cashier’s Checks
  • Business Checks
  • Personal Checks

Note

  • All checks and money orders should be made payable to the Harris County Clerk.
  • All checks and money orders must be drawn on a bank located in the United States.
  • All checks and money orders must be made payable in United States currency.
  • Personal Checks must have a local street address, proper identification, and supervisor approval.

Credit Cards

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Discover
  • American Express

Legalease – escrow account that is set up with Frost Bank.

The mailing address is: Harris County Clerk, P.O. Box 1525, Houston, TX 77251-1525.

Do not send cash through the mail.


Checks

  • Money Orders
  • Cashier’s Checks
  • Business Checks

Note

  • All checks and money orders should be made payable to the Harris County Clerk.
  • All checks and money orders must be drawn on a bank located in the United States.
  • All checks and money orders must be made payable in United States currency.
  • No Personal Checks will be accepted through the mail.

Credit Cards

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Discover
  • American Express

Note

  • There is a 4% surcharge when using credit cards with this method of payment.

Legalease – escrow account that is set up with Frost Bank.

Credit Cards

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Discover
  • American Express

Note

  • There is a 4% surcharge when using credit cards with this method of payment.

Legalease – escrow account that is set up with Frost Bank.

We do not accept payments over the internet at this time.

Public Records Contact Us

Harris County Clerk
Public Records Department

Harris County Clerk
Records Archive

Hours of Operation

  • Monday – Friday
  • 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Mailing Address

  • Teneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk
  • Attn: Public Records Department
  • P.O. Box 1525
  • Houston, TX. 77251-1525