Grayson County public records are freely available for anyone looking for them whether these are court, property, marriage and divorce records. The state’s Public Information Act and the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guarantee citizens access to most records generated via official channels including law enforcement agencies and courts.
Searching public records such as prisoner information, warrant, criminal and arrest records can be done once citizens figure out what information is available and where to look. Often, individuals may not know not whether to turn to county or state agencies to find what they are looking for.
This guide places valuable tools at the disposal of searchers including helpful links, resources and information to find public records and enable them to conduct background checks or find information on probationers. They may even run a free public records search that locates the information they are looking for without needing to contact public agencies.
How To Find Recent Arrests in Grayson County Texas for Free
Finding offenders in custody can sometimes be challenging especially since interested persons may not know where to start their search. A sound strategy would commence at the county level, looking for arrest records in county jails. This type of search will ensure that all towns and cities in Grayson County are accounted for as often all offenders eventually end up in these jails.
County jails are run and maintained by Sheriff’s Offices which serve as the primary law enforcement agency. They often have online detainment lists of inmates that are held in their facilities making the search for offenders quick and convenient. In some cases, they may not have electronic search tools and can be contacted directly.
Many counties also have city police departments who may sometimes operate jails. They will be the next point of contact if the person of interest has not been found in a county jail. It may take time before offenders are processed and records created—therefore this method can prove to be the fastest way to locate arrestees.
It is not the norm that these city police departments have online rosters, getting directly in touch with them will be the next option should they not provide an electronic way to find records.
Utilize the Grayson County Jail’s Arrest Log & Mugshot Search
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office is the main law enforcement agency in the county and is tasked with arresting, charging and detaining offenders. It operates the Grayson County Detention Center but does not have an exclusive online jail roster that can be used to find someone’s mugshot or arrest logs.
Pursuant to the Public Information Act, the Sheriff’s Department is obligated to provide arrest records of inmates booked into county jail.1 Therefore, contacting the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office directly by phone will be the best way to obtain Grayson County bookings.
It is also possible to get information on jail records online through the Grayson County Judicial Records.
This tool can be used to locate offenders by their names, when they were booked or released from county jail. Information displayed includes the booking number, arresting agency and charges. There are no photographs of the offenders in the dataset.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office website provides a link to Vine link that permits users to find inmates in Texas jails including Grayson County. It is queried using name, case number or ID number and is free to use. Mugshots may be available in some cases.
View Arrest & Obtain Public Police Reports via Law Enforcement Agencies in Grayson County
The search for Grayson County arrest records and police reports can be carried over to city police departments once county resources have been exhausted. These agencies may operate city jails and should be contacted to find individuals who have not yet been transferred to the Grayson County Detention Center.
Grayson County has several police departments whose contact information can be found below. Only one city police department in Grayson County has an online jail docket—the Denison Police Department.
- Bells Police Department: 903.965.7239
- Collinsville Police Department: 903-429-6226
- Denison Police Department: 903.465.2720
- Gunter Police Department: 903.433.1717
- Howe Police Department: 903.532.9971
- Pottsboro Police Department: 903-786-5202
- Sherman Police Department: (903)-892-7290
- Southward May Police Department: (903)-868-1212
How To Obtain Free Grayson County Texas Criminal Records
Grayson County criminal records are of a varied nature depending on the public agency that created them and what type of interaction an individual has with a law enforcement agency or judicial apparatus. The main reason why background checks are conducted is to look for criminal convictions and sentences that may have resulted from charges imposed upon an offender.
These Grayson County public records are created by the courts and also held by state repositories for criminal records—they essentially provide the bulk and significant content of criminal records obtained during background checks. Other types of records associated with courts are warrant and probation records.
Warrants are issued by the courts when an offender fails to attend their hearing or if they are wanted for a violation of a condition such as parole. In these cases, warrant records are generated and are part of Texas criminal records. When offenders are convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison or jail terms, the courts may deem it more ideal to release them back into community under supervision—this is known as probation and are part of criminal records.
Lastly, there are special categories of criminal records that pertain to sexual offenses which are contained in state and national registries. Access to these records helps keep the public safe by notifying of the presence of sexual predators in the community and are available to the public at no cost.
Determine if Someone Has a History of Crime in Grayson County Texas via the County & District Courts
Criminal records are garnered from court records that can be obtained from the Grayson County Clerk and the District Clerk’s Office. Criminal misdemeanors records are acquired from the County Clerk and can be done conveniently online using the Grayson County Clerk Criminal Record Search Tool.
This free criminal record check can be queried using different criteria namely: case number, attorney and defendant name. Records displayed will show case number, charges and location of the hearing.
Certified copies are available upon request and cost $1.00 per page and an additional $5.00 for the certification. Call 903-813-4335 to request certified copies.
Felony criminal records may be obtained by contacting the District Clerk’s Office.
How To Perform a Warrant Search in Grayson County Texas
Warrant information can be sought from several agencies in Grayson County including the Sheriff’s Office and the county and district courts. Pursuant to Gov’t Code § 552.022(a)(17), warrant information which is part of court records and signed by magistrates is public information and therefore a part of Grayson County public records.
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted to obtain information on warrants that pertain to delinquent fines and court costs by phone. Any other warrant information can only be provided in person. Nevertheless, if someone does have active Grayson County warrants and they seek to verify in person, they do risk being arrested.
Alternatively, interested persons can get in touch with the Grayson County Clerk whose case records can be accessed online. Depending on the warrant type, users may opt to search through criminal court records or civil judicial records such as when looking for civil contempt arrest warrants. Grayson County court records can be queried using party name, case number, attorney or court date filed.
The search for warrants can be expanded beyond county lines by contacting the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) who maintains a database of wanted fugitives in Texas. There are several lists available on the page including sex offenders and most wanted fugitives. Information on those with warrants include their photographs (mugshots), physical descriptors and what they are wanted for.
When running background checks on individuals through the Texas Department of Public Safety, information on warrants can also be extracted from the data. The process of performing these checks will be delved into the sections below.
How To Run a Grayson County Probation Record Search
Probation information can be sought from the Grayson County Community Supervision and Corrections Department which was formerly the Adult Probation. The term probation in Texas refers to the sentencing of a convicted offender to a prison or jail term, but this term is suspended and the individual is released into the community under court orders—it could also mean a judge deferring the guilty sentence of an offender who is otherwise still at fault.
These records of the County Community Supervision and Corrections Department are part of judicial records and do not therefore come under records that are defined in Open Records and Freedom of Information Acts pursuant to Attorney General’s Open Records decision #236.5 This effectively makes probation information not a part of public records in Grayson County.
For more information on probation records, contact the Grayson County Community Supervision and Corrections Department.
How To Acquire a Background Check Report in Grayson County Texas
Background checks are carried out primarily for two reasons: personal and professional. Personal checks are those conducted by private citizens on themselves or others to get some insight into their characters.
Those conducted for oneself may be to ensure that the criminal records do not have wrong information. When interested persons check public records for personal reasons, they often will not need consent from the owner of the record.
Professional checks are carried for official reasons by companies, organizations and public agencies. These could be for the purposes of vetting employees, tenants or during the issuance of state licenses. Professional checks are mostly fingerprint based checks (level 2 checks) and not name based checks (level 1 checks) and will always require consent from the subject of the records pursuant to state and federal regulations.
There are no official channels to conduct background checks through Grayson County public agencies. However, since performing background checks can be distilled down as the act of searching for criminal records, interested individuals have multiple avenues to obtain background reports on themselves or others.
The first place to search for misdemeanor and felony criminal records would be through the Grayson County Clerk and District Clerks. Misdemeanors criminal records can conveniently be located online and records of felonies can be acquired by getting in touch with the District Clerk’s Office.6
After scouring these records, patrons can turn to state and federal agencies such as the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP)—the process for doing this is delved into detail in the section that follows.
Lastly, interested individuals can contact third party vendors to obtain criminal history; these companies obtain records from public channels under federal and state statutes which makes them a viable and legal way to do so. While they do charge a fee for their services, they make the process of background checks more convenient since they perform the heavy lifting in the search for criminal records.
How To Find Public Criminal Records Throughout Texas
The search for criminal records should expand beyond county lines to ensure that it is more comprehensive and thoroughly covers the subject’s background. There are several state and federal channels that can be used to locate this information including the Texas Department of Safety (DPS), the State Offender Registry and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Search for Criminal Records Through the DPS: The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the public records repository of criminal data received from all the law enforcement agencies and courts in the state. This makes it a viable method to obtain criminal records from Texas public records. The DPS primarily provides name-based searches to the public and hence can be used to check arrest history for oneself and to look up someone’s criminal record.
To initiate a search, users must first create an account and then proceed to search the database for criminal records using names of the subject. The system utilizes search credits each of which cost $3.00 which are paid for either by credit card, check or money order. Each search credit is equal to a criminal record search. Any questions and inquiries should be directed to 512.424.7256.
The DPS makes available fingerprint-based searches as per Texas law to volunteers (designated), employees and individuals that require licensing to work in professions such as teachers, child care providers and armed guards etc. The Texas Review of Personal Criminal History checks are completed by scheduling an appointment online or by calling +1.888.467.2080 to have fingerprints captured at in-state Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST) locations or out of state FAST locations.
Costs for obtaining these fingerprints is $10.00 and an additional $15.00 for the criminal history report.
Patrons should bring acceptable identification when having fingerprints captured—minors will have these ID requirements as well when being fingerprinted.
For more information on the FAST service, email the DPS Fingerprint Division.
Obtain Criminal Records via the FBI: Fingerprint checks through the DPS cover only the state of Texas, patrons will need to obtain an Identity History Summary Check (rap sheet) that covers national criminal records from the FBI. These cost $18.00 and like the DPS checks, are fingerprint based.
Find Criminal Records Through the Sex Offender Registry: The Texas DPS makes available a sex offender registry that can be used to locate persons convicted of sexual offenses at no cost to the public; it even allows the community to sign up for notifications when an offender moves into the neighborhood. Users can search for offenders by utilizing the Texas Sex Offender Registry Tool .
Out of state sexual offenders can also be sought using the National Sex Offender Public Website for free. This tool can be searched using either the name or location of the offender.
View Federal Criminal Records Through the BOP: The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is charged with the task of housing inmates convicted of federal crimes and has a public index of incarcerated individuals and those released since 1982. This database can be accessed for free using the Federal Criminal Records Search Tool.
How To View Grayson County Court Documents & Cases
Grayson County court records and documents can be viewed and acquired by getting in touch with the County Court. These Grayson County public records can be obtained electronically or by visiting the courts. The County Court is part of the structure that makes up the Texas Court System which is a three-tier court system outlined below.
Supreme Court—Texas has two Supreme Courts: the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals which adjudicates criminal and death penalty cases and the Texas Supreme Court which hears civil cases. Both courts are the highest courts in the state and hear appeals from the lower courts. These two courts serve as the final resort of appeals that have gone through the Appellate courts.
Appellate Courts— There are fourteen Appellate Courts that hear cases that have been heard by trials courts in which the parties are not satisfied with the outcome. Decisions from these Appellate Courts can then be subsequently appealed at the Supreme Courts.
Trials Courts—The Trial Courts also known as the local courts consist of County, State District, Justice of the Peace courts and municipal courts. They adjudicate varying court cases from civil to criminal and traffic ordinances.
The Grayson County Court makes it convenient to locate various court records whether they are criminal, civil, family or probate. This can be accomplished online by using the Grayson County Case Search Tool which can be used to find either Criminal Misdemeanor Court Records or Civil Court Records.
Upon using the search feature online, criminal misdemeanor court records can be requested as certified records from the County Clerk’s Office charged at $1.00 per page and $5.00 for certification. Felony records can be obtained by calling or visiting the District Clerk’s Office.
Civil court records maintained by the County Clerk’s Office involve civil amounts where the contested amount is less than $100,000. Records appealed from the Justice of the Peace Courts can also be found using the online search tool outlined earlier. Civil records where the amount in the civil suit is greater than $100,000 are in custody with the District Clerk’s Office.
How To Obtain Grayson County Texas Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death Records
Vital records including marriage, divorce, birth and death records are mostly considered public records in Texas with anyone able to acquire information about them. Marriage, divorce, birth and death certificates are acquired from the Grayson County Clerk and the District Clerk. They may also be ordered from state agencies i.e., the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Informational copies of certain vital records such as birth and death records are available to anyone. However, certified copies of birth records are only available to the public after the 75 years of the event being recorded—otherwise, they can only be ordered by these authorized individuals. Conversely, certified death certificates that are younger than 25 years can only be requested by immediate family members.
Certified copies of marriage and divorce records can be requested by anyone in Texas without having the need to be the owner of the record or an immediate family member.
Search Grayson County Marital Records (Marriage, Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage) Through the County and District Clerks
Interested persons looking to find out if someone is married or divorced can do so through county resources which are the Grayson County Clerk and the District Clerk. The Texas Department of State Health Services – Vital Statistics issues verification letters that the marriage and divorce took place.
View Marriage Records via the Grayson County Clerk: Patrons can check if someone is married online using the Gray County Marriage Record Search Tool.
They should select “Marriage” as the type of record they are seeking and input the name of the parties on the record. Records from 1846 to present can be viewed in this way for free.
Marriage certificates can also be ordered from the Grayson County Clerk through mail or in person. They cost $7.00 and patrons will need to complete a Grayson County marriage records request form (Spanish) and include payment in the form of money order or check. Check payments will need to include a copy of the ID. Only marriages that were recorded in Grayson County are available in this office.
The application will then need to be sent to the Grayson County Clerk. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 AM to 4.30 PM or Wednesday 8.30 AM to 4.30 PM.
Grayson County Clerk
100 West Houston
Suite 17
Sherman, Texas 75090
Questions can be directed to 903.813.4243, 903.813.4242 and 903.813.4260.
Acquire Divorce Records Through the Grayson District Clerk: Divorce records can be acquired by searching through court records via the Grayson District Clerk who handles civil matters including divorce. This is done electronically using the Grayson County Divorce Records Search Tool which is free to use.
Divorce records can be searched for using the case number, party, attorney or date filed. Upon searching the records, users can click on the case number upon which they will view the divorce decree.
They may also be viewed at the courthouse where they may be printed as either certified or non-certified—fees for doing them may be obtained from this fee schedule.
Search Marriage and Divorce Records via the TDSHS: Certified copies of marriage and divorce records cannot be obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) – Vital Statistics; the office however issues letters verifying the vital event took place. The TDSHS maintains marriage and divorce records since 1966 and 1968 respectively, records produced before these years are available at the county or district where the event was recorded.
Verification letters can be ordered online, or in person at the Austin office or by mail by completing the application for a marriage or divorce verification.10 Mail requests can be sent to the applicable mailing address or by visiting the TDSHS Austin Office.
Each marriage and divorce record copy costs $20.00. Mail payments are by check or money order and made payable to the “DSHS Vital Statistics.” In person requests payments can be through money order, check or credit card.
Applicants can check for the status of their orders or call 888-963-7111—typical processing times and applicable fees can be found here.
Access Birth & Death Records in Grayson County Texas via the County Clerk
Birth certificates and death records can be ordered from the Grayson County Clerk and through the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) – Vital Statistics. As mentioned earlier, these records have limited availability to the general public until the mentioned time stipulations are met.
Outside of these timelines, only qualified persons may request certified copies. Members of the public may still order information copies of these records if the vital records have not attained maturity.
Order Birth and Death Certificates via the Grayson County Clerk: Birth and death records can be viewed through an Official Records Search Tool furnished by the Grayson County Clerk for free.
A certificate of birth and death may also be acquired from the Grayson County Clerk either online or through mail in and walk in requests. A valid government issued ID is required to obtain certified copies. A birth record and certificate of death cost $23.00 and $21.00 respectively and additional copies will incur a $4.00 charge.
Electronic requests for birth or death completed online are picked up at the office which was mentioned before. Applicants must visit the office within three days of submitting this application or risk having the application removed from the queue.
Applications for certificates of birth and death are initiated by printing the birth or death request form (Spanish) and mailing it with copies of ID.
Walk-in requests use the same form as above and should be done with acceptable ID at the Grayson County Courthouse—Department of Vital Statistics at the same hours outlined earlier.
Email and phone inquiries can be sent to [email protected] and 903.813.4243, 903.813.4242 and 903.813.4260.
Retrieve Birth and Death Records From the TDSHS: Death Certificates and birth records can also be sought from state resources in the form of the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) – Vital Statistics. These can be ordered online and by mail and walk in requests. The TDSHS makes available multiple birth and death record types. The costs and fees for these vital records can be found in this fee schedule.
The most convenient and fastest to order birth certificates and death records is online. Ensure these requirements are met before using this method.
Mail orders are done by submitting complete these birth and death request forms. These requests have the following requirements and can be mailed to applicable mail addresses. Photocopies of acceptable IDs must be included in the request. Payment is made through check or money order payable to the “DSHS Vital Statistics.”
In person requests are done at the county offices as explained earlier or through the Austin office. Applicants should bring the authorized ID’s with them and make payment in either credit card, money order and check payable to the “DSHS Vital Statistics.” Walk-in requests are done at this TDSHS location.
How To Figure Out Who Owns a Grayson County Property & if There Are Unpaid Taxes
Property records in Grayson County are under the jurisdiction of the County Clerk’s office—the office has custody of deeds, mortgages, land patent records, mortgages etc. that go back to 1846 to present. Tax records on properties can be acquired by contacting the Grayson County Tax Assessor—Collector.
The County Clerk’s Office provides a Grayson County Real Property Records Search Tool free available for public use.
Patrons have a choice of using either a simple search or advanced search which allows for a more robust tool providing more query options such as party name, grantor, recorded data, lot etc.
Property records and tax information can also be found through the Grayson Central Appraisal District. This office makes available a Grayson CAD Property Online Directory that is free for the public to use and can be queried using address, owner name or by property ID.
The County Tax Assessor-Collector furnishes a Grayson County Tax Assessor-Collector Search Tool which can locate property records using multiple criteria including property ID, owner names and a legal description (subdivision name, lot, block etc.).
Using Grayson County Public Records Ethically & Understanding Citizens’ Rights
The ability to access public records in Grayson County is a right granted by the Public Information Act to its citizens but comes with the added responsibility of treating these records with moral and ethical standards. Since public records tend to expose intimate components of someone’s lives, they may be used for unethical and ulterior motives to the detriment of the individual in concern.
Care should be taken not to use these records in deceitful ways such as to intimate, blackmail or threaten others.
Additionally, the state of Texas and the federal government has legislated laws that help protect and safeguard the privacy rights of individuals when it comes to public records. Some records such as vital records cannot be accessed unless the individual is authorized to do so; in other cases, certified records cannot be accessed by the public, but instead they only receive informational copies.
Public records such as those pertaining to the interaction with law enforcement agencies i.e. criminal records receive substantial protection since these tend to affect the daily functioning of individuals in society. These records will have a say in an individual’s ability to acquire employment, rent a property or even obtain a loan.
Pursuant to Texas Bus. & Com. Code § 20.05, a time restriction is placed on the release of criminal convictions and arrests that are older than seven or ten years old for jobs that pay less than $75,000 annually. Texas also permits its citizens to ‘clean’ up their criminal records through processes of expunction and sealing these records.
Expunction is restricted in Texas and can be used on certain records such as dismissal of misdemeanor and felony charges as mandated by Tex. Code Crim. Proc. § 55.01.16 Other offenses are eligible to be sealed through a non-disclosure order as per Tex. Govt. Code § 411.074.
In any case, the effect of sealing and expunctions has the implication that the records in questions will no longer be reported on background checks and job applicants are not obligated to release them to potential employers.
Federal laws such as those instituted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provide guidelines to employers when it comes to criminal records of job applicants. These include assessing the nature of the offense or the time that has passed since it was committed and weighting this on the ultimate decision they make.
The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which is administered by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) forces employers to complete certain steps before taking an adverse action before termination or denying promotion to an employee. These include providing a copy of the record that led to the employer making the decision.
Accessibility to Grayson County public records is a crucial pillar of the freedoms granted to its citizens, but equally as important is having the right tools and resources to quickly and efficiently access these records.
References
1The Attorney General of Texas. (2022). Public Information Act. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/files/divisions/open-government/publicinfo_hb.pdf>
2Grayson County, Texas Government. (n.d.). Jail Records. Grayson County Judicial Records Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://judicialsearch.co.grayson.tx.us:8443/JailingSearch.aspx?ID=400>
3Grayson County, Texas Government. (n.d.). Criminal Records. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://judicialsearch.co.grayson.tx.us:8443/Search.aspx?ID=100>
4Texas Department of Public Safety. (2023). Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://www.dps.texas.gov/texas10mostwanted/MostWanted/sexOffenders>
5The Attorney General of Texas. (2020). Open Records Decision No. 236. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/ord-files/ord/2020/ord19800236.pdf>
6Grayson County, Texas Government. (n.d.). Criminal Court Records. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://www.co.grayson.tx.us/page/cclk.crmcrtrcds>
7Texas Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Public Sex Offender Registry Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://publicsite.dps.texas.gov/SexOffenderRegistry/Search>
8Grayson County, Texas Government. (n.d.). Civil, Family & Probate Records. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://judicialsearch.co.grayson.tx.us:8443/Search.aspx?ID=200>
9Grayson County Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Marriage Search Results. Official Records Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://grayson.tx.publicsearch.us/results?_instrumentYears=2020-Present&department=MC&limit=50&offset=0&recordedDateRange=18460820%2C20230919&searchOcrText=false&searchType=quickSearch&searchValue=smith&sort=asc&sortBy=applicant1>
10Texas Department of State Health Services. (n.d.). Order vital records. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://ovra.txapps.texas.gov/ovra/order-vital-records>
11Grayson County Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Birth Search Results. Official Records Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://grayson.tx.publicsearch.us/results?department=BR&instrumentDateRange=17891117%2C20230915&searchOcrText=false&searchType=quickSearch&searchValue=john%20smith>
12Grayson County, Texas Government. (n.d.). Vital Certificates Application Form. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://graysontx.eforms.kofile.com/48181/VitalCertificate/MultiViewCreate/>
13Grayson County Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Real Property Document Preview. Official Records Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://grayson.tx.publicsearch.us/doc/23730127>
14Grayson Central Appraisal District. (n.d.). Property Search. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://esearch.graysonappraisal.org/>
15Grayson County Tax Assessor-Collector. (n.d.). Property Search – Results. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <http://taxsearch.co.grayson.tx.us:8443/Property-Detail/PropertyQuickRefID/R100628/PartyQuickRefID/O0015748>
16Texas Constitution and Statutes. (2023). Code of Criminal Procedure. Chapter 55: Expunction of Criminal Records. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from <https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.55.htm>