Access Free Anderson County Public Records (Resource)

X

Free Anderson County Public Records Search

Access Anderson County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

First Name

Last Name

City (Optional)

State ALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY

Thanks to the availability of Anderson County public records, interested citizens can access information about any resident’s past for free.

In addition to criminal records, prisoner information, probationary status, arrests, warrants, and court documents, online resources offer insights into property ownership and vital records (marriage, divorce, birth, and death certificates).

This resource resource helps searchers tap into publicly available databases to conduct fast, straightforward public record searches on themselves or local residents.

How To Execute an Anderson County Inmate Search & View Mugshots for Free

Because Anderson County falls under the jurisdiction of the Texas Public Information Act, citizens have the right to access public records without submitting an official statement regarding the intent behind the record search.¹

To that end, public records in Anderson County meet the transparency requirements by hosting inmate search engines across multiple agencies, including the county-level sheriff’s office.

Municipal police departments are also an excellent starting point if you know the inmate’s name and the approximate town or city location where the arrest occurred.

Be aware that the more information you have on the person of interest, the more the search narrows and the more likely you are to find them.

Find Out if Someone Was Arrested & Taken to the Anderson County Jail

Citizens are welcome to search Anderson County arrest details to gain more insight on anyone detained or in custody throughout the county.

In Anderson County, the sheriff’s office is the first place to look for inmates and mugshots because it provides the broadest search function.

While they do not host their intake records directly on-site, they direct searchers to the Courts Records Inquiry search form, which hosts inmate records for all jails across Anderson County.

To use the search forms, users will need to know at least some of the following information:

• Defendant’s first name (required)
• Defendant’s last name (required)
• Middle name
• Date of birth
• Date booked
• Date released

Alternatively, they also have the option to use the inmate’s booking number, which replaces the need for the first and last name.

Once the search form has all available search data, it will return a list of any inmates who meet the inputted criteria, listing out the following information:

• Booking number
• Facility
• Arresting agency
• Booking date
• Release date
• Aliases
• Address
• Race
• Sex
• Height
• Weight
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Warrant number
• Charge
• Issuing authority
• Offense date
• Bond amount and type
• Fines and court costs
• Disposition
• Front and right profile mugshots

Should citizens be interested in methods outside of the online search function, they can instead contact the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Records Department, which holds custodial responsibility over open records requests, background checks, jail records, and case reports.

All requests for public information should be in writing, whether by email through the contact form or by letter sent to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, ATTN: Records. Interested parties can also contact them directly:³

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office
1200 E. Lacy St.
Palestine, TX 75801

Phone: 903-729-6068
Fax: 903-729-3022
Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM

The Anderson County Jail shares the same address with the sheriff’s office, but the phone number is 903-731-8209.

Look Up Arrests & Obtain Reports From Local Police Departments in Anderson County Texas

Despite its population nearing 60,000, Anderson County is home to only three cities: Palestine, Elkhart, and Frankston. The remaining geography of the county comprises 28 unincorporated areas and two ghost towns called Jarvis and Wild Cat Bluff.

Palestine is the largest city in Anderson County and serves as the county seat. In addition to being the home of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, it also have the municipal Palestine Police Department:⁴

Palestine Police Department
504 N Queen Street
Palestine, TX 75801

Phone: 903-729-2254
Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM

To view arrests and reports from the Palestine Police Department, inquirers should use the Anderson County Records search mentioned above if they know who the person of interest is.

For a general overview of arrests in Palestine, the best resource is the weekly Police Field Reports available through the city’s Civic Alerts.⁵ Each report details the date, incident, and arrests as applicable under the Texas Public Information Act.

Inquirers can also contact the Police Records Clerk to request access to accident, and offense reports at 903-731-8432 or the Record’s Clerk email, available at the link.⁶

Elkhart does not have a police department, but they do have channels through which individuals can request open records by mailing, hand-delivering, or emailing the Elkhart City Hall:

City of Elkhart
City Hall
110 West Parker
Elkhart, Texas 75839

Mailing Address:
City of Elkhart
Post Office Box 944
Elkhart, Texas 75839

Phone Number: 903-764-5657
Email Address: On-site contact form
Hours: 8 AM – 6 PM

For arrests in Frankston, Texas, contact the Frankston Police Department.⁷ They do not host online arrest logs, nor do they have weekly public report logs like Palestine. Still, they are the first municipal contact point for publicly available records of criminal incarcerations in the area.

Frankston Police Department
240 W Main St, Frankston, TX 75763

Mailing Address:
240 W. Main Street
PO Box 186
Frankston, TX 75763

Phone: 903-876-2400
Email: On-site contact form
Hours: 8 AM – 4 PM

For any other unincorporated areas of Anderson County, the county sheriff’s office handles all calls and reporting with help from four constables, who process arrests through the Anderson County Police Department.

How To View Criminal Records in Anderson County

Searching criminal records is one of the best ways to get insight into people’s past and confirm that they are who they say they are.

For example, many personal criminal checks result from dating someone new or hiring a home worker, such as a babysitter or housekeeper, as knowing that the individual has a clean record can provide peace of mind before they get close to vulnerable family members.

Citizens searching for Anderson County criminal records can access various documents that outline an individual’s history with law enforcement and the Texas judicial system. These records might include arrests, convictions, probation reports, and detailed court dockets of their court proceedings.

Most criminal cases can be found through the Anderson County Court Records Inquiry system and the County Clerk’s office.

Perform a Free Criminal Record Lookup Through the Anderson County Courts Records Inquiry

Residents can use the Criminal Case Records, Civil, Family, & Probate, or Judgements search functions to conduct an online criminal record search through the Anderson County Courts Records Inquiry.

For Criminal Case Records, users need to have the following options for their search terms:

• Case number or cross reference number
• Defendant’s last name
• Citation number
• Attorney’s last name
• Date filed

As with arrest records, search results will be more pertinent if users add specific information, especially when the information they have on hand will return many irrelevant results, like the last name “Smith.” Adding the first name or the date range during which the court case happened significantly reduces the number of possible criminal records returned.

Once the search results appear, record seekers get an overview of any relevant results, including the case number, defendant name, when and where the case was filed, the type and status of the charges, and the specific charge.

Clicking the case number gives additional information, including:

• State
• Sex
• Race
• Height
• Attorneys and contact information
• Charge information
• Statute
• Level
• Date
• A timeline of all dispositions, events, and hearings

Track Down Criminal History Information via the Anderson County Clerk

The Anderson County Clerk has several deputy clerks responsible for serving as records custodians, including those who handle criminal records.⁹

To request a particular criminal record from the County Clerk’s office, residents can visit in person, call, email, or write to the Criminal Record Deputy Clerks at:

Anderson County Clerk
500 N Church Rm 10, Palestine, TX 75801

Phone: 903-723-7402
Email: On-site contact form
Hours: 8-12 & 1-5 Monday through Friday

This governmental department endorses the iDocket website to search the public index for criminal cases from 1969 to the present, civil cases from 1982 to the present, and probate cases from 1846 to the present. New users must set up an account to access the search functions.

For further assistance with accessing Anderson County public records via the iDocket platform, contact 800-443-2538 or read through their FAQs resource.

How To Run an Anderson County Texas Warrant Search

While no Anderson County online warrant search is available, curious parties can obtain the information from the sheriff’s office Civil Division:

Anderson County Civil Division Warrants
500 N. Church St. Rm.12
Palestine, TX 75801

Mailing Address:
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office
ATTN: Civil Division
1200 E. Lacy St. Palestine, TX 75801

Number: 903-731-8243
Fax: 903-723-7886
Email: On-site contact form

For records specific to Palestine, the Palestine Police Department provides a list of active warrants they update regularly.

On the list, readers can find a record of the name, warrant number, race, sex, date of birth, issue date, and offenses.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has the most robust and informative statewide warrant information divided across several lists.

Each one provides the name, physical identifiers, age, wanted for reasons, gang affiliations, last known address, and the reward for their capture. Clicking on the fugitive’s photo provides further details, including aliases, FBI number, state identification (SID) number, Texas Department of Corrections (TDC) number, and a narrative describing their crimes.

• Texas Fugitives Still Wanted List
• Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives
• Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders
• Captured Fugitives & Sex Offenders Archive

The Captured Archive also has a built-in search function that lets you specify terms such as wanted for, captured location, last name, fugitive or sex offender categories, arresting agency, and known gang affiliations.

For more information about the Most Wanted lists, contact the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at +1(800)252-8477 or the Texas Department of Public Safety:

Texas Department of Public Safety
5805 North Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78752-4431

Mailing Address:
PO Box 4087
Austin, TX 78773-0001
Phone Number: 512-424-2000
Email: [email protected]

How To Conduct a Probationer Search in Anderson County TX

Unfortunately, there is no online database for finding probationers among the Anderson County public record resources. Still, some government entities can assist with obtaining records available under the Public Information Act.

Texas’s Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD) handles all probationer cases, known as “community supervision,” by working with the individual Community Supervision & Correction Departments (CSCD) across the state.¹²

Contact information for the CJAD is as follows:

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Community Justice Assistance Division
209 W. 14th St.
Ste. 400
Austin, Texas 78701

Phone: 512-305-9300

Palestine is the home of the CSCD main office for Anderson and Houston counties:

Anderson County CSCD
611 E Lacy St., Palestine, TX 75801-2965

Phone: 903-729-2408
Fax: 903-729-4074

How To Complete an Anderson County Background Check & Retrieve a Report

Digital resources have made running a background check a relatively straightforward process both for those who need to provide a report for professional purposes and those who want to conduct a personal background check about someone they’re curious about.

When performing a personal background check via the Anderson County public records outlined in this resource, there’s no need to provide a reason for the search nor to obtain consent from the subject so long as the public records are used legally and ethically.

Searchers should be mindful that all privacy laws are respected and that the data is not used to stalk, intimidate, or harass the other party, which includes not posting it online to incite others to contact the person.

Professional background checks are those conducted by employers, licensing agencies, and housing offices to safeguard against bad actors who would hide potentially dangerous criminal offenses.

These background checks fall under two categories; Level 1 background checks are name-based searches that provide personal details and a broad overview of the person of interest. These are less reliable, as information can get crossed between two people with the same name.

Level 2 background checks are fingerprint-based, making them far more accurate as those prints only belong to a single person on record.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) provides background check services through the Crime Records Division, including fingerprinting services through the Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST). To schedule a fingerprinting appointment, use FAST’s online tool or call +1(888)467-2080.

On the day of the appointment, be prepared to provide an accepted form of identification and payment of $25 with a debit/credit card or money order. Once the background check is complete, the results are sent to the email or address on record.

The complete list of instructions for scheduling a personal review is available online.

Should an employer request a background check, be aware of your rights. They must abide by all legislation outlined in the EEOC and the FCRA, which protects citizens from discrimination based on the information in their background checks and grants the right to dispute/correct any information contained therein.

The FTC also protects individuals from having an official background check conducted without consent.

These laws will be discussed in more detail in the last section, including how to report violations.

How To Search Public Criminal Records Throughout Texas Using State & Federal Resources

To help the public access information about Texas criminal records, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) runs an Inmate Information Search system that updates at the end of every working day with cases at least 24 hours old.

The public also has the right to request the inmate details via email by sending a message to [email protected]. Be prepared to provide the full name, TDCJ number, date of birth, or approximate age and county where they were convicted.

This method is an excellent way to get a free criminal record check, but they will not provide any inmate’s photographs or social security numbers.

It’s worth noting that there are several facilities run through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice located in unincorporated areas of Anderson County.

While these are not county-level facilities, they may be worth contacting for information about local arrests once an inmate is processed through the Anderson County Jail.

The George Beto Unit, Coffield Unit, Mark W. Michael Unit, Louis C. Powledge Unit, and the Joe F. Gurney Transfer Facility are all co-located on 20,518 acres of land in Tennessee Colony and Palestine along Farm to Market Road; each address can be found below:

George Beto Unit
1391 FM 3328
Tennessee Colony, TX 75880

Phone: 903-928-2217 (**022)

HH Coffield Unit
2661 FM 2054, Tennessee Colony, TX 75884

Phone: 903-928-2211 (**006)

Mark W. Michael Unit
2664 FM 2054, Tennessee Colony, TX 75886

Phone: 903-928-2311 (**036)

Louis C. Powledge Unit
1400 FM 3452, Palestine, TX 75803

Phone: 903-723-5074 (**028)

The Texas Department of Public Safety provides a similar service through its Criminal History Conviction Name Search, which pulls data from the DPS Computerized Criminal History System regarding any Class B Misdemeanor or higher.¹⁴

This resource requires an account and for users to purchase credits. For help using this database, call 855-481-7070 or read through the FAQ site.

Curious parties can request a criminal record from the DPS Crime Records Service with the following contact information:

Crime Records Service Access & Dissemination Bureau
Attn: Criminal History Inquiry Unit
Texas Department of Public Safety
PO Box 4143, Austin, TX 78765-4143

Phone: 512-424-2474
Email: [email protected]

DPS is also the custodian of the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry, and they allow users to access the information online, download the entire database, and subscribe for updates when a new offender is added.

For searchers interested in expanding their search for criminal records about inmates incarcerated in one of the 18 Texas federal prisons, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) inmate search permits free perusal of their records dating back to 1982.

The United States Department of Justice runs the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry, with which concerned citizens can search by name or location across all 50 states and U.S. territories.¹⁶

How To Find Public Court Records in Anderson County

In Anderson County, the court system comprises the Commissioner’s Court, County Court, Justice of the Peace Courts, and the County Court at Law, all of which use the free, publicly accessible Court Record Inquiry database.

This search system does not grant access to detailed court dockets but is valuable for quick checks of pending or past charges and the court’s findings.

The same process applies to Civil, Family, & Probate Case Records but not Judgements Searches. Instead, the searcher must provide the last and first name, business, agency number, or SID to view active, inactive, and satisfied judgments.

Should a searcher prefer to reach out directly to the custodian of records, contact the following:

For information on criminal, probate, civil, vital, and OPR records, contact the Anderson County Clerk.

The District Clerk handles records related to criminal, civil, and child support cases handled by the District Courts.¹⁷

If an interested party has exhausted their options at the county and district level, they should move on to Texas’s higher courts, each providing searchable directories.

• 12th Court of Appeals case search
• Supreme Court of Texas case search
• Court of Criminal Appeals case search (includes all information from the Supreme Court and the 14 Courts of Appeals)

How To Obtain Anderson County Vital Records: Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death Information

When establishing a person’s identity, vital records are the primary source government agencies use for documentation. These Anderson County public records typically include significant life milestones, including birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates.

As with criminal records, Texas’s Public Information Act (PIA) allows curious parties to conduct a free public records search for any reason, from researching their family’s genealogical history to ensuring that a new romantic partner is actually divorced before proceeding with the relationship.

While marriage and divorce records are always public information, birth certificates do not qualify under the PIA for 75 years and death certificates for 25 years.

Access Anderson County vital records through the appropriate channels– the County Clerk’s office, the District Clerk’s office, and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Vital Records Division.

Check Marital Records (Divorce & Marriage) Through the County & District Courts

The Anderson County Clerk handles all marriage records, including issuance and copying, by appointment only, which residents can make by calling 903-723-7465.

To obtain a marriage license, both applicants must fill out the application, submit proof of identity, read an oath, sign the application before the County Clerk, and pay the $82 application fee.

Contact the County Clerk for more information on obtaining marriage licenses.

Personal divorce records are available by contacting the District Clerk on the 1st floor of the Anderson County Courthouse. Call 903-723-7441 to access 349th and 87th District Civil Records or 903-723-7463 for 3rd and 369th District Civil Records.

According to the District Clerk Fee Schedule, certified or uncertified copies of any record are available for $1 per page.

For those searching for genealogical information or confirmation of marriage but not in need of a verified document, the Anderson County Clerk can provide marriage and divorce records through the Official Records Search, which only requires a name or document type to start.²¹

You can also look up statewide marital records by following the guidance in either the Texas marriage record search resource or the tutorial on tracking down TX divorce information.

Track Down Birth or Death Records in Anderson County Texas via the Department of Health & Human Services

Should a record seeker wish to obtain a certified copy of birth or death records locally, the County Clerk allows immediate family members or the individual in question to order an official document through the mail or in person.

To complete the process through the mail, fill out the Birth Certificate Application & Affidavit or the Death Certificate Application & Affidavit and have it notarized by a licensed notary.

Include the completed, notarized form with a copy of a state-issued driver’s license or ID and a money order or cashier’s check in the amount of $23 for a birth certificate or $21 for one death certificate and $4 for each additional copy requested by a single applicant.

Send the documents to the Anderson County Clerk’s Office at the above address or drop them off in person.

There are several ways to request copies of vital records from the Texas DSHS, the easiest of which is the online vital records ordering system. This portal allows qualified individuals to obtain certified copies or verification letters of birth and death certificates.

The cost is $22 for a birth certificate or $20 for a death certificate.

To order the document in question, the DSHS requires various combinations of identification:

• One form of ID from Group A (US-issued driver’s license, federal or state ID, military ID, or a US passport, etc.) or…
• Two forms of ID from Group B (student ID, Medicaid/Medicare card, VA card, any expired Group A form, etc.) or…
• One form of ID from Group B and one from Group C (utility bill with current address, pay stub, lease, bank statement, etc.).

For more information, an instructional video is available explaining in more detail.

Should a citizen prefer to obtain the document in person for same-day service, they should download the application, prepare their forms of identification, and visit the headquarters of Vital Statistics. There is an additional fee of $2.25 for office service.

Texas Vital Statistics
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756-3199

Phone: 888-963-7111
Fax: 512-776-7711
Hours: 8 AM – 4 PM

Mailing in requests is also possible. For regular processing, mail the notarized application, copies of ID forms, and a check or money order to:

Texas Vital Statistics Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, TX 78711-2040

For expedited processing, record seekers must include additional fees for overnight shipping ($12.50), express mail to a PO box ($22.95), and a $5 expedited processing fee, then send to the following address:

Texas Vital Statistics
MC 2096
Department of State Health Services
1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756 

How To Determine Who Owns an Anderson County Property & if There Are Unpaid Taxes

When citizens need to find information on who owns an Anderson County property, several offices can help.

The first place to start is the Anderson County Tax Office, which hosts an online property tax search engine. All that’s required to perform a records search is the name, address, or property account number.

From there, the site provides a list of all records that match the search criteria along with the property IDs, account numbers, owner names, situs addresses, and the assessed value for the previous year.

Clicking on an entry brings up further information regarding the tax bills and payment history, allowing users to check whether an Anderson County property has unpaid taxes.

Direct any further questions to either the Palestine or Frankston Tax Office locations:

Anderson County Courthouse
Annex 703 N. Mallard St.
STE 104
Palestine, TX 75801

Phone: 903-723-7423
Fax: 903-723-7801
Hours: 8 AM – 4:30 PM

Anderson County Tax Office Frankston Annex
320 S. Commerce St.
Frankston, TX 75763

Mailing Address:
PO Box 965
Frankston, TX 75763

Phone: 903-876-2211
Fax: 903-876-2333

Another option available to information seekers is the Anderson County Appraisal District (ACAD), which has its own Anderson County Appraisal District Property Search. Like the Tax Office, search terms include the name, account number, address, or Alt Xref.

Finally, the County Clerk Public Records Search gives users access to real property records dating back to 1848. However, the information is more limited than available on the Tax Office or ACAD sites.

For example, it’s more helpful in looking up deeds, easements, rights of way, and mineral right information than finding tax details. Therefore, it’s a go-to resource for a property dispute in Anderson County.

A Summary of Citizens’ Rights & Using Anderson County Public Records Responsibly

Because of Texas’s Public Information Act, finding information for a personal background check is a breeze. Still, searching public records in Anderson County comes with a lot of responsibility to stay in line with the many laws protecting search subjects from becoming victims of stalking, harassment, identity theft, and doxing.

While accessing these records doesn’t require the person of interest’s consent, those who use these resources should keep privacy protection at the front of their mind during their research.

Official record searches are similarly protected under laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Know your rights by becoming familiar with the laws surrounding professional background reports:

• The EEOC protects against discrimination based on information found in a background check.
  • Read an overview of your rights regarding criminal and arrest records.
  • Read an overview of your rights regarding background checks.
  • Should you feel that you are the subject of discrimination, grasp how to file a charge of employment discrimination and submit your claim through the online portal.²²

• The FCRA outlines all citizens’ rights through credit reporting agencies, such as disputing inaccuracies and requiring your consent before the information is provided to employers.
  • Read all of your rights available under the FCRA.²³
  • Submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

• The FTC empowers citizens to safeguard against non-consensual background checks and requires employers to inform you if they decide not to hire you based on the information contained in the report.
  • Explore all protections offered by the Federal Trade Commission.
  • File a complaint against an employer that violated the FTC.²⁴

• The Texas Public Information Act (PIA) requires governmental agencies to make all non-excluded records available to citizens through online searches or agency requests.
  • Review requestor rights under the PIA.
  • Use the online portal to file an open records complaint.

Contact the Texas Workforce Commission or the Texas Civil Rights Office for more information.

Using these resources, you can exercise your rights under the Texas PIA, access Anderson County public records, and make more informed decisions about the people you allow near you or your family; alternatively, you can find statewide Texas public information for free for a wider search radius.