Are Divorce Records Public in Texas? 2026 Access & Privacy Guide

Yes, divorce records are public in Texas. Under Texas Government Code Chapter 552 (the Public Information Act), court records—including divorce petitions and decrees—are open to the public. Anyone can request them from the district clerk in the county where the case was filed, unless a judge has sealed the file to protect specific privacy interests.

The question "are divorce records public in Texas" carries real consequences: financial details, addresses, children's names, and allegations filed in your case may be viewable by anyone. This guide explains exactly what is public, how a divorce records search works across county clerks and the statewide re:SearchTX portal, what it costs to obtain copies in 2026, and the legal steps available to seal divorce records or limit divorce records privacy exposure.

Key Facts: Texas Divorce Records at a Glance

Are Divorce Records Public in Texas?

Divorce records are public in Texas by default. Texas Government Code Chapter 552, the Public Information Act, requires that government records—including nearly all court documents—remain accessible to the public. This means a divorce petition, the final decree, motions, and financial affidavits filed in your case can be viewed by anyone who requests them, unless a court seals the file.

The presumption of openness is a foundational principle of the Texas civil justice system. When a spouse files an Original Petition for Divorce, that document becomes part of the public court file the moment the district clerk stamps it. Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a reinforces this, stating that court records are "presumed to be open to the general public." The practical effect is significant: a divorce records search by an employer, journalist, ex-partner, or curious neighbor can surface your case name, filing date, and the county of record without your knowledge or consent. Public divorce filings include the case docket, the styled cause number, and every unsealed document within it. Sensitive data such as Social Security numbers is redacted under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21c, but names, addresses, and the substance of the dispute typically remain visible.

What Information Appears in Public Divorce Records?

Public Texas divorce records typically contain the full names of both spouses, the cause number, the filing county, the date of filing, the grounds cited, and the terms of the final divorce decree. Financial disclosures, child custody arrangements, and property division details are also usually included unless the court has ordered specific documents sealed or redacted.

The scope of what becomes visible in public divorce filings surprises many people going through divorce. A standard divorce file may include the Original Petition, the Respondent's Answer, temporary orders, inventories and appraisements of marital property, child support worksheets, parenting plans, and the Final Decree of Divorce. Each document is a public record under Texas Government Code Chapter 552. Certain identifiers receive automatic protection: full Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and driver's license numbers are redacted under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21c. However, the narrative content—allegations of fault, income figures stated in the record, the names and ages of minor children, and settlement terms—generally remains part of the public divorce records unless a party successfully moves to seal or restrict them. This is why divorce records privacy planning matters before, not after, filing.

How to Search Texas Divorce Records

You can search Texas divorce records three ways: through the district clerk's office in the filing county, through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, or through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for verification letters. Texas has no single unified statewide case database, so each county district clerk maintains its own records for cases filed in that county.

A thorough divorce records search often requires checking more than one source because of Texas's decentralized system. The three primary access channels are:

• District Clerk (county level): The district clerk is the official custodian for district court divorce cases. You can request records in person, by mail, or through many counties' online portals. This is the only source for certified copies of a divorce decree.
• re:SearchTX (statewide portal): Operated by the Texas Office of Court Administration, this free-to-register portal at research.txcourts.gov aggregates documents e-filed through the eFileTexas system. It covers more than 150 counties, with coverage back to November 1, 2018, and the Texas Supreme Court ordered all district and county courts to integrate by November 1, 2025.
• Texas DSHS Vital Statistics: The state maintains a public index of Texas divorces since 1968 and issues verification letters (not certified decrees).

Because re:SearchTX only reflects electronically filed documents, paper filings or non-integrated courts may not appear there. Searching both re:SearchTX and the local county clerk portal is the safest approach for completeness.

Using re:SearchTX for a Divorce Records Search

re:SearchTX is Texas's official statewide public access portal, allowing free registration and searches by party name, case number, attorney name, or date range. General public users have more limited access than judges and attorneys, and coverage extends back to November 1, 2018. Some documents require payment to preview or download in full.

The portal at research.txcourts.gov is the closest Texas offers to a unified divorce records search tool, but its access tiers create important limitations. Registered members of the public can locate a case and view basic docket information, yet full document access frequently requires a per-document purchase, with an optional re:SearchTX Plus upgrade for heavier users. Attorneys of record and self-represented litigants are not required to pay for documents on their own cases. Two caveats matter: first, re:SearchTX only reflects what was electronically filed, so a case submitted on paper before a county integrated may be missing entirely. Second, documents downloaded from re:SearchTX are unofficial copies useful for research but not admissible in court. For any official purpose—a legal proceeding, a real estate transaction, or a name-change verification—you must obtain a certified copy from the district clerk who serves as custodian of the original public divorce filings.

Cost to Obtain Texas Divorce Records in 2026

Certified copies of a Texas divorce decree cost a certification fee plus a per-page charge (commonly $1–$5 per page) set by each county district clerk. A state DSHS divorce verification letter costs $20, with expedited service adding $25 and express shipping adding $12.50. As of March 2026, verify all fees with your local clerk or DSHS before ordering.

Costs for accessing divorce records in Texas depend on which document you need and where you obtain it. The table below breaks down the common charges. Filing fees to initiate a divorce are separate from records-access fees and range from $350 to $401 depending on the county, with cases involving children typically costing $15 to $51 more to fund Domestic Relations Office operations under Texas Family Code Chapter 203.

DSHS fees are non-refundable even when no record is found; the office issues a "not found" letter instead. Certified decree fees vary by county, so a quick call to the district clerk confirms the exact certification and per-page charges before you mail or submit an online request.

The Difference Between a Verification Letter and a Certified Decree

A DSHS divorce verification letter ($20) confirms only whether a divorce was recorded with the State of Texas since 1968—it is not certified and cannot substitute for the actual decree. A certified copy of the full divorce decree, required for legal or official use, is available exclusively from the district clerk in the county where the divorce was granted.

These two documents serve entirely different purposes, and confusing them causes delays. The DSHS verification letter is a state-issued confirmation drawn from applications that local clerks forward to the Vital Statistics Section. It states whether a divorce record exists but contains no case details and carries no certification seal. It cannot be used to remarry, change a name on official documents, or serve as court evidence. For those purposes, you need the certified Final Decree of Divorce, which only the district clerk who holds the original file can issue with an official seal and signature. The Vital Statistics Section maintains public divorce indexes only back to 1968; for divorces granted before 1968, the district clerk in the granting county is the sole source. When someone asks whether divorce records are public in Texas for the purpose of proving a prior divorce, the certified decree from the clerk is almost always the document actually required.

How to Seal Divorce Records in Texas

To seal divorce records in Texas, a party files a motion asking the court to restrict public access. Family law cases receive special treatment: under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a(2)(a)(3), documents in Family Code actions are exempt from the strict civil sealing standard, giving judges broad discretion to seal a divorce file on a showing of good cause—though no court order or opinion may ever be sealed.

Sealing is the most complete tool for protecting divorce records privacy, and Texas gives family courts unusual latitude. In ordinary civil cases, Rule 76a requires a demanding "specific, serious and substantial interest" test, a publicly posted notice, and a hearing held at least 14 days after the motion is filed. Divorce cases are carved out of that strict standard. Because divorces originate under the Texas Family Code, Rule 76a(2)(a)(3) exempts their documents, so a judge may seal the file using a more flexible good-cause analysis. Many practitioners instead pursue a protective order under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 192.6, applying the "good cause" standard recognized in General Tire, Inc. v. Kepple, 970 S.W.2d 520, 525 (Tex. 1998). One critical caveat: if a motion expressly invokes Rule 76a, the court must apply Rule 76a's full procedural safeguards even in a family law case, as In re Bain confirmed. Choosing the right procedural vehicle is essential when you want to seal divorce records efficiently.

When Courts Grant Sealing and What Stays Public

Texas courts commonly seal divorce records to protect minor children, trade secrets, financial account details, medical information, and evidence in family violence cases. Even when a file is sealed, the final judgment or court order itself cannot be sealed under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a. Sealing is discretionary, and a third party may later petition the court to unseal the record.

Judges weigh practical privacy needs against the public's presumptive right of access. Common good-cause grounds for sealing or issuing a protective order include shielding the identities and locations of minor children, protecting a business owner's proprietary financial information, safeguarding a spouse who has obtained a family violence protective order, and preventing disclosure of sensitive medical or mental health records. A layered strategy is typical: parties may combine a motion to seal specific documents, an agreed protective order (sometimes called a confidentiality order) listing items to keep private, and a confidentiality clause within the divorce settlement itself. Two limits always apply. First, the court's final order or opinion adjudicating the divorce remains public no matter what—only supporting documents can be sealed. Second, sealing is not permanent by right: a non-party can file suit to unseal divorce records, and the court may order the file reopened after notice and a hearing, though successful challenges are uncommon.

Residency and Timeline Requirements That Create the Record

A Texas divorce record can only be created if the residency requirements are met: at least one spouse must have been a Texas domiciliary for the preceding six months and a resident of the filing county for 90 days, under Texas Family Code § 6.301. The case then cannot be finalized for at least 60 days after filing, under Texas Family Code § 6.702.

Understanding when and where a divorce record originates helps you locate it later. The petition must be filed in a county that satisfies Tex. Fam. Code § 6.301: one spouse domiciled in Texas for six months and residing in the filing county for 90 days. These thresholds determine which district clerk becomes the custodian of your public divorce filings. Military personnel stationed in Texas for at least six months may establish residency even if Texas is not their home of record, and active-duty time spent outside Texas still counts toward the requirements. Once filed, Tex. Fam. Code § 6.702 imposes a mandatory 60-day waiting period before any divorce can be finalized, calculated from the filing date, not the service date. The only exception applies under § 6.702(c) when the respondent has a family violence conviction or deferred adjudication against the petitioner, or the petitioner holds an active family violence protective order. The minimum uncontested timeline is therefore roughly 61 days, and the decree entered at the end becomes the central public record of the divorce.

Protecting Your Divorce Records Privacy Before Filing

The most effective divorce records privacy protection happens before or during filing, not after the record becomes public. Options include filing sensitive financial exhibits under an agreed protective order, requesting redaction of identifiers under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21c, negotiating a confidentiality clause in the settlement, and moving to seal specific documents rather than the entire file.

Because divorce records are public in Texas the instant they are filed, timing is the single most important factor in controlling exposure. Proactive steps taken with your attorney at the outset are far more effective than trying to claw back documents already viewed through a divorce records search. Practical measures include: submitting detailed financial inventories as exhibits governed by a protective order rather than as freely public attachments; ensuring the clerk applies Rule 21c redactions to account numbers and identifiers; keeping highly sensitive material out of pleadings where possible and referencing it by exhibit instead; and building a confidentiality clause into the Final Decree so both parties are contractually bound not to disclose settlement terms. None of these steps requires a full sealing motion, which preserves judicial goodwill for situations that genuinely warrant it. For high-net-worth cases, cases involving businesses, or matters with safety concerns, a targeted motion to seal divorce records covering only the truly sensitive documents balances the strong presumption of openness against legitimate privacy interests.