Getting Coryell County Court Records
Start by naming the right keeper. The District Clerk holds the records of the 52nd and 440th District Courts. The County Clerk handles County Court, County Court at Law, misdemeanor files, probate, guardianship, and related county matters. JP and municipal clerks keep their own dockets and files. For a transcript, ask the court reporter.
- Find the cause number, court, case style, and approximate date.
- Decide whether the request is for a docket, filed document, plain copy, certified copy, or transcript.
- Check the local court page or re:SearchTX for public electronic access.
- Contact the custodian by phone for routing, or submit the precise request at the clerk counter or by mail as directed.
- Ask about a courthouse terminal if the online file is incomplete or the record is older.
- For a judicial-record request, follow Rule 12 procedure rather than assuming an ordinary Public Information Act route.
- Confirm the current fee, delivery method, and certification before paying.
A written request works best when you can describe the file in detail. Include your contact information and any deadline another court has imposed.
Coryell Court Record Custodians
Coryell County splits record-keeping between two clerks, and knowing that split saves time. Becky Moore is listed as District Clerk. That office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch runs from noon to 1. Jennifer Newton is listed as County Clerk, with regular hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and appointment time after that. Both offices can be reached through the county's main number. So the case type decides which desk you actually need.
Coryell County District Clerk
620 E Main St
Gatesville, TX 76528
(254) 865-5911
Coryell County Clerk
620 E Main St
P.O. Box 237, Gatesville, TX 76528
(254) 865-5911
A municipal citation belongs to the city court that issued it. A precinct small claim or eviction stays with that JP clerk. Routing every request to the first office listed at the courthouse only adds delay.
Court Record Types
Coryell County court records run from brief index entries to formal products a clerk or reporter prepares. What you should ask for depends on your legal or research purpose.
- Docket sheets and docket entries that index settings and case events.
- Pleadings, motions, answers, service returns, exhibits, and other filed documents.
- Orders, judgments, warrants, bonds, and public disposition records.
- Certified copies bearing the clerk's formal certification.
- Hearing or trial transcripts prepared through the court reporter.
- Payment and administrative filings maintained with the court case.
An online view can tell you when an event occurred. It does not make the displayed item a certified copy.
Four Coryell Record Products
Naming one of four products makes a request much clearer. A docket sheet is the fastest procedural index. A filed document is the actual pleading, motion, order, or exhibit behind a docket entry. A certified copy is a clerk-issued copy. It carries formal authentication. A transcript stands apart. It is the court reporter's written record of a proceeding.
| Product | Best use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Docket entry | Confirm a public event or setting | Court page, re:SearchTX, or clerk |
| Filed document | Read the motion, order, pleading, or return | District or County Clerk |
| Certified copy | Provide a formally authenticated record | Clerk holding the original |
| Transcript | Obtain the spoken hearing record | Court reporter |
The 52nd court lists reporter Jeannye L. Skinner, the 440th lists Tracy Irvin, and County Court at Law lists Jonathan Bennett. When you ask for a transcript, give the date, the proceeding, the cause number, and the format you need.
Inside a Coryell County Court Record
A case file can hold documents a docket row only names. Coryell district samples show the key identifiers that link the index to the material behind it.
| Case Number | The cause number, including local formats such as 24-28810 and DC-21-51905. |
|---|---|
| Pleadings | Petitions, motions, answers, and other filed requests or responses. |
| Orders & Judgments | Signed rulings and final or interim court decisions. |
| Docket Sheet | The procedural index of settings, filings, and public events. |
| Service Records | Citations, returns, and process-related filings where public. |
| Exhibits | Filed attachments or evidence, subject to sealing, redaction, and access limits. |
Ask for the document name and its approximate filing date. Requesting "everything in the case" costs more and takes longer than a precise one.
The Service Form Is Different
The County Clerk's Request for Service form is not a court-record copy form. It asks the clerk to issue or process citations, subpoenas, writs, notices, and other service. Expect it to collect the cause number, style, item attached, person to be served, service choice, and return information.
Common mistake: Do not submit the service form when the goal is a copy of an existing order or judgment.
Describe the record directly to the clerk and state whether a plain or certified copy is needed.
The District Clerk also posts service, support-order, juvenile/adoption release, and expunction forms. Each serves a narrow function. A request to open a restricted record belongs on the formal access path, not in a general search box.
Fees and Certified Copies
Certification is a clerk service, not the act of printing a public webpage. The County Clerk's dated 2024 schedule and Texas Government Code Chapter 51 supply the amounts. Confirm current charges and the right product before you mail any funds.
| Item | Amount or rule point |
|---|---|
| Plain paper copy | $1 per page on the County Clerk schedule |
| Certification | $5 per document, plus applicable copy treatment |
| Search without docket number | $5 statutory search charge |
| Electronic document | $1 up to ten pages, then $0.10 per page in the applicable statutory category |
| Process issuance | $8 statutory amount |
The County Clerk fee schedule carries a date, so treat it as evidence of the listed rate rather than a permanent quote. Ask the receiving body whether it needs certification, exemplification, or another form.
Older Coryell Court Records
The 52nd and 440th court pages carry PDF docket archives reaching into 2020 and 2021. Newer 2026 calendars sit alongside them. That range does not mean every older Coryell County record is digitized. Paper, microfilm, or locally stored files may need clerk retrieval, a terminal, or a written request. re:SearchTX has coverage limits as well. State descriptions point to a broad case corpus dating around 2016 and exclude criminal records. For a historical file, start with the court's own archive. Then lean on the clerk. The Coryell County official site is the county layer. It routes visitors to elected offices and current court notices.
That page is context for official routing, nothing more.
Sealed Records and Public Access
Texas does not treat every judicial file as a routine executive-branch Public Information Act request. The Texas Judicial Branch open-records policy points to Rule 12 and other law. Government Code §552.0035 recognizes the judiciary's separate access framework.
Key rules:
Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 12 sets the judicial-record request and custodian framework, subject to exemptions.
Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a governs the process for sealing civil court records.
Texas Family Code §58.007 and related juvenile law place strong confidentiality limits on juvenile records.
A public docket entry can stay visible while an attachment is withheld. Adoption, juvenile, sealed civil, sensitive family, medical, and identifying material may be missing or redacted. If access is denied, ask the clerk for the governing procedure.
Write a Precise Coryell Request
A written request works best when it is precise. Name the exact court, the cause number, and the case style. State which document you want and, if you can, the filing or hearing date. Say whether you need a plain or certified copy. Add how you want it delivered, and how to reach you. If another court set a deadline, mention it.
No case number yet? The statutory schedule charges a search fee for that. A Coryell County case lookup can find the number first and clear up confusion. For phone routing, call the county main line at (254) 865-5911. Civil fee questions go to extension 2278. The misdemeanor route sends missing-number questions to extension 144.
Note: Court staff can explain request steps and fees, but they cannot choose the legal document a requester needs.