How to Get Court Records
No single Dawson County portal covers every court file. Start with the court where the case began. The Dawson County District Clerk keeps records from the 106th District Court. Those cover district civil, family, land, and felony cases. The Dawson County Clerk comes first for constitutional County Court and probate matters. For Justice Court citations, Class C cases, small civil claims, and evictions, contact the Justice of the Peace. City citations stay with the municipal court involved.
Electronic searching starts with re:SearchTX. A hit there never means every filing is online or open. In-person inspection, phone help, mail, and an office-approved email route still matter. The District Clerk offers no dedicated records email, public-terminal instructions, or general downloadable copy form.
- Identify the court, cause number, party name, and approximate filing date.
- Name the exact item, such as a docket sheet, order, judgment, petition, or setting notice.
- Check re:SearchTX, or contact the proper clerk by phone before an in-person visit.
- For mail, ask about the current fee, accepted payment, certification, and return-shipping rules.
- Review the delivered copy and request clerk certification separately when an authenticated copy is required.
Dawson County Court Record Custodians
The two county clerks do different jobs. District Court records sit with the District Clerk. The county page places that office on the fourth floor of the courthouse. County Court and probate requests usually start with the County Clerk instead. A setting question can go to the 106th District Court coordinator. The coordinator does not keep or certify the file. The clerk does.
Dawson County District Clerk
400 S. 1st Street, Fourth Floor
Lamesa, TX 79331
Mail: P.O. Box 1268, Lamesa, TX 79331-1268
806-329-3315
Dawson County Clerk
400 South 1st Street
Lamesa, TX 79331
Mail: P.O. Box 1268, Lamesa, TX 79331
806-329-3311
Both county pages list Monday through Thursday counter hours of 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday hours run 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. The District Clerk page names Teresa Uresti and the number above, while a 2026 OCA directory entry gives a conflicting name and phone. Call before you drive over.
Types of Court Records
A court record runs wider than the docket. The docket lists activity as it happens. The file holds the actual papers those entries describe. Dawson County court records can include:
- Case dockets and event histories;
- Petitions, complaints, answers, motions, and other pleadings;
- Signed orders, judgments, and final dispositions;
- Hearing notices, setting documents, and returns of service;
- Probate filings kept through the County Clerk;
- Public felony, civil, family, or land-case materials kept by the District Clerk; and
- Justice or municipal citation records kept by the court that issued or heard the citation.
Not everything is public. Family files may hold protected details. Juvenile, sealed, expunged, or otherwise confidential material can be off limits, and exhibits may need redaction or separate handling. Ask for a named public document rather than a vague request for "all records."
Dawson County Mail Request Checklist
The county posts no general copy-request form, so put your request in writing. Include your contact information. Add the originating court, cause number, party names, document title, and approximate date. Say whether you want inspection. Or ask for an electronic copy, a plain paper copy, or a certified copy. Keep Social Security numbers, medical details, and children's private information out of an open email.
The County Clerk tells remote requesters to include a prepaid FedEx, UPS, or Priority Mail envelope. The office also warns that it cannot control ordinary postal delivery once documents leave. Call before mailing payment. Confirm the total, the accepted method, and whether that shipping instruction fits your exact request. Note that setting and arraignment forms posted for the 106th District Court are court-procedure documents. They are not records-request forms.
What a Court Record Contains
What sits in a record depends on the case and the access rules. A Dawson County court record usually ties the assigned number to filed documents and judicial action. A docket entry may only summarize an event. The linked or clerk-held paper carries the detail.
| Cause or Case Number | The court’s identifier; 106th District Court forms use “Cause No.” |
|---|---|
| Party and Court | Names, case category, originating court, and assigned judge when public. |
| Pleadings | Petitions, motions, answers, notices, and other filed papers. |
| Orders and Judgments | Signed rulings and the final result when the file is public. |
| Docket Sheet | A dated sequence of filings, settings, and case events. |
| Settings | Hearing notices or submission information; a request for setting is not proof that a date was granted. |
| Exhibits | Attachments admitted or submitted, subject to access limits and redaction. |
For current hearings, treat the statewide Hearings search as a lead only. Confirm the setting with the court itself. The local summary-judgment rule shows why: a submission date may not require anyone to appear in person.
re:SearchTX for Dawson Court Records
re:SearchTX is Texas's statewide electronic search layer. Its official guide describes Cases, Filings, Text in Documents, and Hearings modes. You can narrow results by location, case category, case type, and dates. A useful Dawson search starts with a full cause number plus a Dawson or 106th District Court filter. Broaden only if you must.
A miss can mean several things. The wrong court level, a number typed in a different form, incomplete integration, restricted access, or a record sitting in a municipal or justice system. eFileTexas files papers. It is not the clerk's certified public-record copy. The same goes for a re:SearchTX result or purchased image. When a document needs authentication, go back to the originating clerk.
Certified Copies and Fees
A plain copy just reproduces the record. A certified copy carries the clerk's authentication. The fee amounts appear below, though the PDFs carry date and currentness limits. Treat them as a guide, not a September 2026 quote. Before sending money, ask the responsible office for the current fee, payment method, research charge, postage, and electronic-delivery options.
| Item | Located Amount |
|---|---|
| Noncertified paper | $1 per page or part |
| Certified paper | $5 certification plus $1 per page or part |
| Historical search by name/type | $5 in an older schedule; verify before use |
| Portal document or processing charge | Current fee not confirmed |
Recording charges and probate filing fees are separate from court-copy prices. So are vendor fees tacked on when you pay a citation online. Describe the exact record you need, then ask the clerk for a written total before you pay anything.
Dawson County Court Record Redactions
Access to a court record can be partial. A clerk or judge may strip out protected data and release the rest, so what you see is still an official court docket entry with pieces held back. The 106th District Court's local exhibit instructions point the same way: sensitive images and attachments may move through a path outside routine public electronic filing. Finding a document link online does not give you permission to republish its sensitive contents.
Public result versus official copy: A search result helps locate the court and filing. It is not proof that the file is complete, current, or certified. Ask the clerk for the controlling docket and an authenticated copy when the distinction matters.
When a document you expected is not there, ask the clerk a direct question. Is it sealed, restricted, redacted, filed in a different office, or released only in part? A blank online result does not prove the court record is missing.
Public Access and Sealed Records
Texas separates filed court records from judicial administrative records. That line decides which rules govern your request. The Texas Judiciary open-records policy explains that court case records answer to statutes, court rules, common law, and other authority. Judicial administrative records may instead fall under Rule 12. A blanket Texas Public Information Act request is not automatically the right route for a docket or case file.
Key Rules:
Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 12 provides an inspection and copying framework for judicial records, with stated exclusions and protections.
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 governs many government administrative records but does not itself promise access to every court case file.
Texas Government Code section 552.147 addresses redaction of Social Security numbers in covered public information.
Several things can narrow access: sealing orders, juvenile confidentiality, expunction, nondisclosure orders, protected family information, and sensitive data. Send your request to the clerk or court that actually holds the file. A lawful redaction or denial is not the same as a missing case.
Dawson County Court Record Follow-Up
If your request stalls, check the office first. District, county, justice, and municipal records are not interchangeable. A docket search aimed at the wrong clerk wastes days. Narrow the date range and name one or two specific documents. Ask staff whether they need a cause number. Ask whether older filings sit offsite, and whether a public version can come out after redaction.
Before visiting in person, confirm the file is on hand and ask where to report. The county's published mailing address is P.O. Box 1268, Lamesa, Texas 79331. A quick phone call also keeps you from arriving during the noon closure. It also keeps you from mailing a court records request to the wrong office.