Arlington Family Court Records
Arlington family court records are filed with the Tarrant County District Clerk in Fort Worth, since Arlington is located in Tarrant County. With around 400,000 residents, Arlington is one of the larger cities in Texas that does not have its own county seat, so family cases for divorce, custody, child support, and protective orders are handled through the same Tarrant County courts that serve Fort Worth and other cities in the county. This page covers how to find Arlington family court records, how to search them online, and what resources are available locally.
Arlington Quick Facts
Tarrant County District Clerk for Arlington
All family court filings for Arlington residents go through the Tarrant County District Clerk in Fort Worth. District Clerk Tom Wilder manages all Tarrant County district court records from the Tim Curry Justice Center at 401 W. Belknap Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196. The mailing address and main office is at 100 W. Weatherford Street, Room 130, Fort Worth, TX 76196, phone (817) 884-1575.
Tarrant County has seven family district courts: the 17th, 96th, 231st, 233rd, 322nd, 324th, and 360th Judicial District Courts. Arlington residents file family cases at the Fort Worth courthouse, not at Arlington City Hall. Cases are assigned based on filing date and rotation among the courts. All records, from the initial petition through any final orders, are indexed under the District Clerk and searchable by cause number or party name.
| Office | Tarrant County District Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 W. Weatherford Street, Room 130 Fort Worth, TX 76196 |
| Phone | (817) 884-1575 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | tarrantcountytx.gov/district-clerk |
Arlington residents driving to file or pick up records should plan for a short trip to Fort Worth. The Tim Curry Justice Center is about 20 miles from central Arlington. Parking is available near the courthouse, and the office is open during regular business hours with no appointment needed for most in-person transactions.
How to Search Arlington Family Court Records
The statewide portal re:SearchTX covers Tarrant County records and is a free, no-registration tool for searching family court cases. You can search by party name or cause number and see docket entries, case status, and some document images. This is often the fastest starting point for finding an Arlington family court case.
Tarrant County also offers a Court Document Lookup service at the Tim Curry Justice Center, where public access computers allow free self-service searches. For remote online access outside the courthouse, Tarrant County offers a subscription service at a $120 initiation fee plus $35 per month. That service gives access to District Court Family, Civil, Felony, Misdemeanor, and Delinquent Tax records with imaged documents, available 23 hours a day, seven days a week.
Copy fees in Tarrant County are $1.00 per page for non-certified paper copies, $1.00 for the first ten pages of non-certified electronic copies (plus $0.10 per additional page), and $1.00 per page for certified copies. A clerk-conducted basic records search costs $5.00. More details are at tarrantcountytx.gov.
Note: Mail requests for copies are accepted at the District Clerk's office. Include the cause number, party names, and a check or money order for the fees along with a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of documents.
Arlington City Courts and Statewide Tools
The Texas Judicial Branch CourtRecordsSearch portal, also called re:SearchTX, is one of the best statewide tools for finding family court records including those filed in Tarrant County by Arlington residents. The portal is free to use and does not require creating an account.
For electronic filing of family court cases in Tarrant County, the required platform is eFileTexas.gov, the official state e-filing system. Most represented parties must file electronically; self-represented filers may also use the system. It covers all Texas district courts including Tarrant County's seven family courts.
Both tools above are managed at the state level and work for Arlington residents filing or searching family court cases in Tarrant County. For questions about a specific Arlington case, contact the Tarrant County District Clerk directly at (817) 884-1575.
Arlington Municipal Court and City Records
The Arlington Municipal Court at arlingtontx.gov handles Class C misdemeanors, traffic violations, and city code violations. It does not have jurisdiction over family law matters, but it may hold records related to protective order compliance or related city citations. Call (817) 459-6777 for citation inquiries.
The Arlington City Secretary at arlingtontx.gov/city-secretary handles Texas Public Information Act requests and maintains city council records, ordinances, and official city documents. The office is at City Hall, 101 W. Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76010. City-level public records and family court records are separate; family court filings are with Tarrant County, not the City of Arlington.
Arlington Police Department records are available at arlingtontx.gov. APD Records is at 620 W. Division Street, Arlington, TX 76011, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Police reports for domestic violence incidents may be needed as supporting documentation in family court cases.
Family Cases Filed by Arlington Residents
Arlington residents file family cases under the same Texas Family Code provisions as all Tarrant County residents. Divorce cases follow Family Code Chapter 6, with residency requirements of six months in Texas and 90 days in Tarrant County under Section 6.301. Texas's mandatory 60-day waiting period applies from the date of filing before any divorce can be finalized.
Custody and conservatorship cases in Tarrant County follow Family Code Chapter 153. Texas defaults to joint managing conservatorship in most cases. Either parent can petition the court for sole managing conservatorship with a showing that joint conservatorship would not serve the child's best interest. Parenting plans and parenting classes may be required by the judge. Modifications to prior orders require a showing of material and substantial change in circumstances.
Child support cases in Tarrant County are calculated based on the paying parent's net resources under Family Code Chapter 154. The Texas Attorney General enforces support orders for cases where payment is not being made. Reach the AG's child support services at texasattorneygeneral.gov/child-support.
Legal Help for Arlington Residents
Lone Star Legal Aid serves Tarrant County including Arlington. Call (800) 733-8394 or visit lonestarlegal.org to check income eligibility for free family law assistance. The Tarrant County Bar Association runs a lawyer referral service for residents needing a family law attorney. The State Bar of Texas referral line is (800) 252-9690.
For self-help resources, TexasLawHelp at texaslawhelp.org has step-by-step guides for divorce, custody, and support. The Texas Courts Self-Help Center is at txcourts.gov. Forms for family cases are available through the Texas State Law Library at guides.sll.texas.gov. File court documents electronically through eFileTexas.gov.
Tarrant County Family Court Records
Arlington is part of Tarrant County, and all family court cases are handled by the Tarrant County District Court. For more details on the Tarrant County clerk, court access, and related resources, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
Other cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex share the same regional court systems.
- Fort Worth - Tarrant County
- Dallas - Dallas County
- Plano - Collin County