Hood County Public Records

Texas Government Code grants anyone in the state with the right to access government records for whatsoever purposes. In this code, the Public Information Act, formerly known as the Open Records Act, is the specific Act which provides mechanism for the state’s constituents to inspect or copy any information tracked, collected, assembled, archived and maintained by any governmental body in the state.

Public records include vital records such as births, deaths, adoptions, and marriages and divorces; statistics concerning the population and the economic activity of the state or the country; and driver records. Basically, all information that are collected, maintained and managed by the state’s governmental body are subject to the Public Information Act. The Texas governmental body encompasses all of the Lone Star State’s public entities both at the state and local levels. It does not include judiciary, however. For private agencies to be considered as governmental bodies, they have to be supported in whole or in part by public funds or they expend public funds.

Should you wish to obtain any public records in Hood County, knowing the right agency to go to is important. For vital registers, the Texas Department of State Health Services must be visited. It is the department’s Vital Statistics Unit where you can file your requests at for any Hood County vital records. Birth certificates cost $22 whereas death certificates costs $20.

For marriage and divorce certificates, requests must be addressed to the Hood County Clerk’s Office. Both marriage and divorce decrees require a fee of $20 each when requested. For driver records requests, you can visit the Department of Public Safety. For arrest and criminal records, the Sheriff’s Office or the Law Enforcement Department, Department of Criminal Justice may be visited. Typically, requesting for a Criminal History Record Information requires a fee of $15. Fees, however, are nonrefundable regardless if the record you ordered is not located.

The processing time for Hood County public records requests vary depending on the volume of orders these governmental bodies receive at the time your order is placed. To get them in a faster and way practical manner, hire the services of online record providers. These providers have a state-wide database and offer the same record retrieval services for a much cheaper amount. Some repositories online even more them for free.

Public Records Hood County

In obtaining a copy of any public record in Hood County, you can follow the outlined steps written below:

• – Print the application form specific for the record you want to get. It must be filled out with all the necessary details required.
• – For marriage and divorce records, please indicate the complete names of the couple, the date and county where the event took place, and the county where the license or divorce was issued or filed.
• – For death records, provide the complete name of the decedent, date and county of birth, spouse’s name, parents’ name, and the social security number if known.
• – For arrest and criminal records, refer to the Department of Law Enforcement or to the Sheriffs’ Offices. Specify the name of the person in question, and the date and county of birth.