Howard County Public Records

Howard County public archives comprise of vital records, arrest documents and criminal conviction information, as well as driver records. Registers of important life events are collectively alluded to as vital records. These records, as the term implies, are very important as they, in a way, serve as the country’s pulse. Numbers of births, deaths, marriages and divorces are documented and such data play a very important role on how a certain country is to be run. Fortunately in Howard County, these records as well as other public records are accessible whenever anyone from the general public requests them. Thanks to the Public Information Act of Texas.

In Texas, the chief storehouse for all vital records is the Texas Department of State Health Services. Such department’s Bureau of Vital Statistics is the unit responsible for addressing concerns and accepting entreaties regarding vital vitals. Birth and death certificates are available here for fees of $22 and $20 respectively. Albeit a document of a matrimonial union and its dissolution are both vital records, only indexes of such can be procured through this office. To get certified copies of a marriage or a divorce record, you have to obtain them through the local court or through the Howard County Clerk’s Office. Both decrees can be secured by filing a formal application and paying a fee of $20 per copy.

Other records that are open to the public include arrest documents and archives regarding criminal convictions. Both registers are very useful especially when it comes to criminal background checks as they can shed light to crucial details like the misdemeanors or felonies committed by a certain individual. Knowing such information is very important so as to avoid any untoward incidences and of course to mitigate risks as well. These records are housed in different agencies. For arrest documents, they have to be procured through the Howard County Sheriffs’ Office while criminal records are obtainable through the Law Enforcement Department of the Division of Criminal Justice. Criminal background investigations can be done in two ways. It’s either through the typical name-based search or through the fingerprint-based criminal search. The former costs $10 whilst the latter costs $15 per search.

Judicial records, however, are not public. Should they need to be requested for whatever purpose, writing the court is necessary. It is the court who will decide whether to grant you access to such protected record. To also verify whether the record you wish to get is indeed confidential or protected, you can actually confirm it first with the Attorney General’s decision as it is the Open Records Division of the Attorney General in Texas who sees to it that certain records are really covered under the Open Records Act which is now popularly known as the Texas Public Information Act.

Manually procuring these registers may take several business days. Not to mention the number of business days you have to wait for the results to be sent which will be through snail mail. To get a hold of any Howard County public records faster, you can actually place your order online via alternative record repositories. Not only they require a cheaper fee, but also such alternative is way faster and practical.

Public Records Howard County

The steps outlined below are what you can follow should you wish to file a request for any Howard County public records:

• – 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, specify the name of the person in question, and the date and county of birth.