Duval County Civil Court Records

Duval County civil court records are maintained by separate County Clerk and District Clerk offices in San Diego, Texas. County Clerk Sally Lichtenberger handles property records, probate, and county court civil matters. District Clerk Rachel S. Vela maintains district court civil filings and family law records. You can search Duval County civil court records online through TexasFile, the statewide re:SearchTX portal, or by contacting either clerk's office directly in San Diego.

Duval County Clerk

Sally Lichtenberger is the elected County Clerk for Duval County. Her office is at P.O. Box 248, San Diego, TX 78384. Phone: (361) 279-6200. Fax: (361) 279-6292. Email: egarza@co.duval.tx.us. The county website is at co.duval.tx.us. Staff include Maria G. Garcia (Administrative Assistant, mggarcia@co.duval.tx.us, Ext. 106), Michael De La Rosa (Deputy Clerk, Ext. 107), and Hilda S. Salazar (Deputy Clerk, Ext. 105).

The County Clerk maintains birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1877 to 1902 and beyond, and land records from 1877 to 1919 and continuing. Probate records date from 1877 to 1883 and 1887 to 1901, with more recent records maintained as well. TexasFile at texasfile.com provides free search access to Duval County official public records, covering document copies from 1913 to 2025.

Duval County District Clerk

Rachel S. Vela is the elected District Clerk for Duval County. The District Clerk's office handles district court civil records, family law cases, and felony criminal records. The mailing address is P.O. Drawer 428, San Diego, TX 78384. Phone: (361) 279-6239. District Court Dockets are available online, and District Court Docket Archives are also available for older cases. For in-person access, visit the courthouse in San Diego during regular business hours.

District court records in Duval County go back to 1879 in the historical collection, through 1908 in the archived set. More recent records continue to the present. The District Clerk maintains civil litigation records, family law filings including divorce and custody cases, and felony criminal records.

Search Duval County Civil Court Records

The statewide re:SearchTX portal from the Texas Office of Court Administration is the primary free online tool for searching Duval County civil court records. It covers district and county courts across Texas. Search by party name or cause number to find case types, docket history, and filing dates. The portal is free and does not require a login.

TexasFile offers a recorded document search for Duval County at texasfile.com. The free search covers document index data from 1913 to 2025. Registered users can search and view document images through a subscription or per-page purchase. This is most useful for property and land records.

For electronic filing in Duval County district courts, use eFileTexas. This is the state's mandatory platform for district court filings. Both attorneys and pro se litigants can use it. Contact the County Clerk at (361) 279-6200 or the District Clerk at (361) 279-6239 for in-person access to civil case records.

Duval County Records Online

The Duval County website provides contact information for both clerk offices and links to county services.

Use the county website to find current contact information for the County Clerk and District Clerk offices in San Diego before submitting a records request.

TexasFile at texasfile.com provides a free index search for Duval County official public records from 1913 to 2025.

Free registration on TexasFile gives you index access. Document images are available through subscription or per-page purchase.

Civil Legal Help in Duval County

Legal help for Duval County civil matters is available through TexasLawHelp.org for free self-help guides and forms. The State Bar of Texas lawyer referral service at (800) 252-9690 connects residents with licensed attorneys. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid serves South Texas and may offer free civil legal help to qualifying residents in Duval County. The Duval County Sheriff's Department at (361) 279-6209 handles law enforcement matters that may relate to civil cases. Texas civil statutes are at statutes.capitol.texas.gov.

Cities in Duval County

San Diego is the county seat of Duval County. The county has no cities meeting the qualifying population threshold for individual city pages. All civil court filings in the county go through the clerk offices in San Diego.

Nearby Counties

Duval County is in South Texas and borders several surrounding counties, each with its own civil court system.