Shackelford County Court Record Requests
Start by pinning down four things: the court, the record type, the rough date, and the cause number. District civil, family, and felony files belong to the combined District/County Clerk. So do probate records and any county-court material that is open. A countywide JP case or an Albany Municipal Court file stays with that lower court. For setting questions, the district coordinator can help, though that office does not always hold the copies.
Use several routes if one stalls. Try the clerk's official LGS link or re:SearchTX, call 325-762-9415, stop at the first-floor counter at 225 South Main Street, fax 325-762-9416, or mail P.O. Box 2109, Albany, TX 76430. Ask staff whether email works before sending anything sensitive. OCA lists cheri.hawkins@shackelfordcounty.org as a contact. No public terminal or drop box is posted.
- Name the court and case category.
- Give the cause number or a narrow name and date range.
- List each docket sheet, order, pleading, or judgment sought.
- Choose inspection, plain copy, electronic copy, or certification.
- Request a current estimate and accepted payment method.
The Combined Shackelford County Clerk
Shackelford County runs a combined office, and that shapes every request. Cheri Hawkins is the District/County Clerk. Her district side keeps district-court acts and proceedings. It also holds judgments, executions, child support, trusts, party indexes, and funds. The county side keeps county-court records, wills and probate, commissioners records, and deeds. It also holds vital records, marriages, and related funds.
One counter does not erase the legal lines between those categories. Fees, index systems, and privacy rules still turn on what kind of record you want. Tell staff up front what you need. Is it something from the 259th District Court, County Court probate, juvenile material, or a non-court county record? Hours run Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Friday closes at 4:00 p.m. after the same noon break. Call about closures before you drive over.
Kinds of Court Records
A court record might be a single item or a full file. Asking for "everything" tends to slow things down and raise the cost, so use the docket to name the exact filing you need.
| Record | Likely custodian | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| District docket and filings | Combined clerk | Cause number and filed date |
| Probate papers | Combined clerk | Estate type and approximate year |
| JP traffic or civil file | Countywide JP | Citation or case number |
| Albany municipal file | Municipal court | Citation and issuing agency |
| Setting or reset | Coordinator or court | Hearing date and court |
| Appellate record | Eleventh Court of Appeals | Appellate cause number |
This county court is not a typical general civil or criminal county court. Government Code section 26.309 limits it to probate and juvenile jurisdiction. Knowing that prevents a common routing mistake.
Shackelford County Archive Paths
Shackelford County funds court-record preservation, a district-clerk archive, a county-clerk archive, and records management. These are separate functions. The lesson is practical. An old record can exist even when a current web search comes up empty. It may live on microfilm, electronic media, an archival image system, or plain paper.
Ask the clerk which medium covers your date range. Government Code section 51.3195 and Local Government Code section 118.0526 cover certain written requests. Those are for motions, orders, or pleadings preserved only on microfilm or electronic media. Your request has to name the document and its approximate date. Note that those provisions do not make every search, filing, service, or certified copy free.
Court Records: What They Contain
What you can see depends on the case and your access level. A docket sheet is the chronology; the file holds the papers behind each entry.
| Court and cause number | Identifies the originating tribunal and file. |
|---|---|
| Case category | May describe civil, family, probate, criminal, or another type. |
| Filed papers | Pleadings, motions, notices, and other accepted documents. |
| Orders and judgments | Court rulings and final or interim dispositions. |
| Docket events | Filed dates, settings, notices, and recorded actions. |
| Certification | Clerkâs seal or certificate when formally requested. |
An index entry alone does not prove every image is public online. Use the Shackelford County docket search to find the file, then ask the custodian for the exact paper.
Rule 12 and Case Records
The Texas Judicial Branch open-records policy draws a key line. Courts do not answer to the Texas Public Information Act the way executive agencies do. Judicial agencies are the same. Instead, Government Code section 552.0035 sends judiciary information to Supreme Court rules and other law. That official policy page is the source to read for this distinction.
Rule 12 mostly covers judicial administrative records, not the case files themselves. Within its scope, it sets out a written request process. It also covers response duties, costs, denial, and appeal. For a pleading or an order, start with the clerk. The rules governing that file matter too. Demanding a standard Public Information Act deadline will usually misfire.
Copy Fees and Certification
Plain copies, certified copies, filing fees, issuance fees, service costs, and staff research are all separate charges. The county posts distinct district, district-clerk, county-clerk, probate, and sheriff pages. Several sheets carry 2023 or 2024 dates with conflicting service figures. Treat them as leads, not a promise of today's total.
| Request | Research-supported rule | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Plain copy | Page or electronic rates may apply | Ask for current quote |
| Certified copy | Government Code section 51.318 includes a $5 certificate or seal | State certification need |
| Archive copy | Special statutes may govern narrow written requests | Identify paper and date |
| Portal image | Vendor pricing may apply | Check before purchase |
| Broad search | Staff research charge may apply | Narrow the range |
The county clerk's fee page says its sheet took effect January 1, 2024, but the linked PDF dates from December 2023. Confirm the cost and the payment method before you mail any funds.
Search Versus Shackelford County Copies
LGS is the combined clerk's case-management system, and the county links its online records shell. What fields, prices, or document images it offers is not spelled out. re:SearchTX gives statewide case, filing, document-text, and hearing views after sign-in. But check its Pricing link and coverage limits. eFileTexas is chiefly a filing route, not a source of free public copies.
A search result may be all you need. It can confirm a court or a filing date. It is not a certified record. When accuracy or formal use requires the clerk's authentication, ask for certification directly. For a big file, see whether inspection can come before copying. Ask too whether electronic delivery cuts the cost.
Access Rules for Court Records
Walking into a public courthouse does not entitle you to see every file. Some records stay closed. Juvenile information can be confidential under Family Code chapter 58, and protective-order files may leave out protected addresses and contact details. Rule 21c also shields a long list of sensitive data in covered suits, including driver-license and passport numbers, tax and Social Security identifiers, financial accounts, birth dates, home addresses, and names of minors.
Ask for a public docket sheet or redacted copy when a complete file cannot lawfully be released.
Deferred adjudication deserves a careful read. Criminal Procedure article 42A.106 does not make such a file confidential on its own. A different law might. Expunction, nondisclosure, sealing, and online omission are separate conditions with separate effects. Let the clerk apply whichever rule governs. Do not assume anything from an empty docket search result.
Shackelford County Records Office
The District/County Clerk works from the first floor of the Shackelford County Courthouse at 225 South Main Street, Albany, Texas 76430. Mail should go to P.O. Box 2109, Albany, TX 76430. The records line is 325-762-9415, with fax at 325-762-9416. For jury questions, call 325-762-9444, which is a separate number entirely.
Combined District/County Clerk
Custodian: Cheri Hawkins
Records: District filings and judgments; county probate and other authorized county files.
Visit: Confirm the record category, split office hours, copy cost, and public-terminal availability first.
The 259th District Court serves two counties, and its coordinator sits in Anson at 325-823-2721. That is the number to call about a setting or a reset. Filed papers and certified copies still come from the Albany clerk.