Access Cameron County District Clerk Records

About the Cameron County District Clerk's Office

Laura Perez-Reyes is the Cameron County District Clerk. The office mission is to give administrative and case management support to the courts, secure the integrity of court records, and serve the public in a professional and timely way. The District Clerk provides support staff for the district courts and works with judges to move cases to a final ruling. By state design, the office is the registrar, recorder, and custodian of documents in both criminal and civil district court actions.

The scale of the work is large. The office reports roughly 7,300 cases filed each year and about 9,000 disposed, with around 5,000 pending. Filed case types include personal injury, divorces, workers compensation, adoptions, and child support. The main office sits on the third floor of the judicial building in Brownsville.

A small leadership team runs the office. Francisco Monreal Jr. serves as Chief Deputy, and Beatriz Losoya is the District Clerk Manager. The Appeals Department lists Silvia Mata as a contact for appellate paperwork. Below them, each department has its own staff and direct line, which is why a caller can reach the civil, criminal, jury, or records unit without going through a general desk.

What the District Clerk Does in Cameron County

The District Clerk files and records pleadings, manages district court case records, issues process such as citations, collects fees, and keeps the jury system running. The office serves the district courts, not the county courts at law. So a felony file or a divorce file lives here, while a misdemeanor or probate file lives with the County Clerk. The split matters, because a search in the wrong office comes up empty.

The office is organized into departments. Each one has a direct phone line. This lets a caller reach the right unit instead of a general switchboard. The most-used departments are listed below.

• Files and records civil and criminal district court pleadings.
• Issues citations and other court process.
• Collects filing fees, copy fees, and court costs.
• Runs the jury department and summons jurors.
• Handles appeals paperwork for the Thirteenth Court of Appeals.

District Clerk Departments and Phone Numbers

Cameron County publishes a direct line for each District Clerk department. This is one of the more useful local details, because it lets you skip the main desk. Use the table to reach the unit that handles your case type. Records copy requests and expunctions have their own email too.

Note: Appellate documents should be brought to the information desk so an Appeal Clerk can be summoned, per the Appeals Department guidance.

Online Portals for District Court Records

The District Clerk page links several judicial-record tools. No single one covers every record. The right choice depends on the case type and how much access you need. The county also pulls these onto one portals page so you can confirm an official link before you start.

The four main court tools are the Tyler Odyssey public portal, the Kofile district courts quick link, the statewide re:SearchTX site, and iDocket for calendars. Each behaves a bit differently. Some show public case summaries, while document images or restricted cases may be gated behind an account or a fee.

• Tyler Odyssey Public Portal for Cameron County court case search.
• re:SearchTX, the statewide court records portal.
• iDocket for judicial records and court calendars.
• Cameron County web portals page to confirm official links.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is an official copy issued by the clerk for legal use. A bank, an agency, or another court may ask for a certified divorce decree, judgment, or order. A plain copy is fine for personal review. The steps below cover a district court copy request through the Records Department.

1. Find the case. Note the cause number, the party names, and the year if you can.
2. Pick the document you need, such as the decree, judgment, or the entire file.
3. Contact the Records Department at dcrecords@co.cameron.tx.us or (956) 574-8130, or use a county request form.
4. Pay the copy fee, certification fee, and any search fee for the document.
5. Pick up the copy or have it mailed once it is ready.

If the file is old or not online, give the clerk the names, the approximate year, and the cause number if known. That speeds the search.

Cameron County District Clerk Fees

Copy fees follow the county fee schedule and request forms. The amounts below match the County Clerk Civil-Probate request form, which sets the standard county copy and search rates. A request for the whole file can add up, since page charges apply across every pleading, order, and exhibit. Always confirm the current amount before you mail a payment.

A certified copy is often needed for name changes, divorce proof for benefits or remarriage, and criminal dispositions used for licensing or expunction work.

Records Request Form Fields

A county request form asks for a set of fields so the clerk can find the right file. The County Clerk Civil-Probate form is the model for these requests, and the District Clerk Records Department uses similar information. Filling in the cause number and party names cuts down on common-name confusion.

Self-Help and E-Filing

Texas requires e-filing for most attorney filings, and the District Clerk works within that statewide system. The county links the Tyler and re:SearchTX portals for court records, and iDocket for calendars. For people without a lawyer, the County Clerk links two official self-help resources tied to Senate Bill 1911, the Legal Aid Self-Help Bill.

Those resources are Texas Court Help and the Texas State Law Library, which both offer forms and plain-language guides. See Texas Court Help and the Texas State Law Library for self-help material. Cameron County Pretrial Services screens for court-appointed attorneys for those who qualify.

One recent change affects appointed attorneys. Effective June 1, 2024, attorney expense claim forms are processed through the TechShare indigent defense portal. The District Clerk and County Clerk no longer accept those vouchers by e-file. Attorneys must set up an account on the state TechShare system to submit a claim. For court files themselves, the e-filing rule still routes most attorney filings through the statewide system, while the public uses the search portals above. More on the case search side sits on the court records page.

District Clerk vs County Clerk

Cameron County splits clerk duties between two offices. This is the single most common reason a record search fails. The District Clerk keeps district court files. The County Clerk keeps official public records, marriage and vital records, probate, and county court at law cases. The comparison below shows the split at a glance.

For marriage, vital records, probate, and property, use the County Clerk page. For divorce files in particular, see the marriage and divorce records page. For the courts these files come from, see District Court and broader court records.