About the Fort Bend County District Clerk
The Fort Bend County District Clerk is Beverley McGrew Walker, serving her second term. She is a licensed Texas attorney with degrees from Texas A&M University, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University, and she was the first African American woman to serve on the Houston City Council. The office sits in the Richmond Justice Center, the hub for district court filings.
The District Clerk keeps the official files for the district courts. That means felony criminal cases, family-law cases such as divorce and custody, and larger civil suits. The office also manages jury service and issues certified copies of district court documents.
The office works from two locations. The Richmond Justice Center office is the main court-records hub, and the Sienna Annex in Missouri City is a second branch that also handles passports. For court records, the Richmond office is the primary stop, while the annex adds a closer option for residents on the east side of the county. Both follow the same weekday hours and the same fee schedule.
Fort Bend County District Clerk
Clerk: Beverley McGrew Walker
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Suite 31004
Richmond, TX 77469
281-341-4515
distclerk@fortbendcountytx.gov
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The District Clerk background page covers the office and the elected clerk.
A second branch, the Sienna Annex at 5855 Sienna Springs Way in Missouri City, also serves District Clerk and passport customers.
What the District Clerk Does in Fort Bend County
The District Clerk is the records backbone for the district courts. The office files pleadings, keeps the case record, manages exhibits and judgments, collects fees, and runs jury service. Its online menu shows the range of services the office offers the public.
- Online court records and case search for district cases.
- Electronic certified documents and a tool to verify certified documents.
- Jury information and summons handling.
- Passport acceptance at the Richmond and Sienna offices.
- Bulk data sales, historical records, and re:SearchTX access.
- E-filing information, online payments, and legal notices.
Texas splits clerk duties, and that split shapes every request. The District Clerk handles district-court files: felony criminal cases, family-law cases such as divorce and custody, and civil suits above the county-court limit. The County Clerk handles a different world of records, including misdemeanors, probate, marriage, vital records, and recorded property documents. Sending a request to the wrong clerk only adds delay, so confirm which office holds the file before you ask. As a rule of thumb, anything tied to a district judge or a felony or divorce case belongs with the District Clerk.
Two extra services bring many residents to the District Clerk. Jury duty runs through the office, which sends summonses and manages the jury assembly room at the Justice Center. The office is also a passport acceptance agent at both the Richmond and Sienna locations, with set hours for appointments and walk-ins. Neither service is a court record, but both share the same counter, so it helps to know the office does more than store case files.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and is accepted in legal matters, where an uncertified printout is not. For a district case such as a divorce decree or a felony judgment, the District Clerk issues the certified copy. Bring or include the case number and the party names.
- Find the case number through the court records search or the Register of Actions.
- Complete the District Clerk's request with the case number, party names, and the document you need.
- Submit in person at the Justice Center, by mail, or by email with the correct fee.
- Pick up the certified copy or wait for it to arrive by mail.
The District Clerk contact page lists the Justice Center and Sienna Annex details for requests.
Mailed requests go to the District Clerk at 301 Jackson Street, Room 101, Richmond, TX 77469, with the fee included.
Certified copies matter for legal use. A bank, an employer, another court, or a state agency will often require a certified divorce decree or judgment rather than a printout. The District Clerk applies its seal and, through its electronic certified documents service, can issue tamper-evident digital copies that are verified online. Plan for the per-page fee plus the certification charge for each document, and have the case number ready so staff can pull the exact file.
Records Request Form Fields
A complete request speeds up the copy. The office needs enough to find the exact file and tell you the fee. The fields below cover most district court copy requests.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Helpful | Speeds the search; find it in the case records portal. |
| Party Names | Yes | Full names as they appear on the case. |
| Document Type | Yes | The order, decree, judgment, or filing you need. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Drives the per-page and certification fee. |
If you do not have the case number, the office can search by party names, though that may take longer. For a divorce decree, both spouses' names and the rough filing year help. For a felony judgment, the defendant's full name and the year of the case are usually enough to locate the file in the system before the certified copy is prepared.
Fort Bend County District Clerk Fees
Copy fees follow the county clerk schedule, with a per-page charge and a flat certification fee per document. Filing fees for civil and family cases vary by case type and are posted on the District Clerk fees page. Confirm the exact amount before you file.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $1.00 |
| Certified copy per page | $1.00 plus $5.00 certification per document |
| Certificate of Authentication | $5.00 |
| Civil or family filing fee | See District Clerk fee schedule |
A divorce filing fee is set by the office and may be waived with a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment for those who qualify. The marriage and divorce records page covers the divorce side.
Common District Clerk Resources
The District Clerk links forms, payments, and self-help tools from its pages. These resources help with case search, e-filing, and certified document verification.
- District Clerk office page - overview, menu, and forms library.
- re:SearchTX - statewide repository for civil and probate cases.
- County Clerk online record search - for misdemeanor, probate, and property records the District Clerk does not hold.
Mail and Online Filings
Texas courts use eFileTexas for electronic filing, and attorneys and self-represented litigants file district cases through it. The District Clerk also offers electronic certified documents and a way to verify them online. Registered users can reach the statewide repository through re:SearchTX, though certified copies still come from the clerk. Mailed requests and payments go to the Jackson Street mailing address with the correct fee.
Online filing has become the default for many cases. The eFileTexas system accepts new district filings and later documents, and the District Clerk runs online payment tools alongside it. Records that predate the electronic systems may sit in historical files or in the county's records migration project, so older cases can take longer to retrieve. When that happens, the office can explain whether a file is archived, in migration, or simply not yet posted online.
The office serves the public as an elected position, separate from the judges and the County Clerk. That independence is part of the Texas design, where the clerk is accountable to voters for how records are kept and released. For most people, the practical takeaway is simple: the District Clerk is the front door to district court files in Fort Bend County.