What shows up on a Texas background check
Last updated: May 2026
Texas criminal-history records are maintained by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Records Service. Whether you are about to apply for a job, an apartment, or a professional license, the most useful thing you can do is understand exactly what an employer or landlord will see — and what changes if you successfully clear your record.
FCRA notice
The background-check services we link to are not consumer reporting agencies as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Reports generated by these services may not be used in whole or in part to make decisions about employment, tenant screening, insurance, credit, or any other purpose that requires FCRA compliance.
ExpungeReady earns a commission on some links on this page. We only recommend services we believe are useful for personal-records research. Always verify your own records directly with the state repository or the FBI before relying on any third-party report.
What Texas employers actually see
On a standard private background check ordered through a consumer-reporting agency, a Texas employer typically sees:
- Felony and misdemeanor convictions
- Deferred adjudications that have not been sealed via order of nondisclosure
- Pending charges
- Non-conviction arrests within the 7-year window
Texas applies the federal 7-year FCRA limit on arrests not leading to conviction and additionally restricts reporting of older non-conviction information on consumer reports.
How to see your own Texas record
Official source: Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Records Service
Cost: $3 name-based check via the public site
Turnaround: Immediate (online)
Where to start: https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/
The official Texas record only covers in-state arrests and convictions. If you have lived in multiple states, or want to see what private aggregators have collected about you, run a personal records check first — it shows the same data an out-of-state employer's consumer-reporting agency would pull.
What changes after expungement in Texas
A Texas Chapter 55 expunction physically destroys the record across all agencies. An order of nondisclosure under Chapter 411 of the Government Code seals the record from public background checks (including private third-party reports) while keeping it visible to law enforcement and certain licensed professions. After expunction you may deny the arrest occurred; after nondisclosure you may also deny it except for narrow statutory exceptions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a deferred adjudication show up on a Texas background check?
Yes — a deferred adjudication is not technically a conviction in Texas, but the arrest and case disposition appear on background checks unless sealed by an order of nondisclosure. Eligibility for nondisclosure depends on the offense, completion of community supervision, and a waiting period under Tex. Gov't Code § 411.072.
How do I check my own Texas criminal record?
Texas maintains its criminal-history records through Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Records Service. You can request your own record for $3 name-based check via the public site; results typically arrive in Immediate (online). Pulling your own record before applying for a job is the single most useful step you can take.
Do private background checks show Texas sealed or expunged records?
Private consumer-reporting agencies are required to remove sealed or expunged records once notified, but they often retain old copies and may continue to report them by mistake. After your order is granted, request a free annual personal-records report from each major reporting agency and dispute any entries that still show the old data.