Find Dissolution Of Marriage Records in Carrollton

Carrollton dissolution of marriage records are held by the District Clerk in whichever county covers your address, since Carrollton sits across parts of Dallas County, Denton County, and a small corner of Collin County. If you need to search for a divorce case or file for dissolution, you first need to find out which county has jurisdiction over your residence. This page explains where to go, how to search, and what resources are available to Carrollton residents working through the process.

Which County Handles Your Carrollton Case

Carrollton is one of the few Texas cities that spans three counties. Most of Carrollton falls in Dallas County or Denton County. A small portion touches Collin County. Which county handles your dissolution of marriage depends on your home address.

If you live in the Dallas County portion of Carrollton, you file at the Dallas County District Court. The Dallas County District Clerk is at 600 Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75202, phone (214) 653-6076. If you are in the Denton County portion, you file in Denton at 1450 E McKinney St, Denton, TX 76209, phone (940) 349-2200. For the small Collin County area, the Collin County District Clerk is at 2100 Bloomdale Rd, McKinney, TX 75071.

Not sure which county you are in? Look up your address on the county appraisal district website for each county, or call the Carrollton City Clerk at 972-466-3170. Getting this right before you file saves time and money.

For more on each county's courts and process, see the Dallas County or Denton County dissolution of marriage pages.

District Clerk Offices for Carrollton

Carrollton residents may use one of three District Clerk offices, depending on their address. All three handle dissolution of marriage cases and records requests the same general way.

Each office keeps its own case files. If you are looking up an old case and don't know which county it was filed in, you may need to search more than one system.

Dissolution of Marriage Process in Carrollton

Texas law governs all dissolution of marriage cases in Carrollton under Texas Family Code Chapter 6. The rules are the same regardless of which county you are in. You file an Original Petition for Divorce, serve the other party, and wait for the 60-day mandatory period to pass before the court can finalize the case.

Residency rules matter. Under Texas Family Code section 6.301, you or your spouse must have lived in Texas for six months and in the county where you file for at least 90 days before the petition date. Because Carrollton spans three counties, make sure you count your time in the specific county you plan to file in, not just the city.

Both parties can e-file through the state system at efile.txcourts.gov. This is available for Dallas, Denton, and Collin county courts. Filing online avoids a trip to the courthouse for the initial paperwork, though hearings still happen in person.

You can file on no-fault grounds using "insupportability" under Texas Family Code section 6.001. This means you tell the court the marriage can't be saved due to discord or conflict. You don't need to prove fault. Fault grounds like cruelty or adultery are also available but require more proof.

Search Carrollton Divorce Records Online

The statewide re:SearchTX system covers courts in Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties. You can search by party name or cause number and see case status, docket entries, and some filed documents. This is a good first step when you need to find which court has a case.

Dallas County has its own case search at the District Clerk website. Denton County also has an online portal at dentoncounty.gov. Searching all three systems may be needed if you don't know the county of filing.

The Denton County official website provides access to court records and county services. You can view a screenshot of the Denton County site for context on what records are available there.

For cases filed in Denton County, the Denton County District Clerk's online system lets you pull up case details and verify current court assignments before you call or visit.

DSHS Divorce Verification for Carrollton

The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks divorces statewide. If you need to confirm a dissolution of marriage happened in Texas, you can order a divorce verification through DSHS Vital Statistics. The system covers records from 1968 onward. You order online at ovra.txapps.texas.gov.

A DSHS verification does not replace a certified copy from the District Clerk. But it can tell you which county processed the divorce, which helps you know where to request the full file. This is useful when searching old cases where you're not sure which county court handled the matter.

Legal Help in Carrollton

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas serves Carrollton residents in all three counties. They handle family law cases for qualifying low-income clients. Contact their office to ask about eligibility and services. The Dallas Bar Association runs a lawyer referral service at (214) 220-7444 and can match you with a family law attorney. The Denton County Bar Association is another local resource for referrals.

TexasLawHelp at texaslawhelp.org has free guides and forms for people filing without a lawyer. The Texas Court Help site at texascourthelp.gov also walks you through the process step by step. Official Texas court forms are posted at txcourts.gov/forms. If you can't pay court costs, ask the clerk about a fee waiver form.

The State Law Library at sll.texas.gov has legal research tools available to the public. If you want to read the statutes yourself, Texas Family Code Chapter 6 is at the Texas Legislature's website.

Nearby Cities

These nearby cities also have dissolution of marriage pages with local court and filing information:

• Dallas - Dallas County seat and largest nearby filing location
• Denton - Denton County seat where many Carrollton residents file
• Lewisville - Another Denton County city nearby
• Flower Mound - Denton County city to the west
• Irving - Dallas County city to the south