About the Bell County District Clerk
Joanna Staton serves as the Bell County District Clerk. The District Clerk is an elected county officer in Texas, chosen by voters to a four-year term. The job is set by state law, not by any one judge. The clerk runs the records side of the district courts and answers to the public for how those files are kept.
This office is the records hub for the higher trial courts. It files new cases, logs every motion and order, manages jury service, processes payments, and hands out copies. The clerk's staff splits into departments, such as Civil and Criminal, so the right team handles each case type. Most visits start at the Justice Center counter or on the clerk's web page.
Bell County District Clerk
Clerk: Joanna Staton
Bell County Justice Center
1201 Huey Road
Belton, TX 76513
(254) 933-5160
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Split Clerk System in Bell County
Bell County uses two clerks, not one. This trips up a lot of people. The District Clerk holds district court files. The County Clerk holds a different set entirely. If you ask the wrong office, you get sent down the hall, so it pays to know the split before you go.
The District Clerk keeps felony criminal cases, divorce and family suits, child support, tax suits, protective orders, and district civil cases. The Bell County County Clerk keeps misdemeanor cases, probate, property deeds, marriage licenses, and vital records. Both offices sit inside the same building. Both feed the same online case index. But the file itself, and the certified copy, comes from one office or the other based on the court that heard the case.
Note: when a name search returns both a felony file and a misdemeanor file, the felony record sits with the District Clerk and the misdemeanor with the County Clerk.
What the District Clerk Does in Bell County
The Bell County District Clerk supports the work of six numbered district courts and their associate judges. The Criminal Department backs the felony courts, including the 27th, 264th, and 426th District Courts, for file access and payment processing. The Civil Department keeps every document filed in a district civil case. The office also runs jury services and handles confidential filings under strict rules.
- File and store district civil case papers, from petition to final judgment.
- Keep felony criminal files, charges, dockets, and disposition records.
- Maintain divorce, SAPCR, and other family law files.
- Process child support and IV-D matters tied to the district courts.
- Hold tax suits, protective orders, and the tax-sale excess funds list.
- Manage jury summons, jury panels, and juror payment.
- Guard confidential reports, such as Juvenile, Adoption/Termination, and CPS files.
- Take expunction filings that remove qualifying records.
Bell County District Clerk Records by Case Type
The kind of record you want decides which department you reach. The District Clerk groups its work by case type, and the office web page uses those same labels. Felony files sit in Criminal. Lawsuits sit in Civil. Divorce and child support each get their own section. A few categories are closed to the public.
- Felony criminal
- Charges, indictments, bonds, pleas, sentences, and disposition for district-court crime cases.
- District civil
- Lawsuits over larger sums, with petitions, answers, motions, orders, and judgments.
- Family and divorce
- Divorce decrees, SAPCR suits, custody, and related orders filed with the district courts.
- Child support
- IV-D and other support matters tied to the district and associate courts.
- Tax and protective orders
- Tax suits, the excess funds list, and civil protective orders.
- Confidential reports
- Juvenile, Adoption/Termination, and CPS files, kept from ordinary public view.
For a wider look at how Bell County sorts every record group, see the court records page.
Online Access and E-Filing
You do not always need to drive to Belton. The county runs an Odyssey public portal that indexes district court cases. Its Smart Search tool looks up case files by number or by name in Last, First Middle Suffix format. The District Clerk's web page links the portal, plus forms, self-help resources, and the attorney login.
Texas requires attorneys to e-file most civil and family documents, and the District Clerk's office accepts those filings through the state e-filing system. Self-represented parties may e-file too. The online index shows case data, but a downloadable image is not always there. For a certified or sealed document, you still come to the clerk. A public criminal record search through the District Clerk's system costs $5 per name, which is separate from the free portal search.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and proves the document is a true match to the file. Courts, lenders, and agencies often need one, where a plain printout will not do. The steps below cover a standard request to the Bell County District Clerk.
- Find the case number. Use the Odyssey portal or call the clerk if you only have a name.
- Pick the exact document you need, such as a final divorce decree or a judgment.
- Fill out the clerk's copy request, in person, by mail, or through the office's online tools.
- Pay the copy and certification fee. Bring a photo ID for in-person card payments.
- Pick up the certified copy at the counter, or wait for it to arrive by mail.
District Clerk Records Request Fields
A clean request gets a faster answer. The more detail you give, the less the clerk has to hunt. The table lists the fields a Bell County District Clerk copy request usually asks for.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | No | Speeds the search; the clerk can look it up from party names. |
| Party Names | Yes | Use Last, First format for both sides of the case. |
| Document Type | Yes | Name the exact paper, such as decree, judgment, or order. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Each certified copy carries its own fee. |
| Requester Contact | Yes | Name, phone, and a mailing address for mailed copies. |
Bell County District Clerk Fees
Some fees are fixed and posted. Others follow the clerk's fee schedule, which the county links but does not fully list online. Confirm current copy and certification amounts with the office before you pay. The known fees are below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Criminal record search | $5 per name |
| Plain copy per page | Per clerk fee schedule |
| Certified copy per page | Per clerk fee schedule |
| Certification fee per document | Per clerk fee schedule |
| Civil filing fees | Per clerk fee schedule |
Note: the District Clerk also keeps a tax-sale excess funds list, which shows money left over after certain tax foreclosure sales.
Common District Clerk Forms
The District Clerk's web page links the forms most people need. Some are state Supreme Court family forms. Others are local request sheets. Pick the form that matches your matter, fill it out fully, and submit it with any fee.
- District Clerk forms page - the office hub for divorce, civil, and copy forms.
- E-filing and self-help links - for online filing and pro se guidance.