The Fort Bend County Clerk is the recorder and custodian of important public records, ensuring that these records are maintained in a secure, archival manner. 

Official Public Records (OPR) consist of all publicly accessible documents recorded by this office and may include deeds, plats, mortgage documents, easements, assumed names (DBA), powers of attorney, bills of sale, and liens. 

The Fort Bend County Clerk's permanent online library contains millions of documents from 1821 to the present.

The online database does not constitute the official repository of real property records and may not reflect the unaltered contents of those records as maintained in the official real property records.  

Search Official Public Records

 

Photo I.D. is required per Texas Local Government Code Section 191.010 (b)(c)

  • (b) A county clerk may require a person presenting a document in person for filing in real property records to present a photo identification to the clerk. The clerk may copy the photo identification or record information from the photo identification. The clerk shall copy the photo identification or record information from the photo identification. The clerk may not charge a person a fee to copy or record the information from a photo identification. 
  • (c) Information copied or recorded from the photo identification is confidential. 

It is a crime to intentionally or knowingly file a fraudulent document with the County Clerk. (Texas Local Government Code Section 51.904)

If a County Clerk has a good faith belief that there is potential fraud, we are able to seek the assistance of the District Attorney or County Attorney to review the documents. (Texas Local Government Code Section 51.901(d))

If a document meets the basic structure outlined in Texas law the County Clerk cannot prevent a document from being recorded. But keep in mind that just because a document has been recorded with the County Clerk does not make it a legal document. It is not the function of our staff to determine the legal standing of a document.

 

Property Code Sec. 5.0261 provides a streamlined procedure for addressing discriminatory provisions in real property records. Senate Bill 30, which took effect on September 1, 2021, amends Property Code Sec. 5.0261 to establish a process for a property owner, or another person that the owner authorizes, to request a judicial review of specific property records to determine whether they contain prohibited discriminatory provisions.
Property Code Sec 5.0261 sets out the contents of the documents required to be submitted to the court as well as a suggested format for the court’s findings and order. No filing fees may be charged under the statute.
To view the language of the Code and the format for filing with the court as well as the format for the court’s findings and order, go to Texas Constitution and Statues – Property Code-Conveyances.

Please note: Digital signatures are acceptable on a document that has been filed with the county clerk electronically by code requirements (eRecording). A paper document that contains a copy of a digital signature or signatures does not meet requirement of Property Code 12.00011 that requires a document to have an original signature. To allow for a paper document to be recorded with electronic signatures, the notary must attach a “tangible paper declaration” to the paper copy of the electronically signed instrument. Property Code 12.0013