Harris County District Clerk

02/19/2021

The wintery weather events of this week shut down most onsite operations for the District Clerk’s Office, but behind the scenes, many of our employees were still hard at work. Today we are highlighting two especially talented and brave team members for their diligent onsite contributions during the storm: Criminal Intake Clerk Brenda Muñoz and Data Control Clerk Alan Acosta.

Criminal Intake Clerk Brenda Muñoz: This clerk has been with her current section for 35 years and has seen many crises in Houston during her tenure. A selfless employee who always takes extra time to make sure her internal and external customers receive the help they have requested, Muñoz reported onsite for the winter weather event to make sure other employees from her team who were trapped at home would not have to brave icy roads.

“She operated the Criminal Intake office for a total of 43 hours straight, maintaining a positive attitude throughout,” said Supervisor of Criminal Intake Kathy Emerson.

Data Control Clerk Alan Acosta: The DCO Records Center at 5900 Canal lost power Wednesday night at 8:00 pm. When power was restored, the computers onsite did not come back online. On Thursday morning, this meant many employees could not sign on to work remotely.

The only solution was to turn the computers back on physically, one by one. Alan Acosta accepted the mission to drive to the Records Center early Thursday morning where he quickly went to work turning on all the computers in the building so that Data Control and Records Manager Rick Urdiales’ staff could work remotely. Alan took side streets avoiding the frozen highways.

“We were all very thankful to Alan for getting on the hazardous roads to make it possible for everyone to work remotely. We like to call Alan our ‘Clerk Kent’, and on Thursday he was definitely our hero,” said Manager of Data Control, Compliance, and Training Sylvia Ocampo.

02/16/2021

ANUNCIO IMPORTANTE: Debido a la histórica helada invernal que el Condado Harris está sufriendo esta semana, la Oficina de la Secretaria de Distrito del Condado Harris estará cerrada al público hasta la semana del 22 de Febrero. Si usted tenía una cita agendada para la semana del 15 de Febrero, le contactaremos para reagendar su cita. Gracias por su cooperación y tengan cuidado.

02/16/2021

Do your part in the process #juryservice #htown

02/12/2021

ANUNCIO IMPORTANTE: Debido a la histórica helada invernal que el Condado Harris está sufriendo esta semana, la Oficina de la Secretaria de Distrito del Condado Harris estará cerrada hasta el Martes 16 de Febrero. Si usted tenía una cita agendada para el Lunes 15 de Febrero o el Martes 16 de Febrero, le contactaremos para reagendar su cita. Gracias por su cooperación y tengan cuidado.

02/12/2021

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to the historic winter freeze Harris County is experiencing this week, the Harris County District Clerk's Office will be closed to the public through Friday, February 19. If you had an appointment scheduled for the week of February 15, you will be contacted to reschedule it. Thank you for your cooperation and be safe.

02/12/2021

Community Outreach Coordinator Devonte Hill is a dedicated public servant. His hard work is instrumental in building a social media presence for the DCO and in connecting our office with Harris County diverse communities. This week, Devonte helped
successfully launch our “Stand for Justice” campaign calling upon residents to take part in jury service. “No assignment is too big or ambitious for Devonte. Having him in our Communications Team is like having a one-man-band who can tackle any project with
dedication and professionalism,” said Public Information Officer Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

02/09/2021

Jury Service; Your opportunity to Stand for Justice.
Learn more at: https://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/Common/Juror/general_info.aspx

02/08/2021

District Clerk Burgess launches comprehensive outreach campaign to increase jury participation.

Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is launching a comprehensive outreach campaign to increase jury participation in the county, particularly among African Americans and Hispanics. Under the message “Stand for Justice – Participate in Jury Service,” the campaign entails the display of three billboards, social media posts, and a Public Service Announcement (PSA), along with strategic advertising on local minority media and outreach activities in English and Spanish.

Here is the full Press Conference held on February 8th.

For more visit: https://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/

02/08/2021

Harris County District Clerk's cover photo

02/08/2021

Marilyn Burgess, Secretaria de Distrito del Condado Harris, ha lanzado una campaña de conciencación para incrementar la participación en el servicio de jurado en nuestro condado, sobre todo por parte de la comunidad hispana y afroamericana. Bajo el mensaje “Stand for Justice – Participate in Jury Service,” la campaña está compuesta por carteles en vías de tránsito y mensajes en redes sociales, junto con un Anuncio de Servicio Público, anuncios en medios locales para minorías y actividades con la comunidad.

02/08/2021

Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is launching a comprehensive outreach campaign to increase jury participation in the county, particularly among African Americans and Hispanics. Under the message “Stand for Justice – Participate in Jury Service,” the campaign entails the display of three billboards, social media posts, and a Public Service Announcement (PSA), along with strategic advertising on local minority media and outreach activities in English and Spanish.

02/05/2021

The Harris County District Clerk’s Office (DCO) has been made aware of incidents in which Harris County residents have received calls appearing to come from our Call Center (832-927-5800) urging them to make payments over the phone.
We want to assure you our office will never call to prompt you to make a payment over the phone. Any payments our office requests would direct you to our website (www.hcdistrictclerk.com) to make a credit card payment or instruct you on how to mail in a payment.
If you receive a call requesting payment to the DCO over the phone, please contact our main line at 832-927-5800 and notify the Texas Attorney General’s Office by phone at 1-800-923-9933 or online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/

02/05/2021

Probable Cause Clerk Yvette Ybarra is our Employee of the Week. She is very knowledgeable and is the “go to” person for everyone on her shift. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and is the first in line for training. “We’ve been impacted by COVID-19, but Yvette has made a big difference by filling shifts, coming early, or staying late,” says LaWanda Smith, Supervisor of Probable Cause Courts.

02/01/2021

The Harris County District Clerk's Office celebrates Black History Month. Let us take this opportunity to learn or revisit the historical events and people that have added to this great melting pot that is our country. To see some history first hand, make sure to visit our Historical Records tab on our website: www.hcdistrictclerk.com/HistoricalDocuments

#htown #bhm #texas #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory

02/01/2021

We are here to assist you! Our office covers a wide range of services, from processing your bond payments to processing your Civil and Family filings. We can also help you with records requests and passport applications. For detailed contact information for each of our sections follow the graphic below:

01/25/2021

Even during a pandemic, our office covers a wide range of services. We process your bond payments as well as process your Civil and Family filings. We can also help you with records requests and passport applications. For detailed contact information for each of our sections follow this graphic:

01/22/2021

The new issue of News From the Harris County District Clerk’s Office, our quarterly community newsletter, is now available.

Read more at: http://ow.ly/zoIt50DfIeg

01/22/2021

Estoy hablando sobre las mejores formas de procesar #documentos con la Oficina de la Secretaria de Distrito del #CondadoHarris y dando consejos prácticos para trabajar eficazmente con nuestros secretarios en las #cortes. Vayan a https://bit.ly/3c0e1un para ver mi presentación.

01/22/2021

I am honored to participate in this year’s Texas Modern Mediation Conference. I’m discussing best practices for filing documents with the Harris County District Clerk’s Office and giving practical tips on how to work efficiently with our court clerks. Go to https://bit.ly/3c0e1un to watch my presentation.

01/18/2021

Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is proud to participate in Houston’s 43rd annual MLK Day. This year, the parade will be virtual and District Clerk Burgess will participate with a video in which she speaks about the indelible legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

01/16/2021

Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is proud to participate in Houston’s 43rd annual MLK Day. This year, the parade will be virtual and District Clerk Burgess will participate with a video in which she speaks about the indelible legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

01/08/2021

Senior Jury Clerk Amanda Luevano is our Employee of the Week. She has been a crucial player in the Jury Team’s success these many months at NRG Arena. “Amanda has really stepped up during the pandemic,” said Jury Manager Aman Ahluwalia. “Some
of our team members have been out under quarantine, but her excellence helped operations continue smoothly. I am proud of the job she has done,” he added.

01/05/2021

Harris County District Clerk

You don’t have to make a trip to the courthouse in order to make a payment. The new and free of charge online payment system is available to all customers with active payment plans. Customers can make their payments using any of the major card providers. Visit the Criminal Tab in “Search Our Records” to get started.

01/04/2021

This year, the DCO introduced a Team of the Year category to our Annual Awards Celebrations. Our Network Support Team was honored with the first win for this category. The team worked diligently throughout 2020 to keep the DCO functioning on site and remotely through many technical challenges despite the added obstacle of COVID-19. Network Support Manager Jason Cantu leads this incredible team, which includes our helpdesk, engineers, and database analysts. Thank you for making the work of the DCO possible!

12/23/2020

DCO Call Center Supervisor Marcella Harris was recently awarded Management Member of the Year. She began her career with the DCO in 1987 as a court clerk in the Civil Courts. She has been in her current position since June 2018. “Marcella has an exuberant amount of energy, providing cheerful and spirited customer service,” says Sylvia Ocampo, Manager of Criminal and Civil Data Control, Training, and the Call Center. “She believes that training for DCO employees never ends and that there is always something new to learn. Above all else, Marcella believes in going the extra mile to serve the public,” Ocampo adds.

12/18/2020

Joseph Lopez is a seasoned Data Control clerk who has been with the DCO since he began as a temporary imaging clerk in 2011. On Thursday, December 17, Lopez was awarded the DCO’s Employee of the Year for his outstanding work as team lead. He was one of the first employees to master both Civil and Criminal Data Control, and in turn he has helped grow a more diverse group of employees capable of simultaneously performing duties for both sections. “Joseph is always the first person to arrive and the last one to leave,” said Data Control Supervisor Adan Figueroa. “Despite the limitations of the pandemic, with half of Data Control working on site and half working off site, Joseph chose to work on site every day as a true front liner,” he added.

12/11/2020

Sandra McCain is our Employee of the Week and a floating clerk for the Family Courts. She is dedicated to customer support and well respected by her peers. “From the first call to the last, she provided problem-solving help and has done it with a delightful, intelligent
disposition,” said a recent customer. “She comes in whenever she is needed, and whenever she is asked to go to any court, she does so promptly and without complaint. She’s versatile, has been in Family Courts since 2014, and knows the courts like the back of her hand,” says Supervisor of Family Courts Aquanette Davis.

12/04/2020

Lead Clerk of the 507th Family Court, Stephanie Garcia is our Employee of the Week. She provides outstanding customer service and is a great team player, working with her assistant clerk to keep the court up to date. She remains calm even in stressful situations. “Stephanie has been through a lot this year with the passing of her father, but she is still taking care of the courts and her responsibilities. She also did not hesitate to come into the office when asked by her court to come in daily,” says Supervisor of Family Courts Aquanette Davis.

12/02/2020

If you missed the interview with District Clerk Marilyn Burgess on KTSU, follow this link to the recording. During the interview, District Clerk Burgess talked about the jury selection process and making the system more equitable. The interview starts at 28:54.
https://www.mixcloud.com/KTSU/impact-houston-live-w-donna-franklin-chris-johnson-november-302020/

11/30/2020

You don’t have to make a trip to the courthouse in order to make a payment. The new and free of charge online payment system is available to all customers with active payment plans. Customers can make their payments using any of the major card providers. Visit the Criminal Tab in “Search Our Records” to get started.

11/30/2020

We are here to assist you! Our office covers a wide range of services, from processing your bond payments to processing your Civil and Family filings. We can also help you with records requests and passport applications. For detailed contact information for each of our sections follow this graphic or visit this link: https://bit.ly/2Qc90CK

11/25/2020

Make sure to tune in to KTSU 90.9 this Saturday at 7:15am to hear the latest interview with District Clerk Marilyn Burgess. She will cover important topics related to jury service improvements and more.

11/25/2020

Arsheilia Oliver has been an Assistant Clerk since 2014 and was promoted to Lead Clerk of the 184th Criminal District Court on October 20, 2020. We congratulate her on this new position and thank her for her dedication and dependability. “She is very knowledgeable and is a go-to person. Many clerks regularly seek out her advice on procedures,” says Supervisor of Criminal District Courts Kathy Tickle. “She will also send out emails letting other clerks know she can provide assistance. She is a definite asset to our office,” she adds.

11/23/2020

We are here to assist you! Our office covers a wide range of services, from processing your bond payments to processing your Civil and Family filings. We can also help you with records requests and passport applications. For detailed contact information for each of our sections follow this graphic or visit this link: https://bit.ly/2Qc90CK

11/20/2020

Criminal Intake Clerk Marc Moreno has been with the DCO since 2017. Even during the pandemic, he is setting a great example. “He has been instrumental in teaching second and third shift employees about the new e-Charge process in Criminal Intake,” says Criminal Court Manager Christine Baldwin. E-Charge rolled out in early November and allows contactless, digital transmission of charging documents from the District Attorney to the DCO. “Marc eagerly volunteered to come in early to learn the process and stayed late to make certain that his coworkers had the help they needed,” Baldwin adds.