About the Jefferson County Clerk's Office
The Jefferson County Clerk is Roxanne Acosta-Hellberg. The County Clerk homepage says the office goal is to provide citizens access to county records, fees, election information, legal resources, and forms such as assumed name certificates, birth and death record applications, and mail ballot applications. The office runs four divisions: Recording, Courts, Elections, and Commissioners Court Minutes. The Beaumont office stays open during regular weekday hours, and the Port Arthur office runs a split-day schedule.
The County Clerk homepage is shown below and linked from the Jefferson County Clerk homepage.
Jefferson County Clerk (Beaumont)
Clerk: Roxanne Acosta-Hellberg
1085 Pearl Street
Beaumont, TX 77701
409-835-8475
countyclerk@jeffersoncountytx.gov
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Jefferson County Clerk (Port Arthur)
525 Lakeshore Drive
Port Arthur, TX 77640
409-983-8340
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:30 p.m.
Fax: 409-839-2379
What the County Clerk Does in Jefferson County
The County Clerk wears several hats. The office records and indexes real property documents, issues marriage licenses, files probate and guardianship cases, handles misdemeanor county-criminal filings for County Courts at Law Nos. 2 and 3, and serves as the elections office for the county. The Civil division handles county-civil suits filed in County Court at Law No. 1. The office also keeps Commissioners Court minutes for the county's governing body.
The County Clerk page lists clear division phones so callers can reach the right desk on the first try.
- Recording, official public records, assumed names, marriage licenses: 409-835-8475 option 2.
- Civil (County Court at Law No. 1): 409-835-8475 option 4.
- Probate and guardianship: 409-835-8475 option 5.
- Misdemeanor (Class A and B): 409-835-8475 option 4.
- Property document copies: 409-835-8475 option 3.
- Elections: 409-835-8475 option 1.
Cloud Search for County Clerk Records
The County Clerk runs a Cloud Search portal that opens the office's recorded documents to the public. Registration is free. Unofficial watermarked images can be downloaded at no cost. Non-certified official copies and certified copies use the same per-page rate as a counter visit. The portal is shown below and linked from the County Clerk Cloud Search portal.
Cloud Search accepts a search term, a date range, and a search scope choice. Index-only search treats two or more words as separate terms. Index and Full Text search treats two or more words as a phrase and reads the OCR text inside scanned documents.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Term | Text | Optional | Grantor, grantee, subdivision, document type, or document number. |
| Date Range | Date | Optional | From and to dates by recorded date. |
| Quick Range | Buttons | Optional | Last 24 hours, last week, last month, and similar windows. |
| Search Scope | Radio | Optional | Search Index Only or Search Index and Full Text. |
| Sign In / Register | Account | Free | Registration is free; certified copies need clerk approval. |
County Clerk Record Coverage
The County Clerk's locate-a-document page lists how far back each record series reaches online and whether images are posted. Marriage indexes are unusually deep for Jefferson County, going back to November 4, 1837. Official public records images go back to January 1983. Court case images for misdemeanor, civil, probate, and marriage are not online and require a copy request from the office.
| Record Type | Index Online From | Images Online |
|---|---|---|
| Official Public Records | January 1983 | Yes, 1983 to present |
| Misdemeanor | August 6, 1951 | No |
| Civil | February 8, 1979 | No |
| Probate | October 1, 1988 | No |
| Marriage | November 4, 1837 | No |
How to Request a Certified Copy from the County Clerk
The County Clerk accepts copy requests in person, by mail, and by email. The office asks requesters to list the record number when possible. Mail requests use the post office box address, and the office accepts a cashier's check, money order, or business check made out to the Jefferson County Clerk. A certified copy adds a $5.00 certification fee.
- Identify the record number through Cloud Search or the locate-a-document page.
- Write the request with the record number, the party name, and your contact details.
- Pay $1.00 per page, plus $5.00 for certification if needed.
- Submit by mail to Jefferson County Clerk, P.O. Box 1151, Beaumont, TX 77704-1151, or by email to countyclerk@jeffersoncountytx.gov.
- Pick up the copy or wait for the clerk to mail or email the recorded document.
Jefferson County Clerk Fees
The County Clerk posts separate fee pages for recording, civil, probate, and misdemeanor. The recording fee page also lists payment methods and a credit card convenience fee. The table below covers common items and amounts from the published fee pages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unofficial watermarked image (Cloud Search) | Free after free registration |
| Non-certified official copy per page | $1.00 |
| Certification fee | $5.00 |
| Federal tax lien search | $15.00 |
| Credit card convenience fee (probate / civil) | $2.50 |
| Recording / Cloud Search credit card convenience fee | 2.95%, minimum $1.00 |
| OPR filing first page | $5.00 plus statutory fees |
| OPR additional page | $4.00 |
Misdemeanor Records at the County Clerk
The County Clerk serves as the clerk for County Courts at Law Nos. 2 and 3, which hear Class A and B misdemeanor offenses such as DUIs, thefts, family violence, and assaults. The misdemeanor page is shown below and linked from the County Clerk misdemeanor page.
Misdemeanor fines and fees are not collected by the County Clerk. The Sheriff's Office collects fines and fees where court costs and a fine or jail time are assessed, and Community Supervision collects fees for people on probation. After a case is disposed, the defendant or the cash depositor named on the Sheriff receipt brings government ID to the Courts Division at 1085 Pearl Street for a cash bond refund.
Photo ID Rule for In-Person Recording
As of September 1, 2023, a person presenting a real-property document in person for filing must present a photo ID. The County Clerk lists acceptable IDs on the homepage and inside the modal: driver license, election ID certificate, personal ID card, U.S. military ID, U.S. citizenship certificate, permanent resident card, municipal ID, tribal enrollment card, U.S. or recognized foreign passport, and license to carry. The rule applies to in-person filings; mail and online routes use different identification controls.
Note: Bring a valid photo ID to file a real-property document in person at the Jefferson County Clerk, since the office has required one since September 1, 2023.
Elections and Commissioners Court Minutes
Two County Clerk divisions sit outside the records people usually think of first. The Elections division supports voter registration, mail ballot applications, and the conduct of county elections. The Commissioners Court Minutes division keeps the official record of the Jefferson County Commissioners Court, the county's governing body. Both are part of the County Clerk's office and share the Beaumont and Port Arthur counters.
The County Clerk also files assumed name certificates, sometimes called DBA filings, for businesses operating under a name different from the owner's legal name. The clerk publishes forms for birth and death record applications, mail ballot applications, and other county documents on the office page. For an assumed name search, business owners can use Cloud Search and the recording fee page to confirm the cost of filing or amending a DBA.
The County Clerk recording fee page is shown below and linked from the recording fee page.
The page also lists payment methods, the credit card convenience fee, and a link to the 2026 Official Public Records fee sheet that took effect on January 1, 2026. Filers and title companies who record large numbers of documents can use the OPR fee sheet to estimate costs before they submit a batch.