About the Jefferson County District Clerk
The Jefferson County District Clerk is Jamie Smith. The District Clerk supports the district courts and keeps the district court files. The office maintains civil, criminal, and family indexes for the district courts in Beaumont and runs jury administration for the county. The office also provides passport services on weekdays, supports attorney access to records through the Tyler portal, and posts forms, orders, and instructions for parties who appear in district court.
The office is large because Jefferson County's district bench is large. District Clerk records cover the 58th, 60th, 136th, 172nd, 252nd, 279th, 317th Civil District Court, and the Criminal District Court. The District Clerk homepage is shown below and linked from the District Clerk homepage.
Jefferson County District Clerk
Clerk: Jamie Smith
1085 Pearl Street, Room 203
Beaumont, TX 77701
409-835-8580
districtclerk@jeffersoncountytx.gov
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
What the District Clerk Does in Jefferson County
The District Clerk's job is broad. The office files district court pleadings, manages district court records, issues citations and other process, collects filing fees, supports jury panels, and provides certified copies. It also coordinates with the District Attorney and the courts on case scheduling and record requests. The District Clerk information page also publishes pro se filing cutoffs and the local civil rules used by the civil district courts.
- Maintain civil, criminal, and family case files for the district courts.
- Operate the public civil, criminal, and family index pages for the district courts.
- Support attorney access to district court records through the Tyler Enterprise Justice portal.
- Run jury administration, including the new postcard summons format that began in late 2025.
- Process passport applications during posted office hours.
- Provide certified copies of district court records on request.
Office Hours and Contact Lines
The District Clerk keeps regular weekday hours and posts dedicated phone lines for family law and child support. New in-person pro se cases must be filed no later than 4:00 p.m. The passport office runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with no appointment necessary. Port Arthur callers have a separate number. The District Clerk contact page is shown below and linked from the District Clerk contact page.
The lines below come straight from the official contact page.
- Main: 409-835-8580
- Family law: 409-835-8654
- Child support: 409-835-7293
- Port Arthur: 409-727-2191
- Fax: 409-835-8527
- Email: districtclerk@jeffersoncountytx.gov
How to Request a Certified Copy from the District Clerk
A certified copy is a copy the clerk certifies as a true copy of the record. Certified copies are required when a court, another agency, or a third party will not accept a plain copy. The District Clerk processes requests in person, by mail, and by email. Bring or include a case number, the parties, and a description of the document you need.
- Identify the case number and the document you want, such as a final divorce decree or a judgment.
- Pick up or download the request form, or write the request as a letter that includes the case details.
- Submit by mail, email, or in person with payment of the per-page fee and certification fee where required.
- Pick up the certified copy in person or wait for the mailed copy from the clerk.
Records Request Form Fields
The fields below summarize what the District Clerk asks on a copy or records request. Some fields are required only when you request a certified copy or a sealed-court-record exception, but a complete request speeds processing.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Yes | Year plus court code, like 25DCCV0087 or 25DCCR1541. |
| Party Names | Yes | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or the State. |
| Document Type | Yes | Decree, order, motion, judgment, or other. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Per-page fee applies to each copy. |
| Certification Request | Optional | Adds a certification fee where applicable. |
| Payment | Yes | Cash, check, or money order; verify accepted methods. |
Jefferson County District Clerk Fees
The District Clerk posts a civil and family filing fee sheet on its information page, along with the local civil rules used by the 58th, 60th, 136th, and 172nd. The exact filing fee depends on the case type and any extra defendant or service. Copy and certification fees match the same per-page and per-certification rates used in the County Clerk's office for routine record copies.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $1.00 |
| Certification fee | $5.00 |
| Filing fee - civil and family | Per District Clerk fee sheet by case type |
| Statement of inability to pay | Rule 145 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure |
Common Forms and Self-Help Links
The District Clerk information page links several state self-help and forms sources. The 279th and 317th Civil District Courts also post pro se materials for family-law cases. The list below pulls the practical starting points for filers.
- Texas Court Help - state self-help with forms and topic guides.
- Texas State Law Library - research and plain-language law.
- Texas Judicial Branch forms - OCA forms, including nondisclosure resources.
- District Clerk information page - civil and family fee sheet and local rules.
District Clerk Indexes
The District Clerk maintains free public yearly indexes for civil, criminal, and family district cases. Each index landing page lists the build date and the data date, plus a notice that sealed, juvenile, and security cases are not included. The criminal index page is shown below and linked from the District Clerk criminal index.
The indexes are static yearly pages. You pick a year, open the style index, and use your browser find tool to locate a party name. For full case access, the Tyler portal is the next step, and attorneys can request access through the District Clerk's portal information.
E-Filing and Jury Administration
Texas attorneys must e-file civil and probate cases under the Supreme Court of Texas mandate effective June 1, 2014. Pro se parties may e-file but are not required to do so. The District Clerk lists the eFileTexas system, technology standards, and the rule on filing discovery materials on its information page. A new postcard-style jury summons format began on October 27, 2025, and recipients are required to complete online registration for a court assignment.
For jury duty, the iJury portal at https://ijury.jeffersoncountytx.gov is the District Clerk's online jury system. Parties and witnesses receive their settings through the assigned court, not through iJury, which is dedicated to summoned jurors.
Passport Services at the District Clerk
The Jefferson County District Clerk provides passport acceptance services in the same office that handles district court records. Passport hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no appointment is necessary. The clerk accepts and reviews the application materials, then forwards them to the U.S. Department of State for processing. Applicants should bring proof of citizenship, a valid photo ID, a passport photo, and the required federal application and execution fees. The District Clerk does not set passport processing times; those are set by federal procedures.
Passport services run alongside the office's court-records work, so wait times can stretch when the office is busy with court filings or copy requests. Bring all documents in order. Missing items, like an original birth certificate or a clear copy of the front and back of a photo ID, are the most common reason a passport application is sent back from the federal processing center. Call the District Clerk in advance if you have a question about acceptable documents before you make the trip downtown.