Tarrant County, Texas: CPS Courts, Court Records, DFPS Offices and Free Legal Help

This page is for families in Tarrant County, Texas. DFPS lists offices in Arlington, Fort Worth, Hurst, Lake Worth and Watauga Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations. It gives you official local contacts for CPS cases: the courts, the clerk who keeps court records, the DFPS offices, and free or low-cost legal help. This is legal information, not legal advice.

The short answer

The county says the 323rd Family District Court hears child welfare and juvenile delinquency cases Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court. Its family courts page also lists Child Protection Court No. 1 and No. 2 (CPS) at the Family Law Center, 200 East Weatherford Street, Fort Worth Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts. The District Clerk keeps district court records Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division. DFPS (the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Texas DFPS, Contact Us, the state agency whose programs include Child Protective Services Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs) lists Tarrant County in its Region 3 Texas DFPS, Counties in DFPS Regions and Districts. The Region 3 headquarters is in Arlington Texas DFPS, Region 3.

Courts that handle CPS cases in Tarrant County

The 323rd Family District Court. State law says the 323rd Judicial District is made up of Tarrant County Tex. Gov't Code §§24.408, 24.410, 24.601, 24.631. Under state law, a family district court has primary responsibility for family law matters, and those include child welfare, custody, dependency, neglect and delinquency Tex. Gov't Code §§24.408, 24.410, 24.601, 24.631. The county says the 323rd Family District Court hears child welfare and juvenile delinquency cases Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court.

• Address: 2701 Kimbo Road, Fort Worth, TX 76111. Phone: 817-838-4600 Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court.

Child Protection Courts. The county's family courts page lists Child Protection Court No. 1 and No. 2 (CPS) at the Family Law Center Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts.

• Address: Family Law Center, 200 E. Weatherford St., 5th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76196. Phone: 682-291-9640. The county lists the same number for the court coordinator Tarrant County, Texas, Child Protection Court.

Family district courts at the Family Law Center. The 231st, 233rd and 325th District Courts are on the 5th floor. The 322nd, 324th and 360th are on the 4th floor Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Location. State law says the 231st and 233rd District Courts must give preference to family law matters Tex. Gov't Code §§24.408, 24.410, 24.601, 24.631.

• Family Law Center: 200 East Weatherford, Fort Worth, Texas 76196. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 817-884-1265 Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts.
• The building is southwest of the 1895 Courthouse, at the corner of Weatherford and Commerce Streets Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Location.

Jurisdiction means the kinds of cases a court has the power to decide.

Before you go:

• Juvenile court hearings at the 323rd are formal and held in the courtroom. The county says it helps to arrive 15 minutes early so you can talk with your child's attorney Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court.
• Dress appropriately. Shorts and tank tops are not allowed Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court.
• In bad weather, the 323rd decides whether to close or cancel dockets. Check its webpage for weather notices Tarrant County, Texas, 323rd District Court.
• There is no free parking at the Family Law Center, but there is parking in the area Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Location.
• Court clerks, court staff and judges cannot give you legal advice, help you fill out forms or tell you what to do Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Information for Self-Represented Litigants. The county's family judges strongly encourage you to hire a lawyer if you can. If you go ahead without one, you are responsible for protecting yourself legally Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Information for Self-Represented Litigants.

Getting court records

The District Clerk is the custodian of district court records Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division. A clerk is the office that files court papers and keeps the official record of each case.

Tarrant County District Clerk

• Family Law Center location: 200 E. Weatherford, 3rd Floor, Fort Worth, Texas 76196. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 817-884-1265 Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Locations. Services here include family and civil disposed (closed) records and court document lookup Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Locations.
• Location at 2701 Kimbo Rd.: East Bldg, Fort Worth, Texas 76111. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 817-838-4645 Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Locations.
• How to ask for family court records: Come in person, or mail your request to the Family Law Center address, Attn: Family Court Records. You can also email [email protected] and include the party names Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division. If you mail a request, include a self-addressed stamped envelope for certified copies and a valid email address for non-certified copies Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division.
• Fees: Without a case number, there is a $5 records research fee. Non-certified paper copies are $1 per page. Certified paper copies are $1 per page plus a $5 certification fee. Non-certified electronic copies are $1 for 1 to 10 pages, plus 10 cents a page after that Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division. No personal checks, and no FedEx shipping Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Family Law Division.
• If you filed a Statement of Inability to Pay: Since September 1, 2021, copies count as court costs, and the District Clerk cannot collect copy fees in cases with a Statement of Inability to Pay Tarrant County, Texas, District Clerk Copies.

Court records are different from DFPS's own case records. To ask DFPS for its records, see How to Get Your CPS Case Records in Texas.

DFPS in Tarrant County

DFPS lists Tarrant County in DFPS Region 3 Texas DFPS, Counties in DFPS Regions and Districts. The Region 3 headquarters is at 1200 E. Copeland Road, Arlington, TX 76011 Texas DFPS, Region 3.

DFPS's office list shows nine locations in Tarrant County Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations:

• 1200 E. Copeland Rd., Ste. 400, Arlington, Texas 76011 (mailing: PO Box 200697, Arlington, Texas 76006). Phone: (817) 792-4400. Programs: APS, CCI, CCL, CPI, CPS, MS, RCCL, RCI, SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 401 W. Sanford St., Arlington, Texas 76011. Phone: (817) 548-4500. Programs: CPI, CPS, MS, RCI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 1501 Circle Dr., Ste. 310, Fort Worth, Texas 76119. Phone: (817) 321-8000. Programs: CCI, CCL, CPI, CPS, RCCL, RCI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 2270 Mall Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76116. Phone: (817) 989-3000. Programs: APS, CPI, CPS, MS, SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 2700 Ben Ave., Fort Worth, Texas 76103. Phone: (817) 255-8700. Programs: CPI, CPS, MS, SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 7450 John T. White, Fort Worth, Texas 76120. Phone: (817) 563-3800. Program: CPS Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 951 W. Pipeline Rd., Ste. 310, Hurst, Texas 76053. Phone: (817) 255-2300. Programs: APS, CCI, CPI, CPS, MS Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 3800 Adam Grubb, Ste. 300, Lake Worth, Texas 76135. Phone: (817) 237-9488. Programs: CPI, CPS, MS, SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 5117 Watauga Rd., Watauga, Texas 76137. Phone: (817) 605-4600. Programs: APS, CCI, CCL, CPI, CPS, SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

In DFPS's list, APS means Adult Protective Services, CCI means Child Care Investigations, CCL means Child Care Licensing, CPI means Child Protective Investigations, CPS means Child Protective Services, MS means Management Services, RCCL means Residential Child Care Services, RCI means Residential Care Investigations and SWI means Statewide Intake Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

If you have a question or complaint about your own case, DFPS says to contact its Office of Consumer Affairs Texas DFPS, Questions and Complaints. Its contact details are under "Statewide numbers" below.

Free and low-cost legal help

TexasLawHelp.org lists five free legal aid groups for Tarrant County under Child Protective Services (CPS) TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services). Here are four of them:

• Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas gives free civil legal help to people with low incomes TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services). Call its Legal Aid Line at (888) 529-5277. TexasLawHelp.org lists CPS among its areas of work TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
• Its Fort Worth office lists Tarrant among the counties it serves. Address: 600 East Weatherford St., Fort Worth, TX 76102. Phone: 817-336-3943, toll-free 800-955-3959. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To apply, call Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Fort Worth Office.
• Texas Foster Youth Justice Project gives free legal help to current and former foster youth in Texas. Phone: (877) 313-3688 TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services).
• Texas Free Legal Answers lets Texans with low or modest incomes work online with a volunteer lawyer for free TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services).
• Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans - Fort Worth gives legal services to veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in Tarrant County. Phone: (817) 546-4460 TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services).

The family courts' self-help page also lists Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and free legal clinics from the Tarrant County Bar Association Tarrant County, Texas, Family Courts Information for Self-Represented Litigants.

Can the court give you a lawyer? In some CPS cases, yes. If DFPS sues to end your parental rights or to be named your child's conservator (the person or agency the court gives legal custody), the court must appoint a lawyer for a parent who is indigent (can't afford a lawyer) and who opposes the case Tex. Fam. Code §107.013(a). If you don't have a lawyer the first time you appear in court in that kind of case, the court must tell you about your right to a lawyer and, if you are indigent and oppose the case, your right to a court-appointed one Tex. Fam. Code §107.013(a-1). Learn more in Your Right to a Lawyer in a Texas CPS Case.

Lawyer referral: The State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service does not handle Tarrant County itself. It sends Tarrant County callers to the certified lawyer referral service for their county State Bar of Texas, Lawyer Referral & Information Service. TexasLawHelp.org lists the Tarrant County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, which helps Tarrant County residents find a lawyer to hire. Phone: (817) 336-4101 TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Tarrant County, Child Protective Services).

Statewide numbers

• Emergency: DFPS says to call 9-1-1 Texas DFPS, Contact Us.
• Texas Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 1-800-252-5400, or report online at www.txabusehotline.org. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week Texas DFPS, Hotlines.
• DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA): (800) 720-7777, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. DFPS's hotline list gives the same hours in Central Time Texas DFPS, Hotlines. The OCA handles complaints about specific cases that involve DFPS program policy Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. You can also use its online question and complaint form, or write to OCA/DFPS, PO Box 149030, MC: Y946, Austin TX 78714-9030 Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs.
• The OCA also does formal reviews when a CPS investigation concludes that a person abused or neglected a child. DFPS used to call this the OCR review process Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. See How to Ask for an ARIF (Administrative Review of CPS Findings) in Texas and CPS Investigation Findings in Texas: Reason to Believe, Ruled Out and More.
• The OCA does not review what courts or law enforcement do or order Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs.
• Texas Parent Helpline: 1-833-680-0611. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Texas DFPS, Hotlines.
• DFPS Records Management Group (to ask for a DFPS record): 1-877-764-7230. Open 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday Texas DFPS, Hotlines.

Guides that apply in Tarrant County

• The Texas CPS Investigation Process, Step by Step (Family Code §§261.301–261.302)
• Your Rights When Texas CPS Contacts You (Family Code §261.307)
• CPS Investigation Findings in Texas: Reason to Believe, Ruled Out and More
• Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS) in Texas: What Families Should Know
• Court-Ordered Services in Texas CPS Cases (Family Code §264.203)
• CPS Drug Testing in Texas: What DFPS Policy Says
• Your Right to a Lawyer in a Texas CPS Case
• How to Get Your CPS Case Records in Texas

Information verified against official sources on 2026-10-02. Call ahead; hours and locations can change.