How to Expunge a Record for Free in Tarrant County (2026): Tom Vandergriff, Fee Waivers & Fort Worth Filing
Tarrant County has a structural quirk most Texas counties don’t: a formal Criminal District Attorney’s Office with a separate Civil Section that reviews expunction petitions out of a different building from where you file the petition itself. Civil filings live at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building. The Criminal DA’s Civil Section sits across town at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. This is the 2026 walkthrough we give Fort Worth-area clients: where to file, what it costs (and when it doesn’t), which Tarrant suburbs require their own respondents, and the local intake rules that catch pro se filers.
- Tarrant County expunctions file with the Tarrant County District Clerk at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building, 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, TX 76196.
- Service on the prosecutor goes to the Tarrant Criminal District Attorney’s Civil Section at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196 — a different building from where you file.
- Civil filing fee on an original Chapter 55A petition runs roughly $350–$450 — always confirm the current schedule with the District Clerk.
- The filing fee is $0 under SB 537 (Veterans Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, or pretrial intervention under Gov’t Code § 76.011) or with an approved TRCP 145 affidavit of indigency.
- Suburban Mid-Cities PDs — Arlington, Grand Prairie, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Mansfield, Keller — each maintain independent record systems and must be named separately when applicable.
If your arrest, dismissal, acquittal, or no-bill happened anywhere in Tarrant County — Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, the Mid-Cities (Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Haltom City), Mansfield, Keller, or any of the county-line straddle suburbs — your Chapter 55A expunction petition belongs in a Tarrant County civil district court, filed through the Tarrant County District Clerk at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building. Venue follows the county of arrest, not where you currently live.
1. Where Tarrant County Expunctions File
The filing building is the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building, 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, TX 76196. The Tarrant County District Clerk’s civil offices handle intake for every civil petition in the county, including Chapter 55A expunctions. All filings flow through the statewide eFileTexas portal at efile.txcourts.gov, whether you submit remotely or walk in to the clerk’s counter.
Tarrant County operates roughly ten civil district courts at Vandergriff that hear general civil matters, including expunction petitions. The District Clerk assigns each petition to a court on intake through the county’s random assignment system. The criminal docket is a separate operation at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center on Belknap Street, and the seven Criminal District Courts there don’t hear civil expunctions.
2. The Two-Building Setup
This is the Tarrant-specific structural feature that catches more pro se filers than anything else. Two buildings handle two different parts of the expunction:
- Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building (100 N. Calhoun). Where you file the petition itself with the Tarrant County District Clerk. Where the civil district court will eventually sign the order.
- Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center (401 W. Belknap). Where the Tarrant Criminal District Attorney’s Civil Section sits, which is the office that reviews and either consents to or contests your expunction. Service on the prosecutor goes here — not to the Vandergriff address.
Both buildings are in downtown Fort Worth, but they are different addresses with different functions. A pro se filer who serves the Vandergriff address on the DA — or who tries to file the petition with the Tim Curry intake — gets bounced.
File at Tom Vandergriff (100 N. Calhoun). Serve the Tarrant Criminal DA’s Civil Section at Tim Curry (401 W. Belknap). Confirm the exact mailing format for the DA’s Civil Section on the office’s public site before mailing — suite and division numbers matter for routing.
3. Tarrant County Filing Fees — And the Two Free Doors
The Tarrant County District Clerk sets civil filing fees within state statutory limits and adjusts the schedule annually. As of May 2026, the original civil petition fee for a Chapter 55A expunction in Tarrant County runs in the $350–$450 range. Pull the current number from the District Clerk’s published civil/family fee schedule before filing — the cashier won’t accept payment against a stale quote.
Free Door #1: SB 537 (specialty-court completers)
Senate Bill 537, effective September 1, 2025, zeroes out the filing fee for completers of three programs:
- Veterans Treatment Court (Gov’t Code Ch. 124)
- Mental Health Court (Gov’t Code Ch. 125)
- Pretrial intervention programs authorized under Gov’t Code § 76.011
Tarrant County operates a Veterans Treatment Court program and a Mental Health Court track. If your underlying case resolved through one of those programs — or through a pretrial intervention authorized under § 76.011 — attach the program completion certificate or discharge order to the filing and plead the waiver in the petition itself.
Free Door #2: TRCP 145 affidavit of indigency
A granted Statement of Inability to Afford Payment under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145 also produces a zero-dollar filing fee. Tarrant County District Clerk accepts the affidavit but reviews carefully. Presumptive indigency (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, SSI, public housing, legal-aid representation) makes approval substantially easier; outside those categories, the review looks at income, household size, and assets.
Other Tarrant County out-of-pocket items
| Line Item | Typical Tarrant County Cost |
|---|---|
| District Clerk filing fee on original petition | ~$350–$450 (confirm current schedule) |
| Certified copies of underlying case records | $15–$50 at District Clerk cashier |
| Electronic service to state agencies (post-SB 1667) | $0 |
| Non-electronic service to local agencies | $25 per agency (statutory minimum) |
| Certified copies of the signed order for your records | $10–$25 |
4. The Tarrant Criminal DA’s Civil Section
Tarrant is one of three Texas counties with a formal Criminal District Attorney’s Office — a distinct structure from the County Attorney / District Attorney split most Texas counties operate. Inside that office, the Civil Section handles expunction reviews, nondisclosure reviews, and related civil litigation arising from criminal cases. Three implications worth knowing:
- Structured 30-day response window. Clean uncontested petitions typically draw a response inside the statutory 30-day window. The Civil Section reviews on a predictable cadence.
- Reliable defect detection. Wrong subsection citations, Criminal Episode Rule issues, and incomplete agency lists get caught here. Pro se petitions with technical defects reliably draw an objection.
- Service goes to Tim Curry, not Vandergriff. Even though the petition files at Vandergriff, the DA copy goes to the Civil Section at 401 W. Belknap. Misaddressed service materially delays the case.
5. Tarrant County Respondent Agency List
A Chapter 55A order only binds agencies you name and serve. Tarrant County’s baseline list is heavy on suburban PDs because the Mid-Cities and Arlington-area cities each operate independent police records.
| Agency | Why It’s on the List |
|---|---|
| Texas DPS — Crime Records Service (Austin) | State criminal history database; transmits to FBI/NCIC |
| FBI — CJIS Division | Federal NCIC record; served through DPS |
| Fort Worth Police Department or arresting suburban PD | Arrest report and incident records |
| Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department | Jail booking and detention records |
| Tarrant Criminal District Attorney — Civil Section (Tim Curry, 401 W. Belknap) | Prosecutor’s file, charging decisions, disposition |
| Tarrant County District Clerk (Tom Vandergriff) | Civil and criminal docket and filings |
| Suburban PD (if arresting agency) | Arlington, Grand Prairie, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Haltom City, Watauga, Mansfield, Keller, Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville |
| TxDOT (DWI cases) | Driver record / ALR records |
| Private consumer-reporting agencies | Checkr, HireRight, Sterling, GoodHire, First Advantage, etc., that pulled the record during the case |
Arlington alone runs one of the larger municipal police departments in Texas. Add Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Haltom City, Mansfield, Keller, Watauga, and Grand Prairie, and the “FWPD + Tarrant Sheriff” template misses the actual arresting agency on many Tarrant cases. Check the booking sheet.
The county-line straddle suburbs
Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, and Trophy Club all straddle the Tarrant–Denton county line. Their city halls don’t determine venue — the booking jurisdiction does. If the arrest happened in the Denton portion of one of those suburbs, the petition belongs in Denton County, not Tarrant.
Filing a Tarrant County expunction?
We file Chapter 55A petitions in Tarrant County regularly and know the Tom Vandergriff intake, the Tim Curry DA Civil Section, and the Mid-Cities suburban-PD list. A free eligibility check confirms the right subsection, the right court, and whether SB 537 or TRCP 145 zeroes out your filing fee.
6. Filing Process — Step by Step
Step 1 — Pull underlying Tarrant County records
Request certified copies from the Tarrant County District Clerk: charging instrument, disposition order, and any deferred-adjudication paperwork. Verify the cause number on every document and match it exactly on the petition.
Step 2 — Confirm the Chapter 55A pathway
Acquittal = art. 55A.002. Class C deferred = art.
55A.051. Unfiled arrest = art. 55A.052.
Dismissed charge = art. 55A.053. The Tarrant
Criminal DA Civil Section reads carefully for the correct
subsection.
Step 3 — Confirm the disposition language
Tarrant uses distinct disposition codes (“Dismissed — In the Interest of Justice,” “Dismissed — Lack of Evidence,” etc.). Each can route to a different statutory subsection or waiting-period calculation under Chapter 55A. Pull the actual disposition order from the District Clerk before drafting; do not rely on the public docket summary line.
Step 4 — Build the full respondent list
Baseline list plus the actual arresting suburban PD, plus any private background-check vendors that pulled the record during the case. Pay particular attention to whether the arrest happened in a straddle suburb that may have triggered a different jurisdiction’s records.
Step 5 — Format exhibits correctly
The Tarrant District Clerk’s intake reviewers are known for exacting exhibit formatting: separate labeled PDFs per exhibit, consistent pagination, and proper cover pages. Bundled combined-PDF filings reliably draw a rejection at intake. Pull the current format spec from the District Clerk’s site.
Step 6 — eFile through eFileTexas
File the petition, proposed order, civil case information sheet, and properly formatted exhibits. Select Tarrant County and the civil district court track. Pay the filing fee or attach SB 537 documentation or a TRCP 145 affidavit.
Step 7 — Serve the DA Civil Section at Tim Curry
Service on the prosecutor goes to the Tarrant Criminal District Attorney’s Civil Section at 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196 — not the Vandergriff address. Confirm current suite and division specifics on the DA’s public site.
Step 8 — Statutory 30-day window and signed order
The court cannot set a hearing earlier than the 30th day after filing. The DA Civil Section typically completes review inside that window. Most uncontested petitions are signed on submission.
Step 9 — Distribution after signing
Under SB 1667, electronic service to state agencies is free as of September 1, 2025. The District Clerk’s post-grant distribution to DPS averages 30 to 45 days. For local agencies, follow up at 30, 60, and 90 days.
7. Typical Tarrant County Timeline
Realistic numbers we’re seeing on Tarrant County expunctions filed this spring:
Tarrant is one of the faster larger Texas counties on clean expunctions, in part because the Criminal DA’s Civil Section runs a structured review and the District Clerk distributes signed orders to DPS on a tight cadence. The friction point for pro se filers is intake: Vandergriff’s exhibit-formatting standards generate more pro se rejections here than in many counties.
Tarrant moves quickly on clean petitions but is unforgiving on intake formatting. Bundled-PDF exhibit packets get bounced; properly labeled and paginated exhibits accept on the first try. The DA Civil Section response window is reliable. — Wyde & Associates Tarrant County filings, 2026
8. Local Quirks That Trip Up Pro Se Filers
- Filing at the wrong building. Civil petitions file at Tom Vandergriff (100 N. Calhoun); they don’t file at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. Walk-in pro se filers regularly start at the wrong door.
- Serving the DA at the wrong address. The Tarrant Criminal DA’s Civil Section sits at Tim Curry on Belknap, not at Vandergriff. Misaddressed service materially delays the case.
- Vandergriff intake exhibit formatting. Each exhibit needs its own labeled PDF with a cover page and pagination. Combined-PDF exhibit packets are rejected at intake.
- Disposition-code drift. “Dismissed — In the Interest of Justice,” “Dismissed — Lack of Evidence,” and pretrial-intervention dismissals each map to different Chapter 55A pathways. Pull the actual order, not the docket summary.
- The county-line straddle suburbs. Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, and Trophy Club span the Tarrant–Denton line. The booking sheet, not the city hall, controls venue.
- Mid-Cities suburban-PD list. The standard “FWPD + Tarrant Sheriff” respondent template misses the actual arresting agency in many Tarrant cases. Use the booking sheet to confirm which Mid-Cities or Arlington-area PD belongs on the list.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
You file with the Tarrant County District Clerk at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building, 100 N. Calhoun St., Fort Worth, TX 76196. The petition is routed by the clerk to one of Tarrant County’s civil district courts. Service on the Tarrant Criminal District Attorney goes to the DA’s Civil Section at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap. Filing itself happens through eFileTexas.
The current Tarrant County civil filing fee on an original Chapter 55A petition runs approximately $350–$450 as of May 2026. Pull the current figure from the Tarrant County District Clerk’s published civil/family fee schedule before filing — it changes annually. The fee is zero under SB 537 (specialty-court completers) or with an approved TRCP 145 affidavit of indigency.
Tarrant County’s pace on clean expunctions is solid — typically among the faster larger Texas counties. The Tarrant Criminal DA’s Civil Section runs a structured 30-day response window on uncontested petitions, and the District Clerk’s signed-order distribution to DPS averages 30 to 45 days post-grant. Most clean attorney filings sign within 75 to 110 days from filing. Pro se filings run materially longer because Vandergriff’s intake review is exacting.
Tarrant County is one of three Texas counties with a formal Criminal District Attorney’s Office. The civil expunction petition files at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building (100 N. Calhoun), but service on the prosecutor goes to the Tarrant Criminal DA’s Civil Section at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center (401 W. Belknap). Two buildings, two functions — confirm both addresses before mailing.
In addition to Fort Worth Police and the Tarrant County Sheriff, several suburban PDs maintain independent record systems and must be named separately if they were involved in the arrest: Arlington PD, Grand Prairie PD, North Richland Hills PD, Bedford PD, Euless PD, Hurst PD, Mansfield PD, Keller PD, Watauga PD, Haltom City PD, Grapevine PD, Southlake PD, and Colleyville PD (the last three sit on the Tarrant–Denton county-line straddle). Pull the arresting agency from the booking sheet.
Venue follows the county where the arrest actually occurred, not where the suburb’s city hall sits. Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, and Trophy Club all straddle the Tarrant–Denton line. If the arrest happened in the Denton portion, the petition belongs in Denton County. The booking sheet identifies the actual arresting jurisdiction.
Usually no, on uncontested matters. Most Tarrant County civil district judges sign the order on submission once the DA Civil Section’s 30-day response window closes without objection. If the DA does object, a brief hearing is set at Vandergriff. We appear for our clients; pro se filers should be prepared to appear themselves.
Bottom Line
Tarrant County is a friendly venue for clean Chapter 55A petitions once you understand the two-building structure. The District Clerk at Tom Vandergriff runs an organized civil intake (exacting on exhibit formatting, but predictable), the Criminal DA’s Civil Section at Tim Curry runs a structured review on a reliable 30-day cadence, and the post-grant distribution to DPS is among the faster in Texas. The two things that derail Tarrant filings most often are intake-formatting rejections on pro se exhibit packets and missed Mid-Cities suburban-PD respondents.
If you qualify for an SB 537 waiver or an approved TRCP 145 affidavit, the filing fee is zero. If you don’t, expect roughly $350–$450 in court costs plus modest service line items. Most of the work that decides whether the petition wins is the upfront drafting and the agency list, not the fee.
This article is general information about Texas record-clearing law, not legal advice. Specific cases require specific counsel. The statutes, fee figures, and 2025 session changes referenced above reflect Texas law as of May 17, 2026.
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