Ellis County, Texas public records

In Ellis County, deeds are recorded by the Ellis County Clerk; property values come from the Ellis Appraisal District; court files are split between the Ellis County District Clerk and the Ellis County Clerk.

Last checked against official sources on November 8, 2026.

On this page

1. Where to get each record
2. Deeds and land records
3. Property values, owners and tax bills
4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
5. Marriage records
6. Divorce records
7. Birth certificates
8. Death certificates
9. Probate records and wills
10. Business names (DBA)
11. Voter records
12. Historical records
13. Other records at the county
14. Good to know about Ellis County records
15. Office addresses, phones and hours
16. Records that are not online: public records requests
17. Questions people ask
18. Official copies vs look-alike sites
19. Sources

Where to get each record

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Ellis County are recorded by the Ellis County Clerk – Recording Division (Official Public Records).⁵

Online search

ellisccktxpublicsearch.us/AcclaimWeb²

Cost

Guest search by name without logging in (no fee stated on the portal); more search options with an account³

Who runs it

Harris Recording Solutions (AcclaimWeb), linked from the County Clerk's Online Record Search page³

Copy fee

$1.00 per page or part of a page for noncertified paper copies; electronic copy $1.00 per document up to 10 pages, $0.10 per page over 10⁴

Certified copy fee

$5.00 certification fee (plus copy charge); full-size plat/map copy $10.00⁴

Recording fee

$25.00 first page, $4.00 each additional page (effective 01/01/2024)⁴

How to order

Record in person at 109 S. Jackson St., by mail to P.O. Box 250, Waxahachie TX 75168 (checks payable to Ellis County Clerk), or by eRecording through approved vendors; card payments carry a 2.4% (minimum $1) processing fee⁴

Fraud alerts

Free Property Fraud Alert name monitoring: propertyfraudalert.com/…¹⁸¹⁹

How deeds work in Texas

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Ellis Appraisal District (ECAD/EAD; appraisal district, a separate political subdivision) sets property values⁶; the Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector bills and collects the tax⁸.

Property search

elliscad.com/property-search (Ellis Appraisal District Property Search; Map Search at /maps)⁷

Tax bill search

actweb.acttax.com/ellis/ellis/index.jsp (Search and Pay Taxes, linked from the county Tax Office site)⁹

Parcel map (GIS)

Ellis County Maps GIS Portal maps.co.ellis.tx.us/portal/home/index.html; ECAD web map elliscad.com/maps and parcel data download elliscad.com/gis-data²⁰

Parcel data

Parcel data is maintained by the Ellis County Appraisal District, not the county⁶

Appealing a value

Value protests go to the Ellis Appraisal Review Board; file online at elliscad.com/file-your-protest²¹

Who does what

The appraisal district appraises property but does not set rates or collect taxes; the county Tax Assessor-Collector collects²¹

Parcel data

More than 102,800 parcels appraised annually²¹

How property tax works in Texas

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Fees

District Clerk: copies $1.00 per page; certified copies $1.00 per page plus $5.00 certification fee per document; original civil petition or divorce petition $350.00 (as of 01/01/2026)¹³

Copy fee quote

$1.00 per page, plus $5.00 certification fee per document¹³

Criminal records and background checks

Felony

District Clerk holds felony records¹⁵

Misdemeanor

County Clerk Criminal Misdemeanor Division (County Courts at Law 2 and 3), 972-825-5062²²

How Texas courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Ellis County Clerk.¹⁵

How to request

Apply online first, then both applicants appear with government photo ID at 109 S. Jackson St., Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-4 p.m.²³

Marriage license fee

$81.00 without premarital course certificate; $21.00 with certificate; $181.00 out-of-state applicants; informal marriage declaration $46.00 (Vitals Fee Schedule effective 01/01/2024)¹⁴

License fee web page

$82.00 without certificate; $22.00 with; $182.00 out of state; $47.00 informal²³

Certified copy fee

$7.00 certified copy; $1.00 per page non-certified¹⁴

Texas marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by the Ellis County District Clerk.¹⁰

Copy fee

$1.00 per page; certified adds $5.00 per document¹³

Texas divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Kept by the Ellis County Clerk – Vitals Division.¹⁶

Fee

$23.00 per certified copy¹⁴

Eligibility

Registrant or immediate family; others need documented direct and tangible interest; mailed applications must be notarized¹⁶

Statewide

Any Texas birth certificate may be purchased in Ellis County (state remote access 1926 to present)¹⁶

Online

Order online: ellisvitals.permitium.com/rod¹⁵

Turnaround

7 business days by mail; printed while you wait in person¹⁶

Ordering a Texas birth certificate

Death certificates

Kept by the Ellis County Clerk – Vitals Division.¹⁶

Fee

$21.00 first certified copy; $4.00 each additional copy ordered at the same time¹⁴

What it covers

Only deaths that occurred within Ellis County¹⁵

Eligibility

Registrant's immediate family or documented direct and tangible interest; public after 25 years²⁴

Ordering a Texas death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Ellis County Clerk – Probate Division (County Court at Law No. 1).¹⁷

Online search

public.lgsonlinesolutions.com/ors.html²

About this search

County Court Record Search²

Which court

County Court at Law No. 1 handles all probate and guardianship cases²⁵

Fee schedule

elliscountytx.gov/…¹⁵

Finding a will or probate case in Texas

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the Ellis County Clerk.¹⁵

How to request

Unincorporated assumed names (DBA) are filed with the County Clerk, notarized; valid 10 years; entities file with the Secretary of State²⁶

Fee

$22.00 for one registrant, $0.50 each additional; no charge for military veterans⁴

Voter records

Kept by the Ellis County Elections Department.²⁷

Registered

160,016 registered voters as of 11-01-2026²⁷

Historical records

Birth records

County Clerk birth records back to 1850 (delayed certificates); official county record keeping began 1903¹⁶

Commission

Ellis County Historical Commission⁸

Other records at the county

Military discharges (DD-214)

What the office says

DD214 recording and copies: no fee¹⁴

Good to know about Ellis County records

• The County Clerk is also clerk for County Courts at Law 1-3 (civil, probate, misdemeanors) and the Commissioners Court, and is the county's Records Management Officer¹⁵
• Recording fee was cut to $25 first page / $4 additional pages on January 1, 2024 after SB 1612 repealed the $1 document filing fee¹⁵
• Death certificates are issued only for deaths within Ellis County, but any Texas birth certificate can be bought here¹⁵
• Elections are run by an Elections Administrator, not the County Clerk or Tax Assessor²⁷
• The 1897 courthouse is the fourth on the site (1850 log cabin, 1854 frame, c.1870 limestone)²⁸

Office addresses, phones and hours

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page

elliscountytx.gov/…³²

Where to send it

[email protected]; fax 972.825.5047; 109 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, Texas 75165, ATTN: Open Records Clerk³²

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

Other counties in Texas with a full guide: Anderson County, Angelina County, Atascosa County, Bastrop County, Bell County, Bexar County, Bowie County, Brazoria County, Brazos County, Burnet County, Caldwell County, Cameron County, Chambers County, Cherokee County, Collin County, Comal County, Coryell County, Dallas County, Denton County, Ector County, El Paso County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Grayson County, Gregg County, Guadalupe County, Hardin County, Harris County, Harrison County, Hays County, Hidalgo County, Hood County, Hunt County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Kaufman County, Kendall County, Kerr County, Lamar County, Liberty County, Lubbock County, Maverick County, McLennan County, Medina County, Midland County, Montgomery County, Nacogdoches County, Navarro County, Nueces County, Orange County, Parker County, Polk County, Potter County, Randall County, Rockwall County, Rusk County, San Patricio County, Smith County, Starr County, Tarrant County, Taylor County, Tom Green County, Travis County, Val Verde County, Van Zandt County, Victoria County, Walker County, Waller County, Webb County, Williamson County, Wilson County, Wise County, Wood County. Every county in the state: Texas county list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026
2. Online Record SearchEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
3. Ellis County Clerk Public Search System (AcclaimWeb)Ellis County Clerk / Harris Recording Solutionschecked November 4, 2026
4. County Clerk Fee Schedules – Effective 01/01/2024 (PDF)Ellis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
5. Recording DivisionEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
6. Parcel Data from the Ellis County Appraisal District (ECAD)Ellis Countychecked November 4, 2026
7. Ellis Appraisal District homeEllis Appraisal Districtchecked November 4, 2026
8. Ellis County, TX Official WebsiteEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
9. Ellis County Tax Office – Official SiteEllis County Tax Assessor-Collectorchecked November 4, 2026
10. District ClerkEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
11. Civil DivisionEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
12. New County Info Search FAQ (PDF)Ellis Countychecked November 4, 2026
13. District Clerk Fee Schedule (PDF)Ellis County District Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
14. Vitals Fee Schedule (PDF)Ellis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
15. County ClerkEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
16. Birth CertificatesEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
17. Probate DivisionEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
18. Property Fraud AlertEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
19. Property Fraud Alert | Ellis County, TX Official WebsiteEllis County, TXchecked November 8, 2026
20. GIS, Maps, and 9-1-1 AddressingEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
21. About UsEllis Appraisal Districtchecked November 4, 2026
22. Criminal Misdemeanor DivisionEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
23. Marriage LicensesEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
24. Death CertificatesEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
25. County Court at Law No.1Ellis Countychecked November 4, 2026
26. Assumed NamesEllis County Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
27. ElectionsEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
28. Our Historic Court HouseEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
29. County Directory: Ellis - 070Texas Comptroller of Public Accountschecked November 4, 2026
30. Staff Directory – District ClerkEllis Countychecked November 4, 2026
31. Ellis County Sheriff's Officechecked November 4, 2026
32. Open Records/Public Information RequestsEllis County and District Attorneychecked November 4, 2026
33. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026