Collin County District Courts Sealing & Redaction Procedures

Custody evaluations, psychological evaluations, drug test results, full DFPS case records, mental health records, and medical records will not be made available online.

Therefore, the following documents will not be made available on the internet: • Custody evaluations, • Psychological evaluations, • Drug test results, • Full DFPS Case Records, • Mental health records, and • Medical records.

The District Clerk may restrict the listed sensitive-data documents from online posting without a further court order, but the documents are not sealed unless a party obtains a court order sealing them.

The District Clerk may, without further order of the court, restrict the above-listed documents from being posted on the internet. However, these documents are not sealed unless a party obtains a court order sealing the document.

The District Clerk may restrict a document marked as containing sensitive data from online posting without a further court order, but the document is not sealed unless a party obtains a court order sealing it.

The District Clerk may, without further order of the court, restrict any document so marked from being posted on the internet. However, these documents are not sealed unless a party obtains a court order sealing the document.

The Collin County District Clerk must seal all birth certificates filed in a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship case filed by a governmental entity, as required by Texas Family Code § 102.008(c–1).

IT IS ORDERED that the Collin County District Clerk shall seal all birth certificates filed in any Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship case filed by a governmental entity pursuant to the requirements of Texas Family Code § 102.008(c–1).

The Collin County District Clerk must seal all alternative proof of the child’s parents’ identities filed by a governmental entity in Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship cases under Texas Family Code § 102.008(c–1).

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Collin County District Clerk shall seal all alternative proof of the identity of the child’s parents filed in any Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship case filed by a governmental entity pursuant to the requirements of Texas Family Code § 102.008(c–1).

On appeal, the court reporter must prepare the designated record, file it in a sealed envelope, and provide a copy to the district clerk for placement in the cause's sealed file.

In the event of an appeal, the court reporter shall prepare the record according to the designation of record notice, shall file the record on appeal in a sealed envelope as in other appeals, and shall provide a copy thereof to the district clerk, who shall place the copy in the sealed file of the cause.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must redact sensitive data before filing and must submit a redacted substitute if unredacted sensitive information was previously filed.

All attorneys and self-represented litigants must follow Tex. R. Civ. P. 21c and must redact sensitive data before filing documents. If a party has filed a document containing unredacted sensitive data, that party must resubmit a redacted substitute document.

Documents designated as Confidential that are used in filed papers must be submitted in a labeled, sealed envelope and maintained under court seal.

“Confidential” documents used therein shall be filed in a labeled, sealed envelope and maintained under seal by the Court.

If a filed document contains unlawfully unredacted sensitive data, the clerk may require or permit the filing party to submit a redacted substitute document that may be posted online.

If a filed document contains unredacted sensitive data in violation of the rule, the clerk may require or allow the party to resubmit a redacted, substitute document pursuant to Rule 21c(e), which may be posted on the internet.

A document may carry a sensitive-data notice when inclusion of the data is required by law, but the notice is prohibited when no such legal requirement applies.

If the inclusion of sensitive data is required by law, then the document may be marked with a notice that the document contains sensitive data; otherwise, the document must not contain that notice.