The Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201 is the document a Texas law enforcement agency uses to request forensic analysis from any DPS crime laboratory, and filling it out correctly means completing five case-level fields at the top, identifying every person connected to the evidence, describing each item with the right alphabetic request code, attaching the companion forms certain codes trigger, and packaging the evidence so its labels line up with what you wrote.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201 Get any of those pieces wrong and intake staff will send the submission back untested.
Start With a Fresh Copy of the Form
Download the current LAB-201 in PDF or Word from the DPS Crime Laboratory Publications page before every submission.2Texas Department of Public Safety. Publications The most recent revision is dated October 2025. Reusing a saved copy is risky because DPS periodically updates the layout and the request codes, and a code that worked last year may no longer route correctly.
Case and Contact Information
The top block captures five case-level fields:1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201
- Agency — your department’s full name.
- Agency # — the identifier assigned to your agency. This is often the ORI number used in other state reporting, but the form labels it simply “Agency #.”
- Offense — a short description of the crime. There is no dropdown; you write it in.
- Offense Date — the date the offense occurred.
- Offense County — the Texas county where the incident took place. DPS routes submissions to regional labs based on this county, so accuracy here decides where your evidence physically ends up.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Laboratory Requests/Evidence Submissions
Directly below is the Agency Contact Information block. Enter the submitting officer’s title or badge number, full name, agency address, business email, and phone number. Check the “new address” box if the address has changed so the lab updates its records. Use the additional report distribution line when someone besides the primary investigator needs a copy of the finished report.
Individual Section
The Individual section identifies every person tied to the evidence. Each row takes last name, first name, middle name, suffix, race, sex, date of birth, and one of three role letters: S for suspect, V for victim, or E for elimination sample.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201 Elimination samples come from people whose DNA or prints might legitimately appear on the evidence — a roommate, a responding officer, a medical examiner.
When a pseudonym is in use, common in sexual assault cases, the form directs you to list only the pseudonym, not the real name.
Evidence Table and Request Codes
The evidence table is where most submissions succeed or fail. Each row is one item or one group of grouped items and requires:1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201
- Agency Item # — your internal tracking number for that item.
- Brief Description of Evidence — what the item is, plus any detail that matters for testing (for example, “blue jacket, apparent blood stain on left sleeve”).
- Number of Items — how many pieces are grouped under this row.
- Source/Recovery Location — where the item was collected.
- Request Code(s) — one or more alphabetic codes from the form’s reference table.
- Biohazards / Sharps / Perishables — check any that apply so intake staff know the handling risk.
The Request Code column drives what the lab actually does with the item. The full list printed on the form is:1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201
- DNA — Biology/DNA
- DNY — Biology/DNA (Y-STR analysis)
- SD — Seized Drugs Identification
- SDQ — Seized Drugs Quantitation (federal and CID cases only)
- FA — Firearms and Toolmarks
- FAD — Firearms Distance Determination
- FAS — Firearms Serial Number Restoration
- FR — Friction Ridge (Latent Prints)
- AF — AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System)
- TOXA — Alcohol/Volatiles (sexual assault cases only)
- TOXD — Toxicology for Drugs (sexual assault cases only)
- pGSR — Primer Gunshot Residue
- TE — Trace Evidence
- ILR — Ignitable Liquid Residue (arson-related)
- FDE — Forensic Document Examination
- AVI — Digital/Multimedia (Audio, Video, Image)
- CMV — Digital/Multimedia (Computer, Mobile, Vehicle)
- IMP — Impressions
- H — Seized Drugs Hold/Storage (DPS submissions only)
Two boundaries on those codes are easy to miss. TOXA and TOXD are limited to sexual assault cases; toxicology work for a DWI or an overdose investigation is routed differently, and the Laboratory Customer Handbook explains where. SDQ is limited to federal and CID cases, and H is limited to DPS submissions.
DNA Requests Need Reference Samples
If you enter DNA or DNY, include known reference samples from victims, suspects, consensual partners, and any other potential contributors in the same submission.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201 Without them the lab cannot run meaningful comparisons, and the case sits.
Companion Forms You Have to Attach
Several request codes require a supplemental form, and the LAB-201 lists the pairings at the bottom of the document:1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201
- AVI or CMV — Digital/Multimedia Information Form (LAB-210).
- Digital/Multimedia data dump — Digital/Multimedia Waiver Form (LAB-218).
- DNA with Rapid DNA/CODIS search — Rapid DNA/Crimes of Special Concern Certification Form (LAB-214).
- DNA for sexual assault evidence — Sexual Assault Information Form (LAB-208).
- pGSR — Gunshot Residue Kit Information Form (LAB-211).
- FAD — Distance Determination Information Form (LAB-219).
Every submission, regardless of code, also needs an Incident Synopsis or Offense Report attached. Missing companion documents are one of the fastest ways to have evidence returned untested.
Match the Packaging to the Form
The DPS Crime Laboratory Customer Handbook, posted on the Laboratory Requests/Evidence Submissions page, sets the packaging and handling standards each discipline requires.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Laboratory Requests/Evidence Submissions It replaced the older Physical Evidence Handbook and covers seized drugs, biology/DNA, digital multimedia, trace evidence, and ignitable liquid residue.
At a minimum, the Agency Item # and description on each container must match what you wrote on the LAB-201. When container labels and form entries disagree, intake staff cannot verify the inventory without breaking seals, which is a chain-of-custody problem defense counsel can attack later. Use the Biohazards, Sharps, and Perishables columns on the form to flag anything that presents a handling risk.
Delivering the Form and Evidence
The LAB-201 gives two delivery options: in person, or “Other,” which covers shipping by a tracked carrier. In-person delivery uses the signature block at the bottom, where the submitting individual prints their name, lists their agency, signs, and dates the submission.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Laboratory Submission Form LAB-201 Signing releases the listed items to the laboratory and acknowledges that they become subject to lab protocols.
Each regional lab has a service area defined by county, so your evidence goes to whichever lab covers the Offense County you entered.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Laboratory Requests/Evidence Submissions Service area maps are available on the DPS Laboratory Requests page, and contact details for all 14 regional labs are on the DPS contact page.4Texas Department of Public Safety. Contact Information For large evidentiary items, DPS asks you to schedule an appointment with the receiving lab before arriving.5Texas Department of Public Safety. Storage of Biological Evidence
Falsifying the Form Is a Felony
The LAB-201 is a governmental record, so knowingly entering false information on it is prosecuted under Texas Penal Code Section 37.10, tampering with a governmental record.6State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Section 37.10 – Tampering With Governmental Record The offense level scales with intent and with what was falsified:
- Class A misdemeanor at baseline, with no intent to defraud, punishable by up to one year in county jail, a fine up to $4,000, or both.7State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Chapter 12 – Punishments
- State jail felony when the intent is to defraud or harm another, carrying 180 days to two years in a state jail facility and a possible fine up to $10,000.8State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Section 12.35 – State Jail Felony
- Third-degree felony when the falsified record is a written report of a forensic examination performed on physical evidence in a criminal case, which is exactly what a DPS crime lab produces. This level carries two to ten years in prison and a possible fine up to $10,000.6State of Texas. Texas Penal Code Section 37.10 – Tampering With Governmental Record
The practical takeaway for the officer at the keyboard: what you write on the LAB-201 has to match your offense report and match the physical evidence in the box. Discrepancies create legal exposure for you and chain-of-custody openings for the defense.