How to Submit a Texas DPS Open Records Request

A Texas DPS open records request is a written request under the Texas Public Information Act asking the Department of Public Safety to produce records it holds. You don’t have to explain why you want them. Send your request through the DPS online portal, by email, or by mail; describe the records specifically; and expect a response within 10 business days, unless DPS refers the matter to the Attorney General for a ruling on whether an exemption applies.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Open Records Policy

Write the Request So DPS Can Actually Find the Records

Your request must be in writing to trigger DPS’s legal obligations under Chapter 552.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Open Records Policy A phone call or a social media message doesn’t count. Beyond that, the single most important thing you can do is describe the records with enough specificity that a staff member who knows nothing about your situation can locate them.

Include as many of these identifiers as you have:

  • Full legal name and date of birth of the person whose records you’re requesting
  • Driver license number if the request involves driving records
  • Case or incident number for records tied to a specific event, like a crash or arrest
  • A date range so DPS can filter through large electronic databases

Vague descriptions create delays. A request for “all records related to John Smith” forces DPS to come back with clarifying questions, which can eat up days of your 10-business-day response window. A request for “crash report number 12345678 involving John Smith on March 15, 2025” gets processed quickly.

DPS publishes an official Public Information Request form on its website, but you’re not required to use it. Any written document that clearly identifies the records you want satisfies the statute. The form is useful mainly as a checklist so you don’t forget an identifier DPS will need.

Where to Send It

DPS accepts requests through three channels:

  • Online portal: The DPS Public Information Center at txdps.govqa.us lets you submit requests electronically and track their status through a dashboard. This is the fastest option and gives you an immediate confirmation receipt.2Texas Department of Public Safety. Public Information Requests
  • Email: Send your written request to OGC.OpenRecords@dps.texas.gov.
  • Mail: Address it to the Public Information Coordinator at Texas Department of Public Safety, 5805 North Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752-4431.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Contact Us

The online portal is the only method that generates automatic proof of your submission date. For email, save the sent message and any auto-reply. For mail, consider certified delivery so you have a postmark and confirmation. Your submission date starts the 10-business-day clock.

What Happens in the First 10 Business Days

DPS must respond to your written request within 10 business days. The response will be one of three things: the records themselves, a notice that more time is needed to compile the data, or a notification that DPS is asking the Attorney General for a ruling on whether certain records qualify for an exemption.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Open Records Policy

When DPS wants to withhold records, it must request the AG opinion by the 10th business day after receiving your request. The agency has to specify which statutory exceptions it believes apply and notify you that the referral has been made.4State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 552.301 If DPS misses that deadline, it loses the right to withhold the information on those grounds.

The Attorney General’s Open Records Division generally issues its ruling within 45 business days of receiving DPS’s request.5Texas Attorney General. What to Expect When You Receive an Open Records Letter Ruling Your request is effectively on hold during that time. There’s no way to speed up this step, and it’s the most common reason open records requests drag on for weeks. If the AG rules the records are public, DPS must release them. If the AG agrees an exemption applies, they stay confidential.

Fees and the Cost-Estimate Trap

DPS can charge you for the cost of producing records. The rates are set by the Texas Administrative Code, so they’re the same across all state governmental bodies:

Labor charges can also apply to redaction time when confidential information is mixed with public information on the same pages, though DPS cannot charge for redaction on requests of 50 or fewer pages unless the request also qualifies for labor charges on other grounds.6Cornell Law Institute. 1 Texas Administrative Code 70.3 – Charges for Providing Copies of Public Information

For larger requests, DPS will send you an itemized cost estimate before doing the work. Read it quickly. You have only 10 business days to respond in writing, and you must either accept the charges, modify your request, or file an overcharge complaint with the Attorney General. If you do nothing, your request is considered withdrawn by operation of law and DPS has no obligation to produce anything.8State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 552.2615 This catches more people off guard than almost any other part of the process.

Asking for electronic delivery instead of paper can reduce costs significantly on large document sets.

Skip the PIA Route for These Three Record Types

Some of the records people most often want from DPS have dedicated ordering systems with fixed fees, and going through those portals is faster than filing a Public Information Act request.

Driver Records

DPS offers driver records at several tiers, starting at $4.00 for a basic status record and going up to $20.00 for a certified abstract with all suspensions. Some tiers (the complete violation history and its certified version) are restricted to the individual whose record it is. If you need someone else’s driving history, you’re limited to the more basic types and may need to show a permissible purpose under federal law.9Texas Department of Public Safety. How to Order a Driver Record

Crash Reports

Crash reports from DPS-investigated accidents come through the agency’s crash report portal. A regular copy runs $6, a certified copy $8.

Criminal History Name Searches

DPS runs a separate criminal history search through its Crime Records Division. Name-based searches cost $1.00 each through the secure site at securesite.dps.texas.gov, and there’s a free public site at publicsite.dps.texas.gov with more limited results.10Texas Department of Public Safety. Criminal History Name Search – TxDPS Crime Records Division If you dispute the results, DPS requires fingerprints to verify whether a record exists.

You can still request any of these through the general PIA process, but the dedicated portals are quicker for routine lookups. Save PIA requests for records that don’t fit those categories: internal communications, regulatory enforcement files, or operational data.

What DPS Can Withhold

Texas law presumes government information is public, but the Public Information Act carves out specific exceptions. DPS invokes them more often than most agencies because so much of its work involves law enforcement and active investigations. The exemptions you’re most likely to encounter:

  • Law enforcement and investigation files: records related to detecting, investigating, or prosecuting crime can be withheld if release would interfere with that work, or if the investigation didn’t result in a conviction or deferred adjudication.11Texas Attorney General. Public Information Act Handbook 2024 – Section 552.108
  • Litigation-related information: records connected to pending or reasonably anticipated civil or criminal litigation involving the state.12Texas Attorney General. Public Information Act Handbook 2024 – Section 552.103
  • Privacy-protected data: medical records, certain personal identifying information, and highly restricted data shielded by federal or state privacy statutes.

When public and confidential information appear on the same page, DPS will redact the protected portions and release the rest. You’ll get the document with blacked-out sections rather than a blanket denial. If you think the redactions go too far, that’s something the Attorney General can weigh in on.

If You Request Driver Data, Federal Law Limits What You Can Do With It

Even when DPS releases driver records, federal law limits their use. The Drivers Privacy Protection Act prohibits state motor vehicle agencies from disclosing personal information from driver records except for specific authorized purposes.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records

Authorized uses include government agency functions, court proceedings, insurance claim investigations, motor vehicle safety and recall matters, and situations where the person whose record it is gives express written consent. Employers can access commercial license information with the driver’s consent, and licensed private investigators working for an attorney can access records relevant to their investigation.

Anyone who obtains or uses driver record data for an unauthorized purpose faces a federal civil lawsuit with a minimum of $2,500 in liquidated damages per violation, plus potential punitive damages and attorney’s fees.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2724 – Civil Action If you’re requesting someone else’s driver record for business purposes, confirm your use fits an authorized category before filing.

If Your Request Is Denied

What you can do next depends on how the denial happens.

In the first scenario, DPS asks the Attorney General for an opinion and the AG sides with the agency. At that point, your administrative remedies within the AG’s office are exhausted. Your remaining option is a lawsuit, specifically a suit for a writ of mandamus in Travis County district court, where DPS has its main offices.15Texas Attorney General. Public Information Act Handbook 2024 – Section 552.321

The second scenario is more favorable to you. DPS refuses to release records without requesting an AG opinion at all, or misses the 10-business-day deadline to seek one. The agency has forfeited its right to claim an exemption, and a court can compel disclosure.

You can also file a written complaint with the Travis County district attorney alleging that DPS violated the Public Information Act. The complaint must identify the agency, describe when and how the violation occurred, and be signed by you. The prosecutor must give DPS a chance to cure the violation before taking any enforcement action.16Texas Attorney General. Public Information Act Handbook 2024 – Section 552.353

In practice, most disputes get resolved during the AG opinion stage. The lawsuit route is expensive and slow, so it’s usually reserved for records genuinely worth fighting over. For a routine request that hits a wall, narrowing your description or rewording it to steer clear of exempted material is often the faster way to get something useful.