Juvenile records are not public in Texas. The Texas Family Code treats records for anyone who went through the juvenile system between ages 10 and 16 as confidential, so they generally do not show up on background checks run by employers, landlords, or the public. Most juvenile records are then sealed automatically once the person turns 18 or 19, depending on the type of offense.
Who the Juvenile System Covers
Texas juvenile courts handle cases involving children who were at least 10 but younger than 17 at the time of the alleged offense.1Texas District & County Attorneys Association. The Basics of Juvenile Law Once someone turns 17, any new charges go through the adult system, though a juvenile court can keep a case that started before the 17th birthday.
The system splits offenses into two buckets. “Delinquent conduct” is behavior that would be a crime if committed by an adult, from misdemeanors up through the most serious felonies. “Conduct Indicating a Need for Supervision,” usually called CINS, covers less serious behavior like fine-only misdemeanors, running away, and certain school infractions.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 51.03 – Delinquent Conduct; Conduct Indicating a Need for Supervision Which bucket a case falls into changes when and how the records can be sealed.
Who Can See Juvenile Records
Confidential is not the same as invisible. Texas law lets a defined set of people look at juvenile records:
- The juvenile and their parents or legal guardians
- The child’s attorney
- Juvenile court judges, probation officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers working the case
Beyond that group, access happens only by court order and only for a specific reason. A school district running a threat assessment may get limited access. A federal agency reviewing someone for a security clearance sometimes can too. What none of this includes is a general employer, a landlord, a curious neighbor, or a member of the public running a records search. A juvenile record covers files held by law enforcement, prosecutors, juvenile courts, and juvenile probation departments, and those files sit apart from the adult criminal records system that ordinary background checks pull from.
When Juvenile Records Do Become Public
The main way a Texas juvenile case loses its confidentiality is certification to adult court. The juvenile court can waive its jurisdiction and send a case to the adult system for serious offenses: a child as young as 14 can be certified for a capital felony or first-degree felony, and children 15 or older can be certified for second-degree, third-degree, or state jail felonies.3Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Texas Transfer Laws Once a case is transferred, it follows adult rules, and the records lose the confidentiality they had in juvenile court.
Automatic Sealing at 18 or 19
Sealing goes further than baseline confidentiality. A confidential record still exists inside the system and authorized people can see it; a sealed record is locked away almost entirely. Texas seals many juvenile records automatically, with no application, no fee, and no action required from the person or their family.4State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 58.262 – Information Given to Child Regarding Sealing of Records
CINS-Only Records Seal at 18
If every juvenile referral was for CINS conduct, the records seal automatically at age 18, provided the person was never referred for delinquent conduct, has no adult felony conviction, and has no pending adult charges for a felony or jailable misdemeanor. The juvenile probation department notifies the court once the person qualifies, and the court has to issue the sealing order within 60 days of that notice.5State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 58.255 – Sealing Records Without Application: Conduct Indicating Need for Supervision
Delinquent Conduct Records Seal at 19
If the referrals involved delinquent conduct, automatic sealing kicks in at age 19, but the conditions are tighter. The person must not have been adjudicated for felony-grade delinquent conduct, must have no pending juvenile matters, must not have been transferred to adult court, and must have no adult convictions or pending adult charges for a felony or jailable misdemeanor. When a person qualifies, the entire juvenile history seals, including any CINS matters mixed in with the delinquent conduct referrals.6State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 58.253 – Sealing Records Without Application: Delinquent Conduct
Sealing Records Sooner by Application
Waiting until 18 or 19 is not the only option. A person can file an application to seal at 17. Someone younger than 17 can also apply, as long as at least one year has passed since the date of final discharge in every matter they were referred to juvenile probation for.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 58.256 – Application for Sealing Records
The applicant also has to have no pending juvenile matters, no prior transfer to adult court, no adult felony conviction, and no pending adult charges for a felony or jailable misdemeanor.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 58.256 – Application for Sealing Records The application goes to the juvenile court in the county where the referral happened, and the court cannot charge a filing fee. From there the court can seal the records right away or schedule a hearing within 60 days.8Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Texas Family Code Chapter 58 Subchapter C-1 – Sealing and Destruction of Juvenile Records An approved order forces every agency holding case records to seal them.
Records That Cannot Be Sealed
A few categories are permanently off the sealing table, and it is worth knowing which ones before you count on the process:7State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 58.256 – Application for Sealing Records
- Cases transferred to adult court. Those follow adult rules, not the juvenile sealing process.
- Determinate sentences imposed for violent or habitual felony conduct.
- Any record belonging to a person who is currently required to register as a sex offender.
- Records of a person still committed to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or a post-adjudication secure facility, until they have been discharged.
What Sealing Actually Does
Once a juvenile record is sealed, the adjudications tied to it are vacated. The referral is legally treated as if it never happened. You are not required to disclose the existence of sealed records on any application for employment, housing, licensing, or admission to an educational institution.
If someone asks whether you were ever arrested or adjudicated as a juvenile and your records are sealed, you can say no. The sealed records, the fact that they once existed, and your denial of their existence cannot be used against you in any criminal proceeding, civil case, administrative hearing, or licensing decision. That protection reaches perjury prosecutions too, so there is no legal risk in exercising the right the sealing order gave you.
Sealed records will not appear on standard background checks. Access inside the justice system becomes very narrow. For most people, sealing effectively closes the juvenile episode.
Two Places a Juvenile Record Can Still Matter
Federal financial aid stopped asking about drug convictions on the FAFSA in 2021, so a juvenile drug adjudication does not affect Pell Grants, federal student loans, or work-study. Private scholarships and school-specific aid can still have their own rules.
Military enlistment is different. Recruits generally have to disclose their full history, including sealed juvenile records, because federal law gives the military access that a state sealing order does not override. A juvenile record does not automatically disqualify anyone; the branches decide case by case, and recent changes have loosened some requirements. As of 2026, the Army no longer requires a formal moral waiver for a single prior marijuana or drug paraphernalia conviction.