Learn About the Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by FindLaw Staff
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a document issued or maintained by a justice or municipal court or a notice or a citation issued by a law enforcement officer may be created by electronic means, including:
(1) optical imaging;
(2) optical disk;
(3) digital imaging; or
(4) another electronic reproduction technique that does not permit changes, additions, or deletions to the originally created document.
(b) A justice or municipal court may use electronic means to:
(1) produce a document required by law to be written;
(2) record an instrument, paper, or notice that is permitted or required by law to be recorded or filed; or
(3) maintain a docket.
(c) Information in a docket may be processed and stored using electronic data processing equipment, at the discretion of the justice or judge.
(d) A justice or municipal court shall maintain original documents as provided by law.
(e) An electronically recorded judgment has the same force and effect as a written signed judgment.
(f) A record created by electronic means is an original record or a certification of the original record.
(g) A printed copy of an optical image of the original record printed from an optical disk system is an accurate copy of the original record.
(h) A statutory requirement that a document contain the signature of any person, including a judge, clerk of the court, or defendant, is satisfied if the document contains that signature as captured on an electronic device.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Texas Code of Criminal Procedure - CRIM P Art. § 45A.051. Electronic Records - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/code-of-criminal-procedure/crim-ptx-crim-pro-art-45a-051/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature or via Westlaw before relying on it for your legal needs.
A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)