National Registered Sex Offender Laws

Texas Sex Offenders

Texas’ sex offender law took effect in 1991. The law requires convicted sex offenders in Texas to register with a local law enforcement authority in the state. Failure to comply may lead to felony prosecution.

Aside from registration, sex offenders in Texas must report from time to time to verify their registered information. Sex offenders in the state must report any changes to their registered information to the local authorities within 48 hours.

Texas sex offender law protects the residents of the state from sex crime recidivism. The law makes sure residents get a notification whenever a sex offender moves into their neighborhood.

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Texas Sex Offender Registry

Texas Department of Public Safety is in charge of the state’s sex offender registry. The department collects information on offenders from local law enforcement agents in the state.

TXDPS stores this information in a database that is accessible to the public. You can access this data through the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry available on TXDPS website.

In Texas, all local law enforcement agencies manage their sex offender registry. This registry contains information of sex offenders registered with the agency. This information is available to the public. Most local law enforcement agencies run their website which is accessible to the public. Residents can also get notifications on offenders from other outlets like the newspapers.

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Texas Sex Offender Infographic

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Learn and share vital facts and figures about Texas sex offenders with this convenient infographic.

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Texas Sex Offender Facts

Facts

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Top Offenses
  • INDECENCY WITH A CHILD SEXUAL CONTACT
  • AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD
  • SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD
  • SEXUAL ASSAULT
  • AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT
Counties in Texas with the highest number of offenders:
  • Harris County
  • Dallas County
  • Tarrant County
  • Bexar County
  • Travis County
Zip Codes in Texas with the highest number of offenders:

See All ZIP Codes >

Nearby States:
Texas Sex Crimes Requiring Offender Registration
  • Indecency with a child - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.11.
  • Sexual assault - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.011.
  • Aggravated sexual assault - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.021.
  • Prohibited sexual conduct - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 25.02.
  • Compelling prostitution - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 43.05.
  • Sexual performance by a child - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 43.25.
  • Possession or promotion of child pornography - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 43.26.
  • Aggravated kidnapping if the actor committed the offense or engaged in the conduct with the intent to violate or abuse the victim sexually - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 20.04(a)(4).
  • Burglary, if the offense or conduct is punishable under subsection (d) and the actor committed the offense or engaged in the conduct with the intent to commit indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, prohibited sexual conduct, or aggravated kidnapping - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 30.02.
  • Unlawful restraint, if the victim was under 17 years of age - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 20.02
  • Kidnapping, if the victim was under 17 years of age - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 20.03
  • Aggravated kidnapping, if the victim was under 17 years of age - TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 20.04.
  • A second violation for indecent exposure, unless the second violation results in a deferred adjudication -
  • TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.08.
  • Attempt, conspiracy or solicitation to commit an offense or engage in conduct listed above.
  • A violation of the laws of another state, federal law, the laws of a foreign country, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice for or based on the violation of an offense containing elements that are substantially similar to the elements of an offense listed above.
Information Maintained in Texas Sex Offender Registry

TX. CRIM. PRO. ART. 62.051 (2021)

(c) The registration form shall require:

    (1) the person's full name, date of birth, sex, race, height, weight, eye color, hair color, social security number, driver's license number, and shoe size;

    (1-a) the address at which the person resides or intends to reside or, if the person does not reside or intend to reside at a physical address, a detailed description of each geographical location at which the person resides or intends to reside;

    (1-b) each alias used by the person and any home, work, or cellular telephone number of the person;

    (2) a recent color photograph or, if possible, an electronic digital image of the person and a complete set of the person's fingerprints;

    (3) the type of offense the person was convicted of, the age of the victim, the date of conviction, and the punishment received;

    (4) an indication as to whether the person is discharged, paroled, or released on juvenile probation, community supervision, or mandatory supervision;

    (5) an indication of each license, as defined by Article 62.005(g), that is held or sought by the person;

    (6) an indication as to whether the person is or will be employed, carrying on a vocation, or a student at a particular public or private institution of higher education in this state or another state, and the name and address of that institution;

    (7) the identification of any online identifier established or used by the person;

    (8) the vehicle registration information, including the make, model, vehicle identification number, color, and license plate number, of any vehicle owned by the person, if the person has a reportable conviction or adjudication for an offense under:

    (A) Section 20A.02(a)(3), (4), (7), or (8), Penal Code; or

    (B) Section 20A.03, Penal Code, if based partly or wholly on conduct that constitutes an offense under Section 20A.02(a)(3), (4), (7), or (8) of that code; and

    (9) any other information required by the department.

Community Notification and Websites

TX. CRIM. PRO. ART. 62.051 (2021)

(d) On receipt of notice under this chapter that a person subject to registration under this chapter is required to register or verify registration with a local law enforcement authority and has been assigned a numeric risk level of three, the local law enforcement authority may provide notice to the public in any manner determined appropriate by the local law enforcement authority, including:

  • Publishing notice in a newspaper or other periodical or
  • Circular in circulation in the area where the person intends to reside,
  • Holding a neighborhood meeting,
  • Posting notices in the area where the person intends to reside,
  • Distributing printed notices to area residents, or
  • Establishing a specialized local website.

The local law enforcement authority may include in the notice only information that is public information under this chapter.

Limitations on Residency or Employment

TX. CRIM. PRO. ART. 62.051 (2021) 62.063-64 (2021)

TX Code Crim Pro art 62.064 (2021) says that a registered sex offender can not reside on the campus of a public or private institution of higher education unless otherwise determined depending on factors of the offense.

TX Code Crim Pro art 62.063 (2021) says that a registered sex offender in Texas can not be emplolyed as a bus driver, a limousine driver, a taxicab driver and other public routes of transportation unless otherwise specified in the court.

The Texas State Department of Criminal Justice places restrictions on residency and employment for convicted sex offenders as conditions of parole.

Duration of Registration

TX. CRIM. PRO. ART. 62.101

(5)(b) 10 years for offenders not subject to lifetime registration.

Life for persons with a reportable conviction for:

  • A sexually violent offense;
  • Prohibited sexual conduct;
  • Compelling prostitution;
  • Possession or promotion of child pornography;
  • Indecency with a child, if the person has prior or subsequent convictions for a registrable offense;
  • Unlawful restraint, kidnapping or aggravated kidnapping of a victim under 17 and the offender has prior or subsequent convictions for a registrable offense;
  • Child pornography is depicting a minor.

Timeframe for Registration

Within 7 days of arriving at the intended residence or 7 days of changing address (for reportable convictions between 9/1/91-8/31/95); 7 days before the intended move (for reportable convictions after 9/1/95)

Applies to Offenders Convicted in another State?

Yes, if the reportable conviction is after 9/1/95 and offender is on supervision; yes, if the offender is not on Supervision and conviction state has mandatory post discharge registration requirement

Verification of Address

Yes, for reportable convictions after 9/1/95

Penalties for Non-Compliance

  • If requirement is based on a 10-year registration requirement – State jail felony.
  • If requirement is based on lifetime registration/annual verification requirement – third degree felony.
  • If requirement is based on lifetime registration/90-day verification – second degree felony.
  • If civilly committed – second degree felony.
  • Punishment is enhanced one level if offender has previously been convicted of non-compliance.

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How to Access the Registered Sex Offender List for Texas

Planning for the safety of yourself and your family is important, and knowing who in your community is a sex offender can make this process a lot easier. Knowing where to find the Texas registered sex offender list and how to search and monitor your neighborhood is a vital tool for your family.

Texas Sex Offender Laws

There are federal requirements for how any given state is to handle their sex offender registries, but there is still a good deal of leeway in exactly how each state shapes its own laws.

Texas is one of the states with the oldest sex offender laws, with their laws being passed all the way back in 1991.

Here are some of the laws currently in place for convicted sex offenders:

  • The registration window for sex offenders to re-register upon moving is 7 days.
  • The state of Texas requires address verification for all sex offenders.
  • If a sex offender violates these two laws mentioned above, they are looking at a Class A Misdemeanor at the least, or possibly a third-degree.

Why do Sex Offender Registries Exist?

These registries were relatively unheard of until young New Jersey girl Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by her neighbor in 1994. This neighbor was convicted of sexual offenses previously and was known to be a pedophile. Lawmakers on both the state level and federal level rushed to pass legislation to help prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again.

Megan’s Law was drafted and passed in multiple states as well as by the federal government. This law has been amended multiple times since its inception, but the end goal of this law was to be sure that the public knew who in their community was a sex offender.

This is important because sex offenders have a high rate of recidivism, so knowing who in your community is a registered sex offender allows and where they live is a huge component in protecting your family from a sex crime.

How to Search the Texas Sex Offender Registry Database

Finding the Texas sex offender registry is easier through the use of databases that collect, monitor, and update public records. We have partnered with KidsLiveSafe.com for the following reasons.

Registered Sex Offender Monitoring Features:

  • Unlimited searches of registered sex offenders living in your area
  • Search anyone by name (this is great for children that are using social media)
  • Email alerts if a registered sex offender moves into any of your monitored areas - through a monthly membership you can monitor up to three areas
  • Unlimited background reports that show other crimes that may not be related to a sexual offense
  • Reverse phone look-up (very useful for any of your children that have cell phones, if you see an unrecognized phone number, you can look it up!)

Keeping Your Family Safe in Texas

Sex offender safety is important for anyone, whether they’re part of a family or just an individual. Fortunately, it’s been considered an important issue for the public to know who in their community has committed sexual offenses and our government has responded by allowing this data to become public record.

This information can help prevent more people from becoming victimized while also making it a lot more difficult for sex offenders to re-offend. You can easily share this information with friends and family to help in the monitoring and safety for all of our communities. Simply click on the social media icons below to share this information we have provided here.

Free Parental eBook

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This free online eBook includes vital statistics, how to tell if a predator is victimizing a child, and social media and cyber-bullying.

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