A Texas Central Registry lookup on yourself is free and can be done two ways: online through the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) portal, or by submitting a notarized paper form. The registry, maintained by DFPS, lists people found by a Child Protective Services investigation to have abused or neglected a child. Most people check before applying for a job with children, starting a foster or adoption home study, or volunteering in a childcare setting. The portal is faster; the paper form is what organizations and certain third parties have to use.
Checking Your Own Record Online
The online option runs through the MyDAP (My DFPS Application Passport) platform and is for personal requests only. You cannot use it to check anyone else.1Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Background Checks
Create an account at the DFPS portal, select “Central Registry” as your user type, and enter your name, email, password, and current address.2Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Portal Guide for External Users Enter your name carefully. Once the account exists, you cannot change it. On first login you’ll need to accept the DFPS Acceptable Use Agreement.
From inside the portal, click “Request Central Registry Check” and provide your Social Security number, date of birth, gender, phone number, ethnicity, and race. The portal also asks about other Texas cities where you have lived. List every one. Incomplete address history is one of the most common reasons requests get delayed or rejected.2Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Portal Guide for External Users If you have ever used a different name, including a maiden name or alias, add it. You’ll receive an email when the results are ready; log back in and download the PDF.
A few practical limits. The email address on the account is permanently tied to it and cannot be reused elsewhere. If you make a mistake on the request, you have to wait seven calendar days before resubmitting. There is no fee for the check.3Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Background Checks
When You Have to Use Form 2970 Instead
Organizations screening employees or volunteers, and individuals who cannot use the portal, submit DFPS Form 2970 (“Request for Texas Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry”). It asks for the same identifiers: full legal name, aliases, date of birth, Social Security number, and address history.
The step people miss is notarization. Form 2970 must be signed in front of a notary public, and the form has a dedicated section for the notary’s signature and seal. Without notarization, DFPS will reject it. The only exception is for child custody or adoption evaluators appointed under Texas Family Code Sections 107.101 or 107.151, who can skip notarization if they attach a copy of the court order naming them as the evaluator.4Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Request for Texas Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry Caseworkers, DFPS-affiliated agency staff, and out-of-state child welfare agencies do not qualify for that exemption.
The completed, notarized form goes to the DFPS Background Check Unit by mail or secure email. Processing generally runs 30 to 40 days from the date DFPS receives it. Results come back by encrypted email or standard mail, depending on what you asked for on the form.
What Actually Shows Up on the Registry
The Central Registry lists people designated as perpetrators of child abuse or neglect after a CPS investigation reached a “reason to believe” finding, meaning the investigator concluded it was more likely than not that the person committed the alleged abuse or neglect.3Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Background Checks Investigations ruled out or found inconclusive do not result in a listing.
The registry also temporarily includes alleged perpetrators in ongoing investigations. If the investigation closes without designating the person as a perpetrator, DFPS removes the name.5Justia Law. Texas Administrative Code 702-251 – What Is the Central Registry A match tied to an active investigation is not a final finding.
Two things worth understanding about this standard. It is administrative, not criminal. You can appear on the registry without ever being charged with a crime, and an acquittal in criminal court does not automatically remove your name. The evidentiary bar for a registry finding is lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt; it only requires the evidence to tip toward the conclusion that maltreatment occurred. People are sometimes surprised by a registry listing after a CPS investigation they thought was closed without consequence.
Who Can Access Your Record
Registry information is confidential. Reports of alleged abuse or neglect, the identity of the reporter, and all files, records, and working papers from an investigation are protected under Texas Family Code Section 261.201.6State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.201 – Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information You cannot look up someone else out of curiosity.
Access is limited to specific categories:
- Licensed childcare and residential childcare operations, which must run checks on owners, employees, volunteers with unsupervised access to children, and anyone 14 or older who lives at or is regularly present at the facility.7Justia Law. Texas Administrative Code 745-609 – What Types of Background Checks Are Required for Persons at My Operation
- Foster care and adoption agencies, as part of the home study, including household members 14 or older.7Justia Law. Texas Administrative Code 745-609 – What Types of Background Checks Are Required for Persons at My Operation
- Courts, which can order disclosure after a hearing on finding that the information is essential to the administration of justice and that disclosure would not endanger the child, the reporter, or others involved.6State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.201 – Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information
- A parent, managing conservator, or legal representative of a child who was the subject of a report, who can request edited information with the reporter’s identity redacted.6State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.201 – Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information
- The Health and Human Services Commission, as needed for its statutory duties.8State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.002 – Central Registry
- Other states and federal agencies through interstate agreements and any national registry maintained by a federal agency.8State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.002 – Central Registry
If you have lived in another state and are applying to foster or adopt in Texas, DFPS will typically check the registry in each state where you previously resided. The reverse also applies: another state’s child welfare agency can request your Texas records.
What to Do if You Find a Match
If your lookup returns a match, or if DFPS notifies you of a “reason to believe” finding, you have the right to challenge it through an administrative appeals process. The deadlines are strict. Miss one and the finding can become permanent.
Administrative Review of Investigative Findings
The first step is requesting an Administrative Review of Investigative Findings (ARIF). You have 45 calendar days from the notice of the “reason to believe” finding to request it. This is an internal DFPS review of whether the evidence supports the finding.
Office of Consumer Affairs Review
If the ARIF upholds the finding, the next step is a review by the DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA). You must request it within 45 calendar days of receiving the ARIF decision. OCA independently reviews the investigation file, the ARIF documentation, and anything you submit.9Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs Handbook – Section 5000
If you want to review your own DFPS records before the OCA review, you can ask for a delay. Within 45 calendar days of contacting OCA, provide proof that you have requested your records from the Records Management Group.9Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs Handbook – Section 5000 Reading those records before you argue your case is almost always worth the extra time.
State Office of Administrative Hearings
If OCA does not overturn the finding, you can request a formal hearing at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). SOAH hearings are more adversarial, with testimony and evidence, and represent the last administrative step before judicial review.
If any level of review or hearing overturns the finding, DFPS must remove your name from the Central Registry within 10 business days and update the related files to reflect the reversal.8State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 261.002 – Central Registry
For questions about your specific record or retention timelines, DFPS directs people to Records Management by email or at 512-929-6764 or 877-764-7230.3Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Central Registry Background Checks Outside the appeals process, DFPS does not publicly describe a general petition for early removal.
What a Match Means for Jobs, Fostering, and Adoption
A match does not automatically disqualify you from every job, but it effectively closes off positions with direct contact with children in regulated settings. Licensed childcare facilities, residential childcare operations, and child-placing agencies are required to run a central registry check on every owner, employee, volunteer with unsupervised access to children, and household member 14 or older.7Justia Law. Texas Administrative Code 745-609 – What Types of Background Checks Are Required for Persons at My Operation
For foster care and adoption, a match is a serious barrier. DFPS uses the registry in the home study, and other states can pull your Texas record if you apply to foster or adopt elsewhere. If you believe a listing is wrong, the appeals process above is the mechanism for clearing it. Track the 45-day deadlines from the day you receive each notice.