Title CR, Code of Criminal Procedure

Art. 18A.503. ACTION BROUGHT BY FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT; INJUNCTION; PENALTIES. (a) A person is subject to suit by the federal or state government in a court of competent jurisdiction for appropriate injunctive relief if the person engages in conduct that: (1) constitutes an …

Art. 18A.504. GOOD FAITH DEFENSE AVAILABLE. A good faith reliance on a court order or legislative authorization constitutes a complete defense to an action brought under Article 18A.502 or 18A.503. Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1058 (H.B. 2931), Sec. 1.01, eff. January…

Art. 18A.505. NO CAUSE OF ACTION. A computer trespasser or a user, aggrieved person, subscriber, or customer of a communication common carrier or provider of an electronic communications service does not have a cause of action against the carrier or service provider, the officers…

Art. 18A.551. REPORT OF INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS BY JUDGE. (a) Within 30 days after the date an interception order or the last extension, if any, expires or after the denial of an interception order, the issuing or denying judge shall report to the Administrative Office of the …

Art. 18A.552. REPORT OF INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS BY PROSECUTOR. (a) In January of each year each prosecutor shall report to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts the following information for the preceding calendar year: (1) the information required by Article 1…

Art. 18A.553. REPORT OF INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. (a) On or before March 1 of each year, the director shall submit a report of all intercepts conducted under this chapter and terminated during the preceding calendar year to: (1) the governor; (2) …

Art. 18B.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: (1) "Authorized peace officer" means: (A) a sheriff or deputy sheriff; (B) a constable or deputy constable; (C) a marshal or police officer of a municipality; (D) a ranger or officer commissioned by the Public Safety Commission or the d…

Art. 18B.051. REQUIREMENTS REGARDING REQUEST FOR AND FILING OF APPLICATION. (a) A prosecutor with jurisdiction in a county within a judicial district described by Article 18B.052 may file with a district judge in the judicial district an application for the installation and use o…

Art. 18B.052. JURISDICTION. An application under this subchapter must be filed in a judicial district in which is located: (1) the site of the proposed installation or use of the device or equipment; (2) the site of the communication device on which the device or equipment is pro…

Art. 18B.053. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. An application under this subchapter must: (1) be made in writing under oath; (2) include the name of the subscriber and the telephone number and location of the communication device on which the pen register, ESN reader, trap and trace dev…

Art. 18B.101. ORDER AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION AND USE OF PEN REGISTER, ESN READER, OR SIMILAR EQUIPMENT. (a) On presentation of an application under Subchapter B, a judge may order the installation and use of a pen register, ESN reader, or similar equipment by an authorized peace …

Art. 18B.102. ORDER AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION AND USE OF TRAP AND TRACE DEVICE OR SIMILAR EQUIPMENT. (a) On presentation of an application under Subchapter B, a judge may order the installation and use of a trap and trace device or similar equipment on the appropriate line by a co…

Art. 18B.103. COMPENSATION FOR CARRIER OR SERVICE PROVIDER. (a) A communication common carrier or a provider of an electronic communications service that provides facilities and assistance to the department or a designated law enforcement office or agency under Article 18B.101(b)…

Art. 18B.104. DURATION OF ORDER. (a) An order for the installation and use of a device or equipment under this subchapter is valid for a period not to exceed 60 days after the earlier of the date the device or equipment is installed or the 10th day after the date the order is ent…

Art. 18B.105. SEALING RECORDS OF APPLICATION AND ORDER. A district court shall seal an application and order granted under this chapter. Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1058 (H.B. 2931), Sec. 1.02, eff. January 1, 2019. SUBCHAPTER D. EMERGENCY INSTALLATION AND USE OF CER…

Art. 18B.151. EMERGENCY INSTALLATION AND USE OF PEN REGISTER OR TRAP AND TRACE DEVICE. (a) Repealed by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 488 (H.B. 3363), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2021. (b) A peace officer authorized to possess, install, operate, or monitor a device under Subchapte…

Art. 18B.152. ORDER AUTHORIZING EMERGENCY INSTALLATION AND USE. (a) A peace officer who installs or uses a pen register or trap and trace device under Article 18B.151 shall: (1) promptly report the installation or use of the device to the prosecutor in the county in which the dev…

Art. 18B.153. ADMISSIBILITY OF EVIDENCE OBTAINED. The state may not use as evidence in a criminal proceeding any information gained through the use of a pen register or trap and trace device installed under this subchapter if an authorized peace officer: (1) does not apply for au…

Art. 18B.201. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "mobile tracking device" means an electronic or mechanical device that permits tracking the movement of a person, vehicle, container, item, or object. Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1058 (H.B. 2931), Sec. 1.02, eff. January …

Art. 18B.202. ORDER AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION AND USE OF MOBILE TRACKING DEVICE. (a) A district judge may issue an order for the installation and use of a mobile tracking device only on the application of an authorized peace officer. (b) An application must be written, signed, and…

Art. 18B.203. JURISDICTION. (a) A district judge may issue an order for the installation and use of a mobile tracking device in the same judicial district as the site of: (1) the investigation; or (2) the person, vehicle, container, item, or object the movement of which will be t…

Art. 18B.204. NOTIFICATION OF JUDGE FOLLOWING ACTIVATION OF MOBILE TRACKING DEVICE. Within 72 hours after the time a mobile tracking device is activated in place on or within a vehicle, container, or item, the applicant for whom an order was issued under this subchapter shall not…

Art. 18B.205. DURATION OF ORDER. (a) An order under this subchapter expires not later than the 90th day after the date that the mobile tracking device was activated in place on or within the vehicle, container, or item. (b) For good cause shown, the judge may grant an extension f…

Art. 18B.206. REMOVAL OF DEVICE. (a) The applicant shall remove or cause to be removed the mobile tracking device as soon as is practicable after the authorization period expires. (b) If removal is not practicable, the device may not be monitored after the expiration of the order…

Art. 18B.207. NONAPPLICABILITY. (a) This subchapter does not apply to a global positioning or similar device installed in or on an item of property by the owner or with the consent of the owner of the property. (b) In an emergency, a private entity may monitor a device described …

Art. 18B.251. POLICY REQUIRED. Each designated law enforcement office or agency shall: (1) adopt a written policy governing the application of this chapter to the office or agency; and (2) submit the policy to the director of the department, or the director's designee, for approv…

Art. 18B.252. PEACE OFFICERS AUTHORIZED TO POSSESS, INSTALL, OPERATE, OR MONITOR EQUIPMENT. (a) A peace officer of a designated law enforcement office or agency is authorized to possess, install, operate, or monitor a pen register, ESN reader, or similar equipment if the peace of…

Art. 18B.253. LIMITATION: PEN REGISTERS. To prevent inclusion of the contents of a wire or electronic communication, a governmental agency authorized to install and use a pen register under this chapter or other law must use reasonably available technology to only record and deco…

Art. 18B.254. APPLICATION OR ORDER NOT REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN SEARCHES. A peace officer is not required to file an application under Subchapter B or obtain an order under Subchapter C before the peace officer makes an otherwise lawful search, with or without a warrant, to determine…

Art. 18B.301. COMPLIANCE AUDIT. (a) The department may conduct an audit of a designated law enforcement office or agency to ensure compliance with this chapter. (b) If the department determines from the audit that the designated law enforcement office or agency is not in complian…

Art. 18B.302. REPORT OF EXPENDITURES. (a) The inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the inspector general of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or the inspector general's designee, or the sheriff or chief of a designated law enforcement agency, as appl…

Art. 18B.321. APPLICABILITY. (a) This subchapter applies only to a warrant described by Article 18B.322 for the required disclosure of location information that is: (1) held in electronic storage in the possession, care, custody, or control of a provider of an electronic communic…

Art. 18B.322. WARRANT REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN LOCATION INFORMATION HELD IN ELECTRONIC STORAGE. (a) A warrant is required to obtain the disclosure of location information described by Article 18B.321(a) by a provider of an electronic communications service or a provider of a remote c…

Art. 18B.323. ISSUANCE OF WARRANT. (a) On the filing of an application for a warrant under this subchapter, a district judge may issue the warrant to obtain the disclosure of location information by a provider described by Article 18B.355(b), regardless of whether the location in…

Art. 18B.324. DURATION; SEALING. (a) A warrant issued under this subchapter is valid for a period not to exceed 60 days after the date the warrant is issued, unless the prosecutor or prosecutor's assistant applies for and obtains an extension of that period from the court before …

Art. 18B.325. EMERGENCY DISCLOSURE. (a) An authorized peace officer of a designated law enforcement office or agency or an authorized peace officer commissioned by the department may, without a warrant, require the disclosure of location information described by Article 18B.321(a…

Art. 18B.326. CERTAIN EVIDENCE NOT ADMISSIBLE. The state may not use as evidence in a criminal proceeding any information obtained through the required disclosure of location information described by Article 18B.321(a), unless: (1) a warrant is obtained before requiring the discl…

Art. 18B.351. GOVERNMENT ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC CUSTOMER DATA. (a) An authorized peace officer may require a provider of an electronic communications service or a provider of a remote computing service to disclose electronic customer data that is in electronic storage by obtaining …

Art. 18B.352. COURT ORDER FOR GOVERNMENT ACCESS TO STORED CUSTOMER DATA. (a) A court shall issue an order authorizing disclosure of contents, records, or other information of a wire or electronic communication held in electronic storage if the court determines that there is a rea…

Art. 18B.353. WARRANT ISSUED IN THIS STATE: APPLICABILITY. Articles 18B.354-18B.357 apply to a warrant required under Article 18B.351 to obtain electronic customer data, including the contents of a wire or electronic communication. Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1058 (H…

Art. 18B.354. WARRANT ISSUED IN THIS STATE: APPLICATION AND ISSUANCE OF WARRANT. (a) On the filing of an application by an authorized peace officer, a district judge may issue a search warrant under this article for electronic customer data held in electronic storage, including t…

Art. 18B.355. WARRANT ISSUED IN THIS STATE: EXECUTION OF WARRANT. (a) Not later than the 11th day after the date of issuance, an authorized peace officer shall execute a warrant issued under Article 18B.354, except that the peace officer shall execute the warrant within a shorter…

Art. 18B.356. WARRANT ISSUED IN THIS STATE: COMPLIANCE WITH WARRANT. (a) A district judge shall indicate in a warrant issued under Article 18A.354 that the deadline for compliance by the provider of an electronic communications service or the provider of a remote computing servic…

Art. 18B.357. WARRANT ISSUED IN THIS STATE: AUTHENTICATION OF RECORDS BY SERVICE PROVIDER. If an authorized peace officer serving a warrant under Article 18B.355 also delivers an affidavit form to the provider of an electronic communications service or the provider of a remote co…

Art. 18B.358. WARRANT ISSUED IN ANOTHER STATE. Any domestic entity that provides electronic communications services or remote computing services to the public shall comply with a warrant issued in another state and seeking information described by Article 18B.354(a), if the warra…

Art. 18B.359. GOVERNMENT ACCESS TO CERTAIN STORED CUSTOMER DATA WITHOUT LEGAL PROCESS. (a) A provider of a telephonic communications service shall disclose to an authorized peace officer, without legal process, subscriber listing information, including name, address, and telephon…