How to Get Off the Sex Offender Registry in Texas (Deregistration)

Registration can feel permanent. For some people, Texas law offers a way out early. This guide explains who qualifies, each step, and what happens if a judge says yes. It is part of our guide to Dallas sexual offense defense. Peter M. Barrett has been licensed in Texas since 1994 and has tried more than 150 jury trials. He is a Past President of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (2005).

What deregistration means in Texas

Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 62.401 to 62.408 call it "early termination" of the obligation to register. The CSOT application page calls it "early deregistration." Both mean a court order that ends the duty sooner than it would end on its own.

A "reportable conviction or adjudication" includes a deferred adjudication for the offenses listed in art. 62.001(5). So people who received deferred adjudication can be registrants too. For the basics of the duty, see our guide to Texas sex offender registration.

Who is eligible for deregistration

The statute sets three tests. All three must be met.

• One reportable offense only. The Council evaluates a person with "a single reportable adjudication or conviction" on the DPS list who asks in writing (art. 62.403(b)). The DPS list explains that a second reportable offense means there is no longer a single offense.
• The offense is on the DPS list. DPS sets, by rule, the federal minimum registration period for each reportable offense (art. 62.402(a)). It then publishes a list of offenses where Texas requires a longer period (art. 62.402(b)).
• A reportable conviction or adjudication. The process does not apply to someone without one who registers only as a condition of parole, mandatory supervision, or community supervision (art. 62.408).

The federal comparison and SORNA tiers

The test turns on federal law. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), 34 U.S.C. §20915(a) sets registration periods by tier. Tier I is 15 years, tier II is 25 years, and tier III is life. Time in custody or civil commitment does not count.

DPS compares each Texas offense to that federal period. The DPS list we reviewed is dated September 2022. It marks an offense eligible to apply when there is a single offense and the federal period is shorter than the Texas period. If the federal period is longer or equal, the offense is not eligible.

We do not list eligible offenses here, because the list can change. Eligibility depends on your exact offense and the current DPS list, checked against your court papers.

Step by step: how to apply

1. Collect your court records. Form 3246 asks for the order of conviction or order deferring adjudication. It also asks for the indictment or information.
2. Check eligibility. Confirm you have only one reportable conviction or adjudication, and that it is on the DPS list.
3. Get two criminal history checks. CSOT requires current, certified, fingerprint-based checks from both DPS and the FBI.
4. Mail Form 3246 to CSOT. Include the records and a $50 cashier's check, money order, or personal check. Make it payable to The Council on Sex Offender Treatment. Some offenses need extra records, such as proof of the victim's age. Do not send letters of support; CSOT cannot consider them. Missing items will prevent review.
5. Receive the risk assessment report. The Council must evaluate you with its risk assessment tool and give you a written report (art. 62.403(b)). The tool looks at criminal history. It tries to predict the chance of another reportable offense and any continuing danger (art. 62.403(a)). The assessment is confidential (art. 62.403(c)).
6. File a motion for early termination. File it with the trial court that sentenced you (art. 62.404(a)). Attach a written explanation of how your offense appears on the DPS list. Also attach a certified copy of the risk assessment report (art. 62.404(b)).
7. Pay the costs. You must pay the Council's costs for the assessment and the court's costs for a hearing (art. 62.406).

Form details come from the HHS page for Form 3246, read on September 15, 2026. It shows a form date of 5/2023 and instructions updated 8/2025. Check it again before you file.

What the court can do

Under art. 62.405(a), the judge may deny the motion without a hearing. Or the judge may hold a hearing to decide whether to grant or deny it.

The judge may not grant it if the required documents are missing. The judge also may not grant it if the offense does not require registration longer than the federal minimum (art. 62.405(b)). A grant can come only after notice to the person and the prosecutor, and a hearing (art. 62.407(a)). The subchapter lists no factors the judge must weigh. Meeting the tests does not mean the judge will say yes.

What happens if the motion is granted

• The duty ends. It ends on the later of two dates: the day the court enters the order, or the day you have paid each cost (art. 62.407(a)).
• Supervision conditions change. Conditions of parole, mandatory supervision, or community supervision must be modified to match the order (art. 62.407(b)).
• Registry information comes down. When a person no longer must register, DPS must remove all information about them from the registry (art. 62.251(a)). The court or the person can request removal, and DPS must confirm the duty has ended (art. 62.251(b)). DPS then notifies local police and other agencies, which must remove it too (art. 62.251(e), (f)).

Keep certified copies of the order and proof of payment. Early termination deals with the duty to register. Clearing or sealing a record is a separate question, covered in expunction vs. nondisclosure in Texas.

How deregistration differs from other ways registration ends

The 10-year end date. No motion is needed. The duty ends on the 10th anniversary of the latest of release from a penal institution, discharge of community supervision, or dismissal and discharge (art. 62.101(c)(2)). For offenses listed in art. 62.101(a), the duty lasts until death, "except as provided by Subsection (b) and Subchapter I." Subchapter I is the early termination process.

The young adult exemption. This is a separate tool under art. 62.301. The person must register only because of one reportable conviction or adjudication, not a juvenile adjudication. The case papers must also contain a finding under art. 42.017 or 42A.105(c). That finding applies in indecency with a child or sexual assault cases. It requires that the defendant was no more than four years older, the victim was at least 15, and the case rests solely on their ages. After a hearing, the court may grant the exemption if four points in art. 62.301(d) are shown, including public safety. The order does not expire. But the court must withdraw it after a new reportable conviction or adjudication (art. 62.301(e)).

Why a lawyer helps

Each step has a legal core. The motion must explain in writing how your offense fits the DPS list. That means reading your judgment, charging papers, and the list side by side. A missing document stops the court from granting relief. The prosecutor gets notice, and the judge may deny the motion without a hearing. So the first filing should be complete.

A lawyer can also spot problems early, like a second reportable offense or an out-of-state judgment. Some cases may fit the young adult exemption instead. Registration touches work, housing, and family, as our article on the indirect impacts of a sex crime conviction explains. Call (214) 526-0555 to talk through your records.

Common questions

This guide is general legal information about Texas law, not legal advice about your case. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change, so confirm the current rule with a licensed Texas criminal defense attorney about your specific facts. Request a free, confidential case review.