Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.02 · Chapter 18. SEARCH WARRANTS
GROUNDS FOR ISSUANCE.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A search warrant may be issued to search for and seize:
(1) property acquired by theft or in any other manner which makes its acquisition a penal offense;
(2) property specially designed, made, or adapted for or commonly used in the commission of an offense;
(3) arms and munitions kept or prepared for the purposes of insurrection or riot;
(4) weapons prohibited by the Penal Code;
(5) gambling devices or equipment, altered gambling equipment, or gambling paraphernalia;
(6) obscene materials kept or prepared for commercial distribution or exhibition, subject to the additional rules set forth by law;
(7) a drug, controlled substance, immediate precursor, chemical precursor, or other controlled substance property, including an apparatus or paraphernalia kept, prepared, or manufactured in violation of the laws of this state;
(8) any property the possession of which is prohibited by law;
(9) implements or instruments used in the commission of a crime;
(10) property or items, except the personal writings by the accused, constituting evidence of an offense or constituting evidence tending to show that a particular person committed an offense;
(11) persons;
(12) contraband subject to forfeiture under Chapter 59 of this code;
(13) electronic customer data held in electronic storage, including the contents of and records and other information related to a wire communication or electronic communication held in electronic storage; or
(14) a cellular telephone or other wireless communications device, subject to Article 18.0215.
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a)(13):
(1) "Electronic communication" and "wire communication" have the meanings assigned by Article 18A.001.
(2) "Electronic customer data" and "electronic storage" have the meanings assigned by Article 18B.001.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1965, 59th Leg., vol. 2, p. 317, ch. 722. Amended by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 982, ch. 399, Sec. 2(E), eff. Jan. 1, 1974; Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 640, ch. 237, Sec. 2, eff. May 25, 1977; Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2790, ch. 755, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1981; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 12, Sec. 3, eff. Oct. 18, 1989; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1099, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1289 (H.B. 2268), Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2013.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1251 (H.B. 1396), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1058 (H.B. 2931), Sec. 3.03, eff. January 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.18.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 6ddec376f3cc833ec1e58ad2955cba18a9add03978cb6df640b638f752d72ea3
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.0215ACCESS TO CELLULAR TELEPHONE OR OTHER WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE.Printed as Article 18.0215
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18A.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Article 18A.001
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18B.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Article 18B.001
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. ch. 59FORFEITURE OF CONTRABANDPrinted as Chapter 59
Cited by 11 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.02. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.01SEARCH WARRANT.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(1) | Article 18.02(a)(10) | Article 18.02(a)(12)
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.03SEARCH WARRANT MAY ORDER ARREST.Printed as Article 18.02
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.065EXECUTION OF WARRANT ISSUED BY DISTRICT JUDGE FOR DNA SPECIMEN.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10)
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.067EXECUTION OF WARRANT FOR BLOOD SPECIMEN IN INTOXICATION OFFENSE.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10)
Government Code
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54.658POWERS.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54.906PROCEEDING THAT MAY BE REFERRED.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54.908POWERS.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54.978POWERS.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure | Article 18.02(a)(12), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54.2811PROCEEDING THAT MAY BE REFERRED.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54A.006PROCEEDINGS THAT MAY BE REFERRED.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Gov't Code § 54A.008POWERS.Printed as Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.