Site Policies

Collection of Information 

For online transactions conducted on Texas.gov, individuals will be requested to enter information about themselves and/or the organization with which they are affiliated. When personally identifiable information (PII) is requested, there will be an indication of whether the disclosure of such information is mandatory or optional to continue the transaction. The type of information requested will vary based upon the specific transaction and the state agency or local government involved in the transaction with the individual. Texas.gov will collect the same information as would be collected if the transaction was performed in person, over the telephone, or through the mail with the state agency or local government. Additional information may be requested if required by law, if such information is necessary to verify an individual’s identity and secure the transaction, or if the visitor voluntarily elects to receive information from state agencies, local governments, or Texas.gov.

For general use or browsing of Texas.gov, visitors are not asked for personally identifiable information, and none will be collected. Texas.gov uses server logs and persistent cookies to collect information about the number and types of visitors to Texas.gov and how they use the website. This information includes the type of browser, operating system, and the Internet Protocol ("IP") address used by each visitor and similar information about the computer network used. It also includes information verifying when and how pages of the website were accessed. However, no attempt is made to match this information with the identity of the visitor, except as is required to comply with a law enforcement investigation. For more information regarding cookies, see below.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act 

Children under the age of 13 are not eligible to use services that require submission of personal information and should not submit any personal information to us. This includes submitting personal information to the website as part of a user profile or personalization profile. If you are a child under the age of 13, you can use these services only if used together with your parents or guardians. Seek guidance from your parents or guardians if you are under the age of 13.

Use of Information 

Information collected during an online transaction is used for the following purposes: 

• To complete online transactions with the appropriate state agency or local government (such as the payment of sales tax or the renewal of a license or permit) and with the payment method selected during the transaction; 

• To send an email to or otherwise contact the individual using the online service confirming the transaction or identifying and resolving problems that may have resulted during the transaction, including in connection with the payment methods; or 

• To provide information about state agencies, local governments, or Texas.gov to visitors who elect to receive this notification service. 

• To conduct occasional online surveys to improve our service or seek the opinions of our users. These surveys are voluntary, and you may decline to participate. 

Metrics from Texas.gov server logs and persistent cookies are used for the following purposes: 

• Assessing the usability of Texas.gov. 

• Determining what information is of most interest to Texas.gov visitors. 

• Establishing technical design specifications. 

• Measuring Texas.gov system performance. 

• Identifying potential issues associated with the interface or operation of Texas.gov. 

Texas.gov works with contractors to provide various products and services required for the operation of Texas.gov. Personally identifiable information may be shared with these contractors if necessary in connection with the transactions, in connection with maintenance and improvements to the Texas.gov site, and to support the services and applications offered on Texas.gov. Contractors and subcontractors of Texas.gov are prohibited by contract from selling information from or about the users of Texas.gov. Except as otherwise provided in this policy: (1) Texas.gov will not disclose the email addresses of members of the public who have communicated electronically with a governmental body without the affirmative consent of the affected individual; and (2) personally identifiable information contained in a question or comment sent to Texas.gov in an email message or submitted in an online form is only used by Texas.gov to respond to the question or comment. Texas.gov may redirect the message to a specific state agency or local government if Texas.gov staff believes that the state agency or local government may be more qualified to respond. 

The Department of Information Resources may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities or applicable law to provide personally identifiable information to the appropriate governmental authorities. Additionally, Texas.gov will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who appear to be using our services for illegal activities. Texas.gov reserves the right to report any information to law enforcement agencies, including personally identifiable information, in connection with activities that it, in good faith, believes to be unlawful. 

Texas.gov does not sell and does not generally release (other than as provided in this policy) personally identifiable information to third parties; however, information provided to any governmental body may be subject to disclosure pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act and applicable federal and state legislation. Information about the Texas Public Information Act is available from the Office of the Attorney General and at Texas Government Code, Chapter 552. Additionally, certain state agencies or local governments whose sites are accessible through Texas.gov may have different policies concerning the sale or release of personally identifiable information. Upon leaving Texas.gov and linking to an external site, the policies governing Texas.gov no longer apply and users are subject to the external site’s policies. Questions and concerns regarding the information or services provided by a linked site must be directed to the entity or individual responsible for that site, rather than to Texas.gov. In addition, postings from the public on Texas.gov social media sites become public records and may be posted on Texas.gov, and once posted, are available to be viewed and copied by other users. This information may be subject to public information requests. Neither Texas.gov, nor its licensors or contractors performing services in connection with the social media sites are responsible for any actions of third parties who access information posted on any Texas.gov social media site. 

For more information about public information requests, please refer to the Texas.gov Public Information Requests policy. 

Policy Changes

We reserve the right to change the terms of this policy at any time.  We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed of any updates.  Any modifications are effective immediately. 

Contact Us 

If you have any questions or concerns about the Texas.gov privacy policy, please contact Texas.gov Help & Support.  If you have any questions or concerns about how state agencies and local governments handle personal information, please contact them directly.