Texas Cannabis LedgerMarijuana Enforcement in Five Major Texas Counties (2025)
Among these five counties, Tarrant had the largest reported count and Tarrant had the highest calculated rate in 2025. Together they account for 10,007 records, 24.0% of the statewide recorded total.
How do major Texas counties compare on marijuana enforcement records?
For 2025, the Ledger compares Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and Travis using the same DPS CCH mapping and Census population source. Tarrant leads this five-county group in count (3,803), while Tarrant leads in records per 100,000 residents (169.1). Neither measure establishes resident arrest risk.
County boundaries matter
These counties were selected for a focused comparison around five recognizable Texas cities. This is not a ranking of the five largest counties or a complete metropolitan-area analysis. Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin are geographic reference points; their city limits and metro areas do not equal the county boundaries used here.
| County | City reference | Total records | Records per 100,000 | Possession share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County | Houston | 1,553 | 30.8 | 99.8% |
| Dallas County | Dallas | 2,945 | 110.7 | 98.7% |
| Tarrant County | Fort Worth | 3,803 | 169.1 | 96.4% |
| Bexar County | San Antonio | 1,205 | 55.8 | 98.1% |
| Travis County | Austin | 501 | 36.1 | 93.8% |
Each county’s short trend
| County | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County | 725 | 2,095 | 1,553 |
| Dallas County | 2,867 | 2,675 | 2,945 |
| Tarrant County | 3,495 | 3,254 | 3,803 |
| Bexar County | 421 | 988 | 1,205 |
| Travis County | 810 | 441 | 501 |
Read counts and rates together
Counts show where more records appear. Rates adjust for different resident populations, but records can concern nonresidents. A lower calculated rate does not establish lighter penalties, a lower probability of arrest, or a safer place to possess cannabis.
Where to go next
Use the eligible-county rate ranking for statewide context, the possession analysis for offense composition, and the statewide trend to compare direction. Each county link opens the underlying three-year record.
Here, “marijuana arrests” is search shorthand for marijuana-coded arrest records in Texas DPS Computerized Criminal History (CCH) tables. These aggregates do not identify unique people or unique arrest events, establish guilt, or measure cannabis use. The arrest year and source publication date are different: this analysis covers 2023, 2024, 2025, using the January 13, 2026 workbook.
Definitions and limitations · Primary-source catalog · Download the underlying CSV