Created in November 2002 by the Commissioners Court as a component of the Records Management Program, the Harris County Archives preserves, protects, and provides access to those records that document the history of the government and citizens of Harris County, Texas.  The archives officially opened to researchers in April 2005 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony presided over by Harris County Judge Robert Eckels.

The archives' holdings include approximately 6,400 bound volumes, 3,800 cubic feet of processed and unprocessed records, 637 bound volumes of the Houston Post, and over 14,000 rolls of microfilm, including departmental records and the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post newspapers (1976 – 2001). Additionally, the archives include over 600 volumes of scrapbooks and maps, photographs, video and film, and oral histories. The Harris County Archives is capable of providing digital copies of the records in its collection.