Find Texas Court Rules & Public Records

Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders holds searchable local rules, forms, and standing orders. This website was created in response to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a, Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 1.2, and Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 10, which require that courts post their local rules, forms, and standing orders to this website to be effective.

Questions about the substance of a court’s local rule should be directed to the relevant court’s clerk.

Complaints that a local rule, form, or standing order conflicts with other laws or rules, is ineffective, or is unfair or unduly burdensome may be presented first in writing to the presiding judge of the administrative judicial region in which the court is located, then in writing to the Supreme Court of Texas at rulescomments@txcourts.gov.

To learn how to contact the presiding judge of the administrative judicial region in which the court is located, please visit Administrative Judicial Regions (opens in a new tab). To view statewide rules, please visit Statewide Standards and Rules (opens in a new tab).

Juvenile Court Remote Proceeding Plans – House Bill 422 (opens in a new tab), signed into law following the 88th Legislative Session, requires the judge of a juvenile court to submit to the Office of Court Administration (OCA) a plan for conducting certain hearings as remote proceedings. Members of the public may search for and view these plans under the “Standing Orders” document type found in the Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders database. Questions about plan content should be directed to the local court that submitted the plan.

The Second Called Session of the 87th Legislature (2021), enacted Senate Bill 6 which required the Office of Court Administration (OCA) to develop a statewide Public Safety Report System (PSRS) and requires magistrates who set bail for defendants charged with a Class B misdemeanor or higher category offense to consider a public safety report generated by the Public Safety Report System. The bill also requires any magistrate, judge, sheriff, peace officer or jailer who sets bail under Chapter 17, Code of Criminal Procedure, for a defendant charged with a Class B misdemeanor or higher category offense to complete a bail form and to promptly (but no later than 72 hours) submit it to OCA through the Public Safety Report System.

The PSRS went live on April 1, 2022, and 1) generates a public safety report with respect to a defendant for magistrates to consider before setting bail for defendants charged with a Class B misdemeanor or higher category offense, 2) provides the bail form that must be completed by magistrates, judges, sheriffs, peace officers and jailers who set bail under Chapter 17, Code of Criminal Procedure, for a defendant charged with a Class B misdemeanor or higher category offense, and 3) provides a system for the bail form to be submitted to OCA to be placed on the bail form webpage for public view.

Information displayed on the Bail Forms is not an official court record. The information may contain errors or omissions and should not be considered complete or used as an official court record. Accuracy of the information is not warranted. Official records of court proceedings may only be obtained directly from the court maintaining the record.

Citations and Notices holds searchable citations of substitute service and other related public or legal notices required for online publication on the public information Internet website by statute, rule, or court order.

In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed SB 325, requiring the Texas Office of Court Administration (the Office) to develop a Protective Order Registry (the Registry). The bill is now codified in Chapter 72, Subchapter F of the Texas Government Code, §§ 72.151 – 72.158. This important legislation is also known as "Monica's Law" in honor of Monica Deming, who was murdered by an abusive ex-boyfriend in 2015 in Odessa, Texas. Unbeknownst to Monica, the perpetrator had been the subject of two prior protective orders.

While state and federal law currently provides peace officers access to limited information on issued protective orders, the Registry provides access to both applications and orders to other members of the justice community. In addition, the Registry contains images of both applications and orders to facilitate more comprehensive investigation and enforcement.

The statewide registry also provides limited public access to protective orders when the protected person has authorized access. This access is subject to strict confidentiality standards to protect victims of family violence, stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

NOTE: Electronic access to court information regarding protection orders is restricted by federal and state law in addition to court rules and orders. The OCA Protective Order Registry does not provide access to either confidential or sealed case information. The information on the Registry is made available as a public service by the Office of Court Administration.

Information displayed on the Registry is not an official court record. The information may contain errors or omissions and should not be considered complete or used as an official court record. Accuracy of the information is not warranted. Official records of court proceedings may only be obtained directly from the court maintaining the record.