Dallas County Small Claims Court Locations

Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts

• Electronically via eFileTexas.gov (Guide & File guided interview for self-represented filers, or standard e-filing)
• In person at the Justice Court of the precinct and place with proper venue
• By mail to that Justice Court, where the local precinct's rules still permit paper filing (some precincts, including Precinct 1 Place 1, mandate electronic filing of all new Small Claims and Debt Claims petitions, including for self-represented filers, and no longer accept paper filings — confirm with the specific precinct before mailing)

Walk-in filing is available at 5 locations: Precinct 1, Precinct 2, Precinct 3, Precinct 4, Precinct 5.

Filing locations

5

Hours

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (excluding court-approved holidays)

Filing fee

$54

File without going in

Yes, online

Every location that takes a small claims filing

Dallas County accepts small claims filings at:

• Precinct 1
• Precinct 2
• Precinct 3
• Precinct 4
• Precinct 5

Dallas County has 10 justice courts (5 precincts, each with a Place 1 and a Place 2). Which court hears your case is set by venue under Tex. R. Civ. P. 502.4 — generally where the defendant lives, where the events happened, where a contract was to be performed, or where the property is located — so there is no single central filing office; filing in the wrong precinct means either party can have the case transferred to the correct one.

Is Dallas County the right court for your case?

Which court may hear a small claims case turns on where the dispute belongs, not on where it is convenient for you to go. It is normally:

• Where the defendant lives — or, for a business, where it has its place of business.
• Where the events you are suing about actually happened.
• Where a contract was to be performed, where the claim is about an agreement.

Dallas County has 10 justice courts (5 precincts, each with a Place 1 and a Place 2). Which court hears your case is set by venue under Tex. R. Civ. P. 502.4 — generally where the defendant lives, where the events happened, where a contract was to be performed, or where the property is located — so there is no single central filing office; filing in the wrong precinct means either party can have the case transferred to the correct one.

We cannot advise you which venue to choose. Where two courts would both be proper, either is a valid filing.

Going to Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts in person

If you are filing at the counter rather than by mail or online, this is the shape of the visit.

1. Go during filing hours, not court hours. The counter is open 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (excluding court-approved holidays). Clerks stop accepting new filings before closing, so arriving in the last half hour is how people end up coming back.
2. Bring the completed claim form and your copies. Bring a copy for the court, one for each defendant, and one for yourself.
3. Bring the fee, in a form this clerk takes. The filing fee is $54. Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts accepts 3 forms of payment — cash is not always one of them, and cards are not always one either. Service is a further $80 per defendant.
4. Know the defendant's exact legal name and address. The clerk will not look it up for you, and a judgment against a trade name that is not the legal entity is difficult to collect on afterwards.
5. Expect the date to follow. Dallas County sets the first date after the defendant has been served, so the date follows by post rather than being handed to you.

Court staff can explain procedure and check a form is complete. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether to bring it at all.

Ways to file without standing in line

Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts accepts a filing:

• Electronically via eFileTexas.gov (Guide & File guided interview for self-represented filers, or standard e-filing)
• In person at the Justice Court of the precinct and place with proper venue
• By mail to that Justice Court, where the local precinct's rules still permit paper filing (some precincts, including Precinct 1 Place 1, mandate electronic filing of all new Small Claims and Debt Claims petitions, including for self-represented filers, and no longer accept paper filings — confirm with the specific precinct before mailing)

Free help at the courthouse

Dallas County runs a self-help center for people filing without a lawyer. It can:

• Point you at the right form for your case type
• Check a form is complete before you hand it in
• Dallas County JP court clerks are barred from giving legal advice, and once a case is filed the judge may not discuss it with a party outside the presence of all parties. Self-help is provided by the Texas State Law Library Small Claims guide and TexasLawHelp.org; the Dallas County Law Library (214-653-7481) and Dallas Bar Association (214-220-7400) are also listed as resources in the JP 1-1 Civil Information Packet.

Court staff can explain procedure. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether you should file at all — that is the line they are not allowed to cross, and it is the part most people actually need.

Common questions

Where is small claims court in Dallas County?

Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts, 8301 S. Polk St., Suite 2100, Dallas, TX 75232.

What are the Dallas County small claims court hours?

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (excluding court-approved holidays). Confirm before travelling — court hours change around holidays.

Do I have to go to the courthouse to file in Dallas County?

Not necessarily. Dallas County accepts a filing electronically via efiletexas.gov (guide & file guided interview for self-represented filers, or standard e-filing); in person at the justice court of the precinct and place with proper venue; by mail to that justice court, where the local precinct's rules still permit paper filing (some precincts, including precinct 1 place 1, mandate electronic filing of all new small claims and debt claims petitions, including for self-represented filers, and no longer accept paper filings — confirm with the specific precinct before mailing).

Which Dallas County location do I file at?

Dallas County has 10 justice courts (5 precincts, each with a Place 1 and a Place 2). Which court hears your case is set by venue under Tex. R. Civ. P. 502.4 — generally where the defendant lives, where the events happened, where a contract was to be performed, or where the property is located — so there is no single central filing office; filing in the wrong precinct means either party can have the case transferred to the correct one.