Texas Small Claims Courts

Small Claims Courts in Texas

Small Claims Desk currently supports 5 courts in Texas. Tap a pin or a court below for its filing details, fees, and forms.

• Bexar County Justice of the Peace Courts — Bexar County
  3505 Pleasanton Rd., San Antonio, TX 78221
• Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts — Dallas County
  8301 S. Polk St., Suite 2100, Dallas, TX 75232
• Harris County Justice of the Peace Courts — Harris County
  7300 North Shepherd Dr., Houston, TX 77091
• Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Courts — Tarrant County
  100 W. Weatherford St., Room 450, Fort Worth, TX 76196
• Travis County Justice of the Peace Courts — Travis County
  Richard Scott Building, 4717 Heflin Lane, Suite 107, Austin, TX 78721

Which court is the right one

Venue — which court may hear your case — normally turns on:

• Where the defendant lives, or where a business defendant has its place of business
• Where the events giving rise to the claim happened
• Where a contract was to be performed, in a contract dispute

Filing in the wrong court gets the case transferred or dismissed, and either way costs you the time. If two courts would both be proper, either is a valid choice.

We cannot advise which venue to choose. Each county page below sets out that court’s own rule where it publishes one.

Claim limit

$20,000

Court

Justice Court

File online

Yes (statewide)

Appeal window

21 days

What each county page tells you

Picking your county below gives you that court’s own facts rather than a state generalisation:

• The filing address, the counter hours, and the phone number for the clerk.
• That court’s filing fee — which steps with the size of the claim in most counties — and what it charges for service.
• The forms that court requires, under the names it actually uses for them.
• Which filing methods it accepts: counter, post, or an electronic portal.
• Whether it sets your first court date when you file, or after the defendant is served.

Those facts are verified per court and re-checked quarterly, because a fee schedule or an address that is a year out of date sends somebody to the wrong building with the wrong money.

Where a county is not listed, we have not verified that court to the standard we hold ourselves to, and we would rather say so than guess.

Common questions

Where do I file a small claims case in Texas?

In the justice court for the county where the defendant lives or where the dispute happened. Pick your county above for that court's address and hours.

Can I file in the county where I live?

Only if it is also proper venue — usually meaning the defendant is there or the dispute happened there. Convenience to you is not by itself a basis.

How many Texas courts does Small Claims Desk cover?

5. Each has its own page with the address, hours, filing methods, fee schedule and forms that court requires.

What if my county is not listed?

The Texas rules on this site still apply and are free to use. We add counties as their court records are verified to the standard we hold ourselves to.