The Texas trial court system consists of District Courts, Criminal District Court, County Courts, Constitutional County Courts, County Courts at Law, Statutory Probate Courts, Justice Courts, and Municipal Courts.
The Texas trial court system has four broad categories of trial courts known as District Courts, County Courts, Justice Courts and Municipal Courts. District Courts have general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, but typically only handle cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. County Courts, Justice Courts and Municipal Courts have limited jurisdiction over certain types of cases. Due to the complexity of the distribution of jurisdiction between Texas trial courts, jurisdiction over cases can vary greatly from court to court.
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Texas District Courts District Courts have general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases, and typically handle cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. A District Court in a densely populated area may specialize in a certain type or types of cases. Each District Court in an area with a large population might primarily exercise jurisdiction over certain types of cases instead of all types of cases generally heard by District Courts. Criminal cases heard by District Courts include felonies, lesser-included offenses and certain types of misdemeanors, including official misconduct. Civil cases heard by District Courts include divorce, most disputes over title to land, requests for enforcement of liens on land, election disputes, slander, defamation, certain civil cases brought by the State and general civil claims beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. District Courts may also handle contested probate cases, domestic violence or sexual assault protective orders and cases requesting injunctive relief. Some District Courts share jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases generally handled by County Courts. Civil cases handled by a District Court may include motor vehicle (including personal injury, property damage or wrongful death), personal injury, property damage or wrongful death, workers compensation, tax disputes, eminent domain and condemnation, contracts, child support cases involving other states, divorce, annulment, adoption, name change, termination of parental rights, child protection cases, judicial consent for minors, voluntary legitimation, protection orders, juvenile delinquency, children in need of supervision, probate matters, wills, trusts, mental health cases, guardianships and habeas corpus. Some District Courts may be referred to as Criminal District Courts, and generally means that a District Court is exercising jurisdiction primarily over criminal cases but retains general jurisdiction over all types of cases. Texas has one special limited jurisdiction court that is also called "Criminal District Court." This special court does not have general jurisdiction over all types of cases like District Courts and instead has limited jurisdiction over certain types of criminal and civil cases. Texas Criminal District Court Texas has one limited jurisdiction Criminal District Court. Cases typically heard by this court include some criminal and some civil cases. Criminal cases heard by a limited jurisdiction Criminal District Court may be similar to the types of criminal cases heard by County Courts, including preliminary hearings for all types of criminal cases and trials for most misdemeanors. Civil cases heard by the Criminal District Court include divorce, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, adoption and civil habeas corpus proceedings. This "District Court" is different than other District Courts in Texas, because it does not exercise general jurisdiction over all types of cases. General jurisdiction District Courts may specialize in certain types of cases, but every District Court retains general jurisdiction over all types of cases. The limited jurisdiction court called "Criminal District Court" is considered a "district level" court, but its jurisdiction over cases is more limited than other District Courts. Some District Courts may be referred to as Criminal District Courts, but it is a reference to a court primarily handling criminal cases in a densely populated area. "General jurisdiction" District Courts are permitted to specialize in certain types of cases and may have names that reflect the preference for certain types of cases, but a specialization by a general jurisdiction District Court does not limit the general jurisdiction granted by the Texas Constitution. Texas County Courts There are three broad categories of County Courts: Constitutional County Courts, County Courts at Law and Statutory Probate Courts. Jurisdiction exercised by County Courts varies significantly from court to court. Constitutional County Courts also handle administrative duties for county government through County Commissioners Courts. In counties with large populations and greater administrative needs, the Legislature created County Courts at Law and Statutory Probate Courts to handle certain types of civil and criminal cases within Constitutional County Court jurisdiction. Criminal cases heard by Constitutional County Courts include some Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Constitutional County Courts may exercise exclusive jurisdiction over some misdemeanors and may share jurisdiction over certain types of cases with Justice Courts, other County Courts and District Courts. Civil cases heard by Constitutional County Courts include most general civil matters within financial limits on the size of claims. Constitutional County Courts may also handle juvenile cases, probate matters and domestic violence or sexual assault protective orders. The types of cases handled by County Courts at Law vary widely by court. Statutory County Court jurisdiction may include some or all of the types of cases within the jurisdiction of Constitutional County Courts. County Courts at Law may also be referred to as Statutory County Courts, County Criminal Courts, or County Civil Courts at Law. Some Statutory County Courts will have names that suggest a specialization in a certain type of case, such as civil or criminal cases, but a Statutory County Court may handle additional types of cases in addition to a primary specialization. Criminal cases heard by County Courts at Law include most misdemeanors. County Courts at Law may have exclusive jurisdiction over some misdemeanors that do not have a potential penalty of incarceration. County Courts at Law may also handle violations of health or safety ordinances. Civil cases heard by County Courts at Law may include general civil claims for less than $100,000 and cases involving eminent domain or workers compensation. County Courts at Law may also handle wills, trusts, mental health proceedings, guardianships, divorce, child custody, child support, juvenile matters and domestic violence or sexual assault protective orders. Statutory Probate Courts exercise jurisdiction that is generally different than the jurisdiction of County Courts at Law, although some County Courts at Law handle some probate cases. Statutory Probate Courts have original jurisdiction over most probate matters and may share some jurisdiction with District Courts and other County Courts. Cases typically handled by Statutory Probate Courts include the probate of wills, the administration of estates, guardianships and mental health proceedings. Texas Constitutional County Courts The jurisdiction exercised by a Constitutional County Court may vary significantly from court to court. Constitutional County Courts also handle administrative duties through a County Commissioners Court, which only has authority related to the governance of the county and is not a trial court. Criminal cases heard by Constitutional County Courts include some Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Constitutional County Courts may exercise exclusive jurisdiction over some misdemeanors and may share jurisdiction over certain types of cases with Justice Courts, other County Courts and District Courts. Civil cases heard by Constitutional County Courts include most general civil matters beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. Constitutional County Courts may also handle juvenile cases, probate matters and domestic violence or sexual assault protective orders. In counties with large populations and greater administrative needs, the Legislature created County Courts at Law and Statutory Probate Courts to handle certain types of civil and criminal cases within Constitutional County Court jurisdiction. Texas County Courts at Law County Courts at Law may also be referred to as Statutory County Courts, County Criminal Courts, or County Civil Courts at Law. Some Statutory County Courts will have names that suggest a specialization in a certain type of case, such as civil or criminal cases. However, a Statutory County Court may handle additional types of cases in addition to its primary specialization. The types of cases handled by County Courts at Law vary by court. County Court at Law jurisdiction may include some or all of the types of cases within the jurisdiction of Constitutional County Courts. Criminal cases heard by County Courts at Law include misdemeanors. County Courts at Law may have exclusive jurisdiction over some misdemeanors that do not have a potential penalty of incarceration. County Courts at Law may also handle violations of health or safety ordinances. Civil cases heard by County Courts at Law include general civil claims for less than $100,000 and cases involving eminent domain or workers compensation. County Courts at Law may also handle wills, trusts, mental health proceedings, guardianships, divorce, child custody, child support, juvenile matters and domestic violence or sexual assault protective orders. Statutory Probate Courts exercise jurisdiction that is generally different than the jurisdiction of County Courts at Law, although some County Courts at Law handle some probate cases. County Courts at Law may share jurisdiction with District Courts, other County Courts and Justice Courts. Texas Statutory Probate Courts Statutory Probate Courts have original jurisdiction over most probate matters.Cases heard by Statutory Probate Courts include the probate of wills, the administration of estates, guardianships, mental health proceedings and some civil cases related to the administration of estates. Statutory Probate Courts may share some jurisdiction over probate matters with District Courts and other County Courts. Texas Justice Courts Justice Courts may be referred to as "Justice of the Peace Courts." Justice Courts have jurisdiction over certain types of civil and criminal cases, but jurisdiction may vary from court to court.Criminal cases heard by Justice Courts include preliminary hearings, some traffic misdemeanors and some misdemeanors without potential penalties of incarceration. Civil cases heard by Justice Courts include general civil claims within financial limits, small claims, forcible entry and detainer, foreclosures of mortgages and enforcement of some liens on personal property. Some Justice Courts may share some jurisdiction with County Courts. Every county has at least one Justice Court, but there may be several in a particular county. Texas Municipal Courts Municipal Courts have jurisdiction over certain types of civil and criminal cases. Municipal Court jurisdiction may vary from court to court. Criminal cases heard by a Municipal Court may include municipal ordinance violations, felony preliminary hearings, some misdemeanors and some cases related to forfeitures and final judgments of bail bonds or personal bonds. Municipal Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over most violations of city ordinances, and may share jurisdiction over misdemeanors with Justice Courts. Civil cases heard by Justice Courts are generally limited to some cases involving the ownership of dangerous dogs. A Municipal Court may exercise jurisdiction over other types of civil cases under certain circumstances. If a Municipal Court is created by local law, it may be a court of record and may exercise additional jurisdiction over additional ordinance violations, civil cases and criminal matters. Municipal Courts of record may share additional jurisdiction with District Courts or County Courts over the enforcement of health, safety or nuisance abatement ordinances. Each incorporated city in Texas has at least one Municipal Court. Some cities or towns will create a Municipal Court under local laws instead of having a Municipal Court created by the Texas Legislature. Where to find court cases in Texas
The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in Texas.  = Most or all cases. = Some cases.
Note: Some courts in Texas are not included in the chart above. Please use the following links for descriptions and types of cases heard: Criminal District Court Constitutional County Courts County Courts at Law Statutory Probate Courts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||