Frequently Asked Questions

Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a, Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 1.2, and Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 10 govern local rules, forms, and standing orders.

District and county courts should also review Texas Government Code section 74.093.

Justice courts should also review Texas Government Code section 27.061.

District and county courts must post their local rules, forms, and standing orders to OCA’s Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders website to be effective and enforceable in those courts.

Yes.

In fact, the amendment to Rule of Judicial Administration 10 effective January 1, 2023, makes clear that justice courts are required to post their local rules to OCA’s Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders website for them to be effective.

Justice courts need not post their local forms or standing orders, but they can.

Yes, but it’s not required.

Please contact OCA at: oca-legalsupport@txcourts.gov

The head/lead clerk is the manager of the account and is the only person who can add users and determine their level of access. The head/lead clerk can assign management duties to the deputy clerk or other designee.

Once you’ve signed in, click the “Add Document” button.

Yes. Your document must be a text-searchable PDF.

Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a, Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 1.2, and Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 10 provide that local rules, forms, and standing orders must be posted to be effective.

That means you cannot use a retroactive effective date.

You may set the effective date as the date you posted the document or any date after the posting date.

Find the document and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Delete Document Uploaded in Error” as your “Edit Reason.”

The “Delete Document Uploaded in Error” function will only be available for 30 days after upload. So, please be careful and act quickly if you make a mistake.vvvvv

The time for deleting the document (30 days) has expired.

You should select “Remove Document No Longer in Use/Effect” or “Replace Document” as your “Edit Reason,” depending on what you wish to accomplish.

Find the document you want to replace and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Replace Document” as your “Edit Reason.”

Find the document you want to replace and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Replace Document” as your “Edit Reason.”

Find the document and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Update Document Details/Court Associations” as your “Edit Reason.”

Find the document and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Update Document Details/Court Associations” as your “Edit Reason.”

The “Remove Document No Longer in Use/Effect” edit reason can be used to remove temporary, discontinued, or abandoned documents. The “Replace Document” edit reason can be used to replace an outdated document with an updated document. It combines removing and adding in a single step.

Find the document and click the “Edit” link associated with it. On the “Edit Local Rules, Standing Orders, Forms” page, select “Update Document Details/Court Associations” as your “Edit Reason.”

There are no local rules templates available on this website given the vast and varied needs of Texas courts. Courts may search the Local Rules, Forms and Standing Orders webpage at Search Local Rules (txcourts.gov) for local rules that may be relevant to the operations of their courts. Use the Search fields to narrow down your search by Document Type, Court Group, and Court Type.  Carefully review any examples found to verify that they are not inconsistent with state or federal law or rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas or your Administrative Judicial Region’s rules, as required by TRCP 3a.