San Patricio County, TX
All 12 county-scoped rules
Every published instrument scoped to San Patricio County, newest effective date first. 2 region-wide and 1,248 statewide instruments also apply here — search all three layers together. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Published rules, newest effective date first
Showing 1–12 of 12
Rules of Court of the 36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts (Aransas, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen and San Patricio Counties; signed and ordered promulgated June 16, 2026; San Patricio County edition)
The 2026 local rules of the 36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts: bench exchange and emergency matters, judicial vacation, the Local Administrative Judge's duties, time standards, where juvenile and CPS cases are filed (county courts at law, except Bee County's CPS cases in the district courts), court calendars apportioned by county population, rotating assignment of cases and felony styling, transfers by consent, settings through the Court Administrators with docket control orders, preferential settings, ex parte relief with the applicant present, pre-trial and pre-trial motions, severance, continuances (presented at pre-trial or ten days before trial), summary-judgment courtesy copies by mail or delivery only, ADR referrals and objections, settlements, conflicting engagements, interpreters, a minute order on audio/video evidence and English translations, jury charges seven days before trial, the family standing order and parent-education course, sworn inventories and proposed property divisions, pro se divorce and adoption procedures (Exhibits C and D), criminal appearance, retention notices and interpreters, attorney vacation letters, courtroom decorum, entry of orders within seven days, and no photography or recording in the courtroom.
Standing Order Regarding Children, Property, and Conduct of the Parties — San Patricio, Aransas, Bee, Live Oak and McMullen County Family Law Courts (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts, San Patricio County Courts at Law Nos. 1 and 2, Aransas County Court at Law; effective June 15, 2026; San Patricio County)
The automatic standing order attached to every divorce, SAPCR and modification petition filed in the five counties: no disruption, removal, hiding, disparagement or overnight dating guests concerning the children, no substance use before possession, no violence; no harassment, mail or account intrusion, interception, social-media posting or exclusion from the residence; in a divorce no dissipation of property, records, insurance or accounts beyond the specifically authorized business, living and legal expenses; served with the petition, effective on filing until final order or dismissal, subordinate to protective orders, bond waived.
Standing Order Regarding Persons Seeking Conservatorship in Family Law Cases — parent education and family stabilization course (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts, San Patricio County Courts at Law Nos. 1 and 2, Aransas County Court at Law and 2nd Multicounty Court at Law; effective June 15, 2026; San Patricio County)
Every party seeking conservatorship, possession or access in a SAPCR or modification must complete a four-to-twelve-hour parent education and family stabilization course meeting Texas Family Code § 105.009 (petitioner within 31 days of filing, respondent within 31 days of first appearance or answer), offered by a qualified mental-health professional or religious practitioner, with a certificate of completion; non-completion may be sanctioned by contempt, striking pleadings or Rule 215 sanctions but does not delay judgment, and the assigned judge may waive the course for good cause.
Adoption Procedures in the District Courts in Aransas, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen and San Patricio Counties (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts; 2026; San Patricio County edition)
The petitioner's attorney must provide an order appointing the pre-adoptive home screening and post-placement report provider (the judge chooses the provider; the attorney notifies the provider of the appointment, deadlines and dates and the client pays the provider), obtain the DPS criminal history required by Family Code § 162.0085 (the hearing is passed until the report is on file and the attorney must request a reset), provide an order appointing the ad litem (the judge chooses; the attorney notifies the ad litem of the appointment, the court of hearing dates) or give the judge a written waiver before obtaining a hearing date, and have the clients complete the Adoption Vital Statistics form before leaving the courthouse.
Pro-se Divorce Procedures in the District Courts of Aransas, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen and San Patricio Counties (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts and the 2nd Multicounty Court at Law; 2026; San Patricio County edition)
A self-represented petitioner must serve the respondent under the Rules of Civil Procedure or file a waiver of citation dated and signed after the petition was filed; before requesting a setting must serve the Attorney General and consolidate any child-support case into the divorce, attend the family counseling program if children are involved (as must the spouse, with limited out-of-area exceptions), know the service or waiver date and whether the respondent answered or has counsel, and place a fully completed divorce decree and vital statistics form in the clerk's file; then requests a court date from the court administrator of the court where the case is filed, giving the case number — no date is set without service, waiver or answer and a decree on file, and every blank must be filled in before seeing the judge; the petitioner must keep a current address with the District Clerk or risk dismissal and loss of the filing fee.
2026 Felony Appointment Certification — requirements for counsel accepting criminal appointments (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts; November 25, 2025; San Patricio County edition)
For 2026 appointments the Board of Judges certifies attorneys on January 2, 2026; proof of CLE hours and the Request for Appointments form were due to the court administrator by December 20, 2025, with a sworn statement of compliance with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission's 2025 reporting; attorney fee requests are due at sentencing; appointed counsel must make face-to-face contact with an incarcerated client within 14 days of appointment or before pre-trial; the district judges' office accepts felony-only requests for San Patricio and Aransas, felony, prison-felony and juvenile for Bee, and felony and juvenile for Live Oak and McMullen, with misdemeanor and (in Aransas and San Patricio) juvenile certifications going to the county courts at law; the enclosed request form lists the case types per county.
Plea Deadline Procedure — Arraignment, Pre-Trial and Plea Deadline Settings (County Court at Law No. 2, San Patricio County; effective October 1, 2024; Judge Viki Hesseltine Martino)
From October 1, 2024 every arraignment date in County Court at Law No. 2 carries a hard plea deadline: discovery, suppression and plea bargaining are expected to conclude between arraignment and that deadline, the court will not consider plea agreements after it, and unresolved cases go to a trial docket. Contested pretrial matters get a specific setting and time on request to the court coordinator once the motion is filed; cases pending lab results, other discovery issues or a pending felony may be placed on a Zoom status docket (by the court's request form) and carry no plea deadline until removed; motions for continuance must be properly executed and filed before the setting, and moving the pretrial setting never moves the plea deadline. The court's calendar of arraignment, pre-trial and plea-deadline dates runs from October 1, 2024 through the July 22, 2025 arraignment (plea deadline December 4, 2025).
Minute Order Relating to Electronic Audio and/or Video Evidence (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts; August 19, 2022; San Patricio County edition)
Audio or video evidence offered at pre-trial or trial must be in admissible form and format when offered (a flash drive is preferred over a DVD); questions of form and format go to the trial judge before the offer and, in jury cases, before jury selection; all objections to redaction of a recording are ruled on before a jury trial begins; every exhibit must be in English or offered with an English translation, and any translation must be disclosed to opposing parties at least 3 days before the offer; admission of non-conforming evidence is in the presiding judge's sole discretion. The judges' September 14, 2022 cover letter paraphrases the order and asks prosecutors to share it with law enforcement.
Interpreters — the Spanish-interpreter scheduling policy for announcement, trial and pre-trial settings (36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts; May 8, 2018; San Patricio County edition)
Under the courts' policy Spanish interpreters are scheduled only for announcement and trial dates; counsel who needs an interpreter for a pre-trial setting must notify the District Judge's office immediately on receiving the setting notice so the court administrator can schedule one; counsel are directed to the attached cancellation policies of the two interpreters the courts use (two-hour minimums for cancellations on less than 24 hours' notice).
Judge's Explanation of Misdemeanor Arraignment Procedures (County Court at Law No. 2, San Patricio County; Judge Viki Hesseltine Martino)
Misdemeanor defendants bonded to appear INSTANTER receive a setting notice for arraignment in County Court at Law No. 2 once the County Attorney files the case. A defendant who appears without counsel may ask for a reset to hire an attorney, apply for appointed counsel, or waive counsel (questionnaire and written waiver, provided at arraignment and posted on the county website). Reset requests go to the court by email at least three days before the setting with the reason; all resets are discretionary. Defendants must report contact-information changes to their bondsman and the County Clerk's Office. Failure to appear means bond forfeiture and an arrest warrant.
Protocols for Electronic Appearance (County Court at Law No. 2, San Patricio County; Judge Viki Hesseltine Martino)
Cases set for electronic hearing in County Court at Law No. 2 appear by Zoom under the court's protocols: a Zoom account under the participant's real name, appearance by video (not voice only), courtroom attire for attorneys and appropriate dress for everyone else, admission limited to counsel of record, litigants (and spouses where the rules permit), testifying experts and witnesses when called; hearings are public and may not be recorded; participants join a few minutes early, wait in the virtual waiting room, keep a quiet well-lit indoor location (never a moving vehicle or crowded place), use private chat only between client and lawyer, and observe the Rule as to Witnesses, which is invoked in every virtual hearing; witnesses may not consult anyone or any document while testifying; private client conferences happen in a breakout room on request. Failure to appear as directed may bring sanctions up to default judgment, dismissal, fines, or a warrant or capias.
Rules Governing the Procedure for the District Clerk of San Patricio County to Receive and File Electronically Transmitted Court Documents (Exhibit A)
Fifteen rules for documents transmitted electronically (by facsimile) to the San Patricio County District Clerk: what may not be filed that way (returns of service, bonds, signed orders or judgments, non-letter-size documents); laser-printed plain-paper receipt; payment of costs and transmission fees by approved credit card, with unpaid or non-conforming documents not filed; an annual clerk fee schedule approved by the local courts; the file-stamped transmission as the original record; TRCP formatting and signature requirements; the sender keeps the signed original (Gov't Code § 51.806); a cover sheet identifying sender, documents, pages, instructions and charge authorization; the clerk verifies completeness, confirms the charge, then stamps and acknowledges; no sealed citation or writ by transmission; transmission is not filing until the clerk's stamp is affixed; and receipt-time rules (same-day filing before midnight on a business day, after-4:00 pm and weekend transmissions verified and filed before 10 am the next business day).