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Ten court rules that a self-represented party must satisfy before the district courts will grant a divorce in DeWitt County: clean and fully completed pleadings and decrees on letter-size paper, vehicle and real-property descriptions, mandatory child provisions (custody, possession schedule, health insurance, guideline child support that cannot be waived without court approval, paternity and prior orders by certified copy), the Bureau of Vital Statistics form, decree submission to the judge on the final-hearing date, and settings obtained through the DeWitt County District Clerk.
Applies to self-represented parties in divorce cases before the 24th, 135th and 267th District Courts in DeWitt County (settings through the DeWitt County District Clerk, 361-275-0931). Procedural information only; not legal advice.
INSTRUCTIONS TO PRO SE LITIGANTS IN DIVORCE CASES — PLEASE READ COMPLETELY. Court Administrators, Court Coordinators, nor any personnel of the District Clerk's office can practice law or give you any type of legal advice. Please do not ask them to do so. If you choose to represent yourself in a divorce, you MUST comply with the following Court rules before asking the Court to grant a divorce: 1. ALL pleadings and Court orders MUST appear neat, clean, with no smudges or strike-overs. 2. ALL fill in the blank pleadings and decrees MUST be FULLY filled in. NO BLANKS. 3. If anything contained in the forms you are using do not apply to you and your spouse, DO NOT include them in your petition or your decree. 4. All pleadings and decrees MUST be printed on 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper. 5. If your divorce involves motor vehicles, you MUST describe the vehicle by manufacturer, model year, and vehicle I.D. number. 6. If the divorce/decree involves real estate, you MUST include the proper legal description of the real estate and information concerning the bank or lien holder. 7. If children were born during the marriage, the decree MUST include the following: a. Provision for custody of the children and with whom they will live. b. A schedule of visitation (possession order). c. Provision for the children to be covered by health insurance, and must identify the parent who is ordered to provide and pay for health insurance. d. Provision for child support in accordance with the guidelines in the Texas Family Code. CHILD SUPPORT CANNOT BE WAIVED without approval of the Court which will rarely be given. e. If a child is not the child of the spouse but was born during the marriage, the child MUST be listed in the decree and paternity MUST be established by a prior court order. A certified copy of the court order MUST be presented to the Court. f. If there is a prior court order which governs possession and access to a child or child support, a certified copy of that order MUST be presented to the Court. 8. Obtain the Bureau of Vital Statistics form from the District Clerk's office and have it completely filled out before you come to court for your divorce. 9. ALL Decrees of Divorce MUST be submitted to the Judge hearing the case upon the call of the docket on the final hearing date. 10. All Court settings shall be obtained by calling the DeWitt County District Clerk's office at 361-275-0931. The District Clerk's office shall provide a copy of these instructions to all parties filing a pro se divorce petition. SIGNED AND ORDERED THIS THE 31st DAY OF May, 2017. Kemper Stephen Williams, District Judge, 135th Judicial District; Jack W. Marr, District Judge, 24th Judicial District; Bobby Bell, District Judge, 267th Judicial District; Eli E. Garza, District Judge, 377th Judicial District. File-marked June 2017, District Court, DeWitt County, Texas.
INSTRUCTIONS TO PRO SE LITIGANTS IN DIVORCE CASES — PLEASE READ COMPLETELY. Court Administrators, Court Coordinators, nor any personnel of the District Clerk's office can practice law or give you any type of legal advice. Please do not ask them to do so. If you choose to represent yourself in a divorce, you MUST comply with the following Court rules before asking the Court to grant a divorce: 1. A
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-07 from BenchPath's own-site custody copy (two pages; text layer read in full, signature page confirmed through the vision lane). DeWitt edition of the instructions (item 10 names the DeWitt District Clerk; Calhoun's registered edition, TOPICs 864, names the Calhoun clerk). Four signers including two former judges; no judge join.
In justice-court eviction cases: the citation sets a personal-appearance trial day not less than 10 nor more than 21 days after the petition is filed; a written answer is permitted but NOT required (appearing on the trial day is what matters); no trial may be held until 4 days after service; and an appeal must be perfected within 5 days after the judgment is signed.
Policy Regarding Pro Se Applicants — Harris County Probate Courts (Probate Court No. 1 posting) — posted on the court's own website — the court-procedure tier (standing procedures, policies, and preferences the court itself publishes), distinct from the TOPICs-registered local-rules tier (TRCP 3a registration applies to local rules). Operative requirements quoted verbatim; the posted document is the controlling text.