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Local Rules of Procedure and Decorum for the Justice Courts, Fort Bend County — Fort Bend County. The operative requirements are quoted verbatim from the governing document (registered/posted 06/24/2026); the document in custody is the controlling text.
Texas > Fort Bend County > Justice of the Peace Courts
Local Rules of Procedure and Decorum for the Justice Courts of Fort Bend County, adopted pursuant to Tex. Gov't Code § 27.061, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 15.0821, and Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 4.12. … Civil cases are governed by TRCP Part V; all Fort Bend Justice Courts accept e-filing; parties must provide adequate copies of petitions and documents for service (fees for noncompliance: $1.00 first page, $0.25 each additional); self-addressed postage-paid envelopes are required for mailed file-stamped returns; requests to postpone trial shall be in writing at least three business days before the setting unless grounds arose later. … Recording or broadcasting of proceedings is strictly prohibited without written permission from the Justice of the Peace. … A case shall be heard in the court where filed unless a proper motion to transfer venue under TRCP Part V is granted; if the judge is disqualified, the case is assigned to the nearest qualified justice of the peace in the county by exchange of benches. … DISMISSAL FOR WANT OF PROSECUTION: a case may be placed on the DWOP docket sua sponte if it has been on file more than 120 days with no answer filed and no return of service, or more than 12 months without a trial setting and with no filings or settings in the preceding 180 days; the clerk gives notice, and the case is dismissed on the noticed date unless a motion to retain (filed at least 10 business days before the dismissal date, stating the factual and legal basis) is granted; retained cases are set for trial and are tried or dismissed at that setting. … Criminal complaints are filed in the precinct where the offense occurred or where the defendant resides; pending criminal cases may be transferred between Fort Bend Justice Courts accordingly; a defendant is not entitled to court-appointed counsel as a matter of law for fine-only offenses; resets must be requested no later than 24 hours before the setting; jury waiver at docket call must be written and signed; as magistrate the justice of the peace may order arrests, issue warrants, find probable cause, set bail, commit to jail, and issue emergency protective orders. … Administrative jurisdiction: driver's-license suspension hearings (written reset requests within 24 hours), tow hearings under Tex. Occ. Code § 2308.452, emergency mental-health detention, stolen/seized property, animal cruelty, handgun-license hearings, occupational driver's licenses, bail bonds, and environmental cases; if a case type is subject to a local standing order agreed by the Justices of the Peace, all petitions shall be filed in the designated court pursuant to the standing order — the standing orders are published and maintained by the Office of Court Administration. … Decorum: complete order in the courtroom (no tobacco, gum, hats, weapons, audible phones, food, or offensive attire); attorneys and pro se parties address the bench respectfully, may not approach or lean on the bench, and shall arrange furniture or equipment needs in advance; the Judge or bailiff may remove noncompliant persons. ADOPTED and APPROVED May 22, 2026, by all seven Justices of the Peace (effective/adopted date on the cover: May 15, 2026).
Reviewer note: Operative provisions transcribed verbatim by vision-read of the registered scanned document (rasterized at 170 dpi and read page-by-page this session); the registered document (sha256 0e76109d99c0…) is the controlling text. Full transcript retained in fb-transcripts/3011-jp-local-rules.md.
Establishes a Traffic Violations Bureau within the Clerk of the County Court under Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.100(a) (Burnstein, C.J., Nov. 1, 1988).
Approves the National Highway Safety Council Defensive Driving course as a school to which traffic courts may require attendance (Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.110(a)).
Designates the D.W.I. Counterattack School (Broward County Commission on Alcoholism) as an approved school for court-ordered attendance (Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.110(a)).