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Inclement Weather, Emergency, and Public Health Scheduling Procedures — Harris County Civil Courts at Law (effective March 16, 2020) — 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.
Texas > Harris County > County Civil Courts at Law
Harris County Civil Courts at Law Inclement Weather, Emergency, and Public Health Scheduling Procedures EFFECTIVE 3/16/2020 AT NOON In an effort to balance constitutionally protected due process rights during an emergency with public health and safety concerns of the citizens of Harris County, the Harris County Court at Law Judges have established the following procedures for conducting court business as a result of inclement weather, emergencies, or other public health concerns: (1) If the County Judge of Harris County announces that County buildings will be closed, the County Civil Courts at Law will remain closed until the County Judge announces the reopening of the buildings. Essential court matters will be re-scheduled or held at approved alternate locations. Check with your specific Court for more information on time and location. (2) If Houston Independent School District cancels classes, then all non- essential matters in the County Civil Courts at Law will be cancelled on the days classes are cancelled. Should the HISD closure last more than seven (7) days, the County Civil Courts at Law will communicate an alternate schedule on its website at http://ccl.hctx.net/civil. (3) An individual County Court at Law may opt out of this portion of the protocol by providing the Court Administrator with written notice of the Court's decision. a. Courts that decide to proceed with scheduled court matters must contact all parties and inform them that the scheduled proceedings will continue. b. If a court decides to proceed with scheduled court matters, it must also provide the Court Administrator with that information. c. The Court Administrator or his designee will post court closures and schedules on http://ccl.hctx.net/civil. d. Essential court matters will go forward as scheduled unless the parties receive notice from the assigned individual court. (4) If these Inclement Weather, Emergency, and Public Health Scheduling Procedure are invoked, then all non-essential court matters will be continued and re-scheduled. Essential court matters will go forward as scheduled. 1 (5) During times of inclement weather emergencies or public concern, all litigants are encouraged to: a. submit contested motions on a submission docket where available; or b. contact assigned individual court to determine if telephone or video conferencing is an available alternative to an in-person hearing. (6) Jury Service: In an effort to balance constitutionally protected due process rights during an emergency with public health and safety concerns, the Harris County District Clerk's office will be instructed to prioritize jury trials. Jury trials will be prioritized based on constitutional and statutory requirements, as well as the need for essential trials as shown in Section (6). For guidance on your case, contact specific courts for further information. If you have received a jury summons, please go to www.hcdistrictclerk.com or call 713-755-6392 for more information regarding your particular day of service. Jury summons come from the District Clerk's office, not from the County Courts at Law. (7) For purposes of these Procedures, the term "essential court matters" shall be 1. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 81 proceedings; 2. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 821 proceedings; 3. Texas Family Code Chapter 33 proceedings; and 4. Temporary restraining orders, temporary injunctions, and other ancillary matters. Any questions regarding whether a matter is essential, please contact the home court. These Procedures are subject to change if circumstances so require. Additional procedures may also be added as needed. If your case presents specific concerns, please contact your individual court. Communication with the Court and court personnel are critical at this time. All attorneys and pro se parties should ensure that their contact information is up to date with both the Harris County Civil Clerk's office and the State Bar of Texas. 2
Reviewer note: Own-site document live-fetched by us 2026-08-22, byte-identical to the AJR-11 recon capture of 2026-08-21 (dual custody). Complete document text quoted verbatim (whitespace-normalized); the posted document (sha256 b9527f0fe6ff…) is the controlling text.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.